Explained: What Velma being gay in Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! means for the popular series

Ahead of the October 16 release date of Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!, a recent clip making rounds on social media platforms has confirmed that the popular Mystery Incorporated character Velma Dinkley has finally been depicted as gay. This comes as a major win for the community, which has long sought inclusion in every aspect of art and community.

As reported by Variety, the new clip shows the bespectacled character encountering costume designer Coco Diablo and swooning over her beauty. In essence, this will go a long way in teaching the younger generation about inclusion, acceptance, and community-building without bias.

LGBTQIA+ representation has become more normal in the past few years. Seeing children's comic characters like Velma being a part of the wave ensures that many stereotypes will be shattered, especially with the inclusion of a gay person in a franchise as big and dominant as Scooby-Doo!.

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Velma Dinkley's sexual orientation brings in much praise from Scooby-Doo! fans

Scooby-Doo! is nothing short of a cultural phenomenon, with multiple generations of youngsters engrossed in the mystery comics and shows. Though it has evolved significantly over the years, it was not until now that the franchise finally included an openly gay character. This has brought in praise from all around the internet.

Aside from social media sites, Google has also decided to pay tribute in a fun and quirky way. As of today, googling Velma results in a shower of LGBTQ+-themed flags raining down over the screen as the search results appear. This gesture is a beautiful way to acknowledge the inclusion this change will promote.

Moreover, when a culturally important cartoon like Scooby-Doo, something that resonates with multiple generations of people, brings in this inclusivity, it is a major win all around. This will also help in breaking down some pre-established thought patterns about what lead characters should be like.

While most comics and shows from the earlier century were heavily biased to a certain set pattern, these new developments can help in breaking those and create a more fluid and accepting environment.

Scooby-Doo! was composed of heterosexual white characters, following the norm of the time it was originally released. Now, this portrayal will both help children understand the value of inclusion and learn about sexual orientation in a new light. James Gunn previously tried to make Velma gay but the studio watered it down to ambiguity.

Tony Cervone, supervising producer on the Mystery Incorporated series, also confirmed Velma's sexual identity, saying:

"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."

He further said:

"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."

This crucial development will perhaps nudge other children's comics and TV shows to also adapt to the time and make everything more inclusive for everyone in the world. Scooby-Doo! is hopefully a start to another cultural revolution.