Scooby-Doo! producer confirms Velma is lesbian. pic.twitter.com/jDUUYkJrsC
— Pop Base (@PopBase) July 13, 2020
If you are unfamiliar with Scooby-Doo, I am going to send you to Wiki for a crash course, or find it on streaming and watch (You won’t be sorry). For those of us who have been around since the cartoon’s inception in 1969, questions have lingered about the show, like how the **** old are these “pesky kids” because they are drawn like they’re in their late 20s. Why does Fred dress like a silent-film director? What is Daphne getting out of her relationship with Fred (because we know what she’s not getting)? Who the hell keeps doing Velma dirty with that awful bowl cut? But two questions that have persisted were so obvious, nobody really put their answers to paper. The first is: Are Shaggy and Scooby stoners? Answer: yes, and they succumb to the munchies when they are supposed to be solving crimes. The second: Is brainy Velma, the cornerstone for the entire operation, gay? This has finally been answered once and for all. Last week, Tony Cervone, who produced the Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated series, posted this comment about Velma’s sexual orientation:
I’ve said this before, but Velma in Mystery Incorporated is not bi, she’s gay. We always planned on Velma acting a little off and out of character while she was dating Shaggy because that relationship was wrong for her and she had unspoken difficultly with the why. There are hints about the why in that episode with the mermaid, and if you follow the entire Marcie arc, it seems as clear as we could make it 10 years ago. I don’t think Marcie and Velma had time to act on their feelings during the main timeline, but post reset, they are a couple. You can not like it, but that was our intention
There’s no wiggle room there, she’s gay. But if, for some weird reason, the cartoon doesn’t convince you, James Gunn, who wrote the 2002 live action Scooby-Doo and its sequel, was asked on Twitter to write a third movie, and in it, to finally give us the lesbian Velma we deserve. According to James, he tried but the studio played it down:
I tried! In 2001 Velma was explicitly gay in my initial script. But the studio just kept watering it down & watering it down, becoming ambiguous (the version shot), then nothing (the released version) & finally having a boyfriend (the sequel). 😐 https://t.co/Pxho6Ju1oQ
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 13, 2020
So there you have it, Velma has always been a gay woman and was forced into arranged relationships by Hollywood’s studio system. But our nerdy-chic queen will no longer live in denial, she’s proudly out and in love with Marcie, who, IMO, is hotter than Daphne. I’m being cheeky but representation does matter so the more characters can be portrayed truthfully and not just “implied,” the better.
I’d never really questioned Velma’s orientation as I was perfectly satisfied with her being a lesbian. The thing I always wanted to see on screen was Velma’s library. Any fantasy I had about Velma always took place in what must have been her cavernous expanse of books.
*Thanks to Jezebel for the story.
the way scooby doo expected us to believe velma and daphne are straight when they're literally the walking lesbian flag. pic.twitter.com/5pSWn3emxf
— acab ミ☆ (@letsbians) July 12, 2020
so velma is canonically a lesbian huh? #ScoobyDoo #lgbt pic.twitter.com/zRBEF5UQUK
— Iv🎨 dummy (@Orquidiart) July 13, 2020
Photo credit: Twitter and Instagram
I have a friend from elementary school who came out to me a few months ago, after knowing each other 25 years. I was so surprised, but not in a bad way, it was just a surprise.
And I don’t mean to say lesbians are recognizable by some kind of a standard, but OMG she is a total VELMA, now I see it! And I don’t mean the looks, I mean the storyline!
I loved Scooby Doo, I used to wake up earlier as a kid to catch it on Cartoon Network, later I realized it was my escape because we were going through a war when we were kids.
I think it would definitely help my friend if Velma was able to be who she is, seeing that in a cartoon as a child would make a significant difference.
That’s very cute and congrats to your friend. Representation matters and I think we can all hope that shows do more and more of it. If it’s helps that “one kid” feel more comfortable with their appearance, sexuality, disability, whatever it’s a good thing.
I was born in 1972 and have watched Scooby Doo since birth. In fact I started paying for boomerang so I could watch all those series from late 60s and 70s again during quarantine. And I loved the 2002 movie.
Never occurred to me that Velma was gay or not gay.
But representation matters so much. So good for Velma and good for every girl who needs to see someone like her on screen.
Additionally, conservatives are always whining about Hollywood and it’s liberal elites (jealous that no big star supports their bigotry) but Hollywood decision makers seem to be cowardly, rapey, conservative old white men, (Much like corporations and govt) and they strive to keep the status quo of straight, white men at the center of every story.
I’ve watched Scooby Doo from it’s inception and still doo 🙂 I’ve never thought of Velma as anything more than the nerdy smart girl. I never thought of Shaggy and Scooby as stoners. I’ve never had any of these burning questions that you speak of. I just continue to enjoy the show.
‘Hotdog Water’ (Mystery Incorporated inside joke)
Velma is definitely gay, but let’s not default her to liking Daphne, she’s not her type.
YES!!!! HOT DOG WATER!! 😂 This show is so funny and tongue in cheek. My kids watch it and often we sit down and watch with them. Funny for adults but not inappropriate for kids…the perfect cartoon balance! Also, good for Velma…go get some!
Love this. Now what about Peppermint Patti? It’s time to embrace diversity even in the cartoon world.
@Sandy
Yes absolutely. I love Peppermint Patty. I kinda figured Marcia had a crush on her too
Well, this settles it. Yay Velma!! Nice to see this producer not dancing around this. I WILL say, though, that Linda Cardellini and Seth Green have some good chemistry. With the right characters, they could work together again.
I mean, I remember when the cartoon very first came out and I am not ashamed as a 62 year old to say that TO THIS DAY I will watch every single episode as many times as they care to show them. (The movies, however? Hard pass)
I have always loved Velma, simply because GLASSES people!!! I concur with you, Hecate. I always wondered about her library. I just had visions of books all over the place. Oh she’s gay??? Okay and??????
I saw the header pic and thought, her girlfriend is Ms Glass from Fancy Nancy? Interesting crossover.