Oh, Scooby-Doo. Arguably everyone’s favorite cartoon dog, this fun-loving pooch was the center of the show’s wild antics and bountiful comedic relief. Between the original cartoon, countless reboots, and even a few live-action movies based on the shows, it’s easy to love Scooby-Doo in just about any medium! That’s not to say the world doesn’t also love the rest of the gang at Mystery Inc., either — everyone brought something important to the table, including resident genius Velma Dinkley.
Considered the most intelligent person on the team, Velma has the brains to solve just about any case. She’s typically the one that finds the most clues and puts crucial pieces of information together, and unmasking Mystery Inc.’s targeted criminals is usually her honor. If you can’t get enough of this delightfully quirky young lady, there's good news: Mindy Kaling's HBO Velma series will put Velma in the lead. Kaling received backlash for her casting as Velma, which she talked about on Late Night With Seth Meyers. Can’t wait to get your paws on the first episode? Check out our ranking of all the best actresses to play Velma Dinkley in live-action films while you wait.
5 Jane Silvia — Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back
The entire Mystery Inc. gang is seen in Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, albeit as more of a parody than anything else. Titular characters, Jay and Silent Bob, attempt to hitchhike to Hollywood and get a ride in the Mystery Mobile; Freddie remarks that the two are criminals who need unmasking, and Velma is swift to remark that he's incorrect. Sadly, her character is reduced to little more than a topless dancer and the butt of distasteful humor, but Jane Silvia did what she could with the material. She's cute, shy, a little silly, and it's a pleasure to see her on-screen nonetheless.
4 Lauren Kennedy — Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
Lauren Kennedy made a brief appearance as a younger version of Velma in Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. As the gang looks over an old photo of themselves, the scene transitions into a flashback of Mystery Inc. playing fetch with Scooby-Doo at the park. Despite not having a speaking role, Kennedy goes out of her way to show how happy Velma is with her friends. She's jovial, constantly wearing a big smile and extremely interactive with everyone. Velma makes a point to stand close to her friends throughout the sequence, and the audience can glean that she was, and is, a sweet young lady at heart. For as small of a role as this was, Kennedy did a fantastic job with the material.
3 Hayley Kiyoko — Scooby-Doo: The Mystery Begins
Another origin story-prequel for Mystery Inc., Scooby-Doo: The Mystery Begins is a television movie that shows us how the gang met in high school. Hayley Kiyoko takes on Velma's role, and her interpretation is a fairly traditional portrayal of your typical nerdy girl. Her voice is like a younger version of Linda Cardellini, and she does a great job with big, open-mouthed expressions and squinty-eyed focusing (especially without her glasses). She goes a little overboard with the nasal dialect and her movements are very stiff, but it works for her character. It's fun to see Velma get hands-on with disguises, and we even see her break into restricted areas and snoop around undetected. She's very enthusiastic and a quick thinker, and we know for a fact she can speak at least some Russian (among who knows how many other languages). Some improvements could be made, but Kiyoko gave Velma a wonderfully youthful outlook.
2 Sarah Gilman — Daphne & Velma
You may not have heard about this direct-to-video prequel to the Scooby-Doo franchise, but it's a cute, quirky film that gives us a good look at the girls of Mystery Inc. Here, Daphne and Velma are high schoolers who end up living in the same town after being friends online; when the two realize that their fellow students are turning into zombies, they set out to get answers. Sarah Gilman is a far more deadpan version of Velma, and she really leans into the nerdy, shy aspects of her personality. Her movements are big and awkward, she's strictly against dangerous activities and quiet logic seems to be her driving force. All these traits definitely make sense in context, considering that Velma is a socially awkward teenage genius and the polar opposite of social butterfly Daphne. Plus, her deadpan demeanor leads to some of her best bits of sarcasm. All in all, she does Velma's origin story justice.
1 Linda Cardellini — Scooby-Doo & Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
Easily the best version of live-action Velma, Linda Cardellini is the right mix of subtle, dorky, outspoken and funny. We first see her in Scooby Doo (2002), where she actually starts out unhappy with her position in Mystery Inc. Her quick thinking and ideas helped the team trap a killer ghost clown, and she doesn't shy away from voicing her dissatisfaction when Fred takes all the credit. She's the first to announce her departure from the gang, and she's honest and tearful about how she feels. When the gang comes back together, she makes it clear that she's trying to find herself and is on a journey of self-improvement after establishing a successful career with NASA. Cardellini does an impressive job showing us Velma's sass, intellect, and shy nature all in one go! On top of all this, her voice and body language are ideal for the role — she's a little nasally and speaks in a low vocal register, common traits of Velma's voice in the cartoons. In fact, in an interview with Rolling Stone, Cardellini recalled that she studied the cartoons in order to prepare for the role. Cardellini is Our Velma, and you can't change our minds.