The first poster for Velma, an adult animated series starring Mindy Kaling as the voice of a South Asian incarnation of the famous Scooby-Doo character, has just been released. Coming soon to HBO Max on a date yet to be announced, Velma puts a spin on the Scooby-Doo story by having Velma Dinkley solving more adult mysteries on her own without the help of a certain dog and her other pals from Mystery Inc. The poster unveiled by HBO Max on Wednesday highlights how this is not a Scooby-Doo show for small children, as it provides a look at Velma's familiar glasses splattered with blood.
We are likely to find out more news about Velma at New York Comic-Con, as teased by HBO Max. An official panel for the series will be held, and because Velma is advertised as "streaming soon," chances are there will be a sneak peek of the show that's released. No footage has been unveiled up to this point, but our first look at the show was previously unveiled at a Warner Bros. Discovery presentation in May. The photo further emphasized the show's mature content by having Velma investigating a mutilated corpse as unclothed women look on from the showers behind her.
Again, it cannot be stressed enough that this is not a show for younger Scooby-Doo fans.
Velma Has Been the Source of Recent Backlash
The unveiling of the Velma poster follows the revelation that Velma's homosexuality is explored in the newest film of the franchise, Trick or Treat, Scooby-Doo!. While this has been the subject of fan speculation for decades, there had still been backlash generated by this, as critics say this was a way of shoehorning diversity into the franchise. Similarly, Velma was not without its own controversy, as Mindy Kaling is voicing a South Asian incarnation of the character. Some on social media say that movie and TV characters, even when fictional, should not have their appearances changed once established with a certain look.
"When it was announced that I was going to do the voice of Velma, people were very supportive and happy on Twitter," Kaling said of the backlash on Late Night with Seth Meyers last year. "Then, it was announced about a month ago that the Velma character would be reimagined as South Asian. And people were not happy. There was a lot of, like, 'So not Velma!' Those kinds of tweets. 'Not the classic Velma that I'm always thinking about!' I just really didn't know that she elicited such strong reactions, in either direction."
Though baffled by the backlash, Kaling also understands just how beloved the Velma character is. With that in mind, she wants fans to give the series a chance, as she and the Velma team also love Velma and plan to be "really careful" with what they to with her.
"She's such a great character, she's so smart, and I just couldn't understand how people couldn't imagine a really smart nerdy girl with terrible eyesight who loved to solve mysteries could not be Indian," Kaling said. "Like, there are Indian nerds. It shouldn't be a surprise to people, but people are like, 'No, no, no.' By the way, this is a small percentage of people, but it really made me think, 'Okay, we've got to be really careful with this character.' Which we will be, because we love her, and we'll have great adventures."
Velma does not yet have a premiere date set at HBO Max.
