Scooby-Doo character Velma Dinkley has come out as a lesbian on screen, after years of fan speculation.
The science whizz, known for her orange turtleneck sweater and black square glasses, gets her first official love interest in the new animated movie Trick or Treat, released on Tuesday.
Fans have gone wild as the film shows theMystery Incorporated super sleuth member lost for words when she meets Coco for the first time.
Trick or Treat is the first time the character has been confirmed as a lesbian on screen, after the series was first created in 1969.
Over the years, Velma's sexuality has been a fierce topic of debate with Scooby-Doo film creator James Dunn, who produced the 2002 live-action film, revealing the character was first written as a lesbian in his movie, but it was later watered down.
James Gunn Tweeted back in 2020: "In 2001 Velma was explicitly gay in my initial script,” he wrote. “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)."
Meanwhile Tony Cervone, behind the Mystery Incorporated series, had also addressed the character's sexuality.
He said on Instagram during Pride Month back in 2020: "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 when she was dating Shaggy because that relationship was wrong for her and she had unspoken difficulty 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 this was our intention."
After the new film was released, fans flocked to Twitter to celebrate the milestone.
Hayley Kiyoko, who played Velma in the 2009 film, said: "I remember booking Velma in 2008. It was my first big role in a movie. I also remember thinking ‘I wonder if they know they hired a lesbian as Velma’ here we are, 14 years later……love you all so much."
Others added: "Jinkies" in response to the character's iconic tagline. One fan wrote: "I mean, we all knew it. If we had representation on anybody in Scooby Doo it would be Velma."
Another wrote: "FINALLY! I just assumed this since I was 5."
