The Best Tessa Thompson Movies Ranked
From Valkyrie to Critical Indie Darlings
Discover Tessa Thompson's best performances, featuring her roles in the MCU, the Creed trilogy, and acclaimed dramas like Passing and Selma.
About Tessa Thompson
There is a specific kind of magnetism that radiates from Tessa Thompson, a quality that makes it feel as if she is always the smartest person in any room, whether that room is a galactic throne or a smoky jazz club. She possesses the rare ability to anchor massive spectacles while maintaining the interior life of an indie darling. It is this duality that has transformed her into a cornerstone of modern cinema, moving fluidly between the experimental and the multiplex without ever losing her distinct, sharpened edge.
Her rise signaled a shift in how we define the contemporary leading lady. Early turns in projects like For Colored Girls and Selma showcased a performer capable of carrying immense historical and emotional weight. However, it was 2014’s Dear White People that truly weaponized her wit, establishing her as a voice for a generation navigating complex cultural intersections. She followed this by humanizing the sports drama in Creed, turning Bianca into much more than a peripheral love interest. Across three films, including the recent Creed III, she evolved the character into a powerhouse in her own right, matching the physical intensity of the ring with a resonant, grounded domesticity.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe often swallows actors whole, yet Thompson managed to hijack the franchise with a mere swagger and a bottle of space liquor. As Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok, she reinvented the warrior archetype, replacing stale nobility with a weary, roguish charm that felt entirely fresh. By the time she ascended the throne in Avengers: Endgame and Thor: Love and Thunder, she had become the undisputed king of New Asgard, a title she wore with a playful, commanding ease that audiences found irresistible.
Beyond the blockbusters, her filmography reveals an artist obsessed with the surreal and the psychological. She leaned into the bizarre satire of Sorry to Bother You and the harrowing sci-fi dread of Annihilation, proving she is most comfortable when the material is at its most challenging. There is a quiet stillness she masters in smaller, more intimate works like Little Woods and the lush, romantic Sylvie’s Love. This range reached its zenith in Passing, where her performance captured the suffocating tension of 1920s racial identity with hauntingly subtle precision. Even when she is lending her voice to a classic like Lady and the Tramp, that signature warmth and intelligence remain unmistakable.
Audiences connect with her because she feels fundamentally modern. She avoids the theatrical artifice of old Hollywood, opting instead for a cool authenticity that suggests she is always in on the joke. She treats every role as an exploration of power, whether that power is political, physical, or social. Thompson does not just occupy space on screen; she interrogates it. As she continues to curate a career defined by bold swings and intellectual depth, she remains one of the few actors who can make the monumental feel personal and the personal feel monumental.
The Listener
2024Beth is a helpline volunteer – part of the small army that gets on the phone every night across America, fielding calls from all kinds of people feeling lonely, broken, hopeless. Over the last year the tide has become a tsunami. As Beth goes through her shift, the stakes rise: is this the night she will lose someone? Save someone? Eventually, Beth’s own story comes to light, revealing why she does it. All along we remain with her: listening, comforting, connecting – patching the world back together, one stitch at a time.
Grantham & Rose
2014When a petty crime thrusts him into the company of a feisty eighty-one-year-old African-American woman named Rose Price, Grantham and Rose push the boundaries of their relationship, their lives, and what it means to love, as they take a road trip back to their roots.
War on Everyone
2016Two corrupt cops in New Mexico set out to blackmail and frame every criminal unfortunate enough to cross their path. Things take a sinister turn, however, when they try to intimidate someone who is more dangerous than they are. Or is he?
Men in Black: International
2019The Men in Black have always protected the Earth from the scum of the universe. In this new adventure, they tackle their biggest, most global threat to date: a mole in the Men in Black organization.
When a Stranger Calls
2006Far away from the site of a gruesome murder, a teenager named Jill Johnson arrives at a luxurious home for a baby-sitting job. With the children fast asleep, she settles in for what she expects to be an ordinary evening. Soon, the ringing of a phone and the frightening words of a sadistic caller turn Jill's routine experience into a night of terror.
For Colored Girls
2010About existence from the perspective of 20 nameless black females. Each of the women portray one of the characters represented in the collection of twenty poems, revealing different issues that impact women in general and women of color in particular.
Thor: Love and Thunder
2022After his retirement is interrupted by Gorr the God Butcher, a galactic killer who seeks the extinction of the gods, Thor Odinson enlists the help of King Valkyrie, Korg, and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster, who now wields Mjolnir as the Mighty Thor. Together they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late.
Little Woods
2019For years, Ollie has illicitly helped the struggling residents of her North Dakota oil boomtown access Canadian health care and medication. When the authorities catch on, she plans to abandon her crusade, only to be dragged in even deeper after a desperate plea for help from her sister.
Lady and the Tramp
2019The love story between a pampered Cocker Spaniel named Lady and a streetwise mongrel named Tramp. Lady finds herself out on the street after her owners have a baby and is saved from a pack by Tramp, who tries to show her to live her life footloose and collar-free.
Sylvie's Love
2020When a young woman meets an aspiring saxophonist in her father’s record shop in 1950s Harlem, their love ignites a sweeping romance that transcends changing times, geography, and professional success.
Dear White People
2014A campus culture war between Blacks and whites at a predominantly white Ivy League college comes to a head when the staff of a satirical magazine stages an offensive Halloween party.
Thompson first announced her sharp-witted screen presence here, portraying a student activist caught between public persona and private identity. It is a biting, intellectual performance that laid the groundwork for her career of challenging status quos.
Annihilation
2018A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition into a mysterious zone where the laws of nature don't apply.
Playing against her usual high-energy charisma, Thompson disappears into a role defined by intellectual curiosity and a haunting vulnerability. This subdued, transformative turn highlights her range within an ensemble of high-concept psychological horror.
Creed II
2018Between personal obligations and training for his next big fight against an opponent with ties to his family's past, Adonis Creed is up against the challenge of his life.
Thompson navigates the expansion of her character’s domestic reality with a fierce, protective grace. She ensures that the internal rhythm of the family remains just as compelling as the choreographed brutality found inside the ring.
Creed III
2023After dominating the boxing world, Adonis Creed has thrived in his career and family life. When a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy, Damian Anderson, resurfaces after serving a long sentence in prison, he is eager to prove that he deserves his shot in the ring. The face-off between former friends is more than just a fight. To settle the score, Adonis must put his future on the line to battle Damian — a fighter with nothing to lose.
Returning to a seasoned Bianca, Thompson negotiates the evolution of motherhood and career with a lived-in maturity that transcends the genre. She finds rich, new layers in a familiar character, ensuring the franchise’s emotional stakes remain intimately personal.
Passing
2021In 1920s New York City, a Black woman finds her world upended when her life becomes intertwined with a former childhood friend who's passing as white.
Thompson executes a delicate tightrope walk of repressed desire and societal anxiety in this monochromatic period piece. Every flicker of her gaze communicates the suffocating cost of living a double life in a performance defined by its heartbreaking restraint.
Selma
2014"Selma," as in Alabama, the place where segregation in the South was at its worst, leading to a march that ended in violence, forcing a famous statement by President Lyndon B. Johnson that ultimately led to the signing of the Voting Rights Act.
In the role of Diane Nash, Thompson captures the steely resolve and strategic brilliance of a civil rights icon with understated power. Her inclusion in this historical tapestry signaled her arrival as a formidable dramatic force capable of carrying the weight of legacy.
Sorry to Bother You
2018In an alternate present-day version of Oakland, black telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key to professional success – which propels him into a macabre universe.
Adorned in literal wearable manifestos, Thompson serves as the film’s vibrant moral compass within a surrealist corporate nightmare. Her work here is a masterclass in stylized conviction, proving her unique knack for grounding hyper-saturated satire.
Creed
2015The former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky Balboa serves as a trainer and mentor to Adonis Johnson, the son of his late friend and former rival Apollo Creed.
As Bianca, Thompson rejects the tropes of the supportive girlfriend, instead crafting a three-dimensional artist navigating her own physical decline. The performance provides the emotional backbone of the film, grounding the boxing melodrama in a quiet, resonant humanity.
Thor: Ragnarok
2017Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok, the destruction of his home-world and the end of Asgardian civilization, at the hands of a powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela.
Injecting a much-needed shot of cynical adrenaline into the Marvel formula, Thompson reimagines the warrior archetype as a soulful, hard-drinking mercenary. This breakout turn proved she could pivot from comedic improvisation to high-stakes action without losing an ounce of her sophisticated edge.
After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War, the universe is in ruins due to the efforts of the Mad Titan, Thanos. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers must assemble once more in order to undo Thanos' actions and restore order to the universe once and for all, no matter what consequences may be in store.
Thompson commands every frame of this cinematic endgame with a weary, regal authority that cements Valkyrie as the rightful heir to the Asgardian throne. It is a masterful distillation of her ability to project internal history through sheer physical presence alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about this list and SnakeDrafts
- Tessa Thompson stands out in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with her compelling performances in 'Thor: Ragnarok' and 'Avengers: Endgame,' where she plays the fierce Valkyrie, blending action and humor seamlessly.
- In the Creed trilogy, Tessa Thompson delivers a deeply emotional and grounded portrayal of Bianca, showcasing her dramatic range and chemistry with Michael B. Jordan, contrasting with her powerful and comedic presence as Valkyrie in the MCU.
- In 'Passing,' Tessa Thompson explores complex themes of racial identity and societal expectations, demonstrating her ability to carry nuanced and introspective dramas alongside more commercial projects.
- ‘Sorry to Bother You’ is a standout film where Tessa Thompson explores a satirical fantasy world, blending sharp social commentary with a unique, imaginative narrative, showcasing her versatility beyond traditional roles.
- Tessa Thompson shines in the historical drama 'Selma,' which depicts the civil rights movement, allowing her to engage with powerful social themes and participate in a critically acclaimed ensemble cast.
- Yes, Tessa Thompson displays her romantic acting chops in films like 'Sylvie's Love' and the family-friendly 'Lady and the Tramp,' demonstrating her ability to perform across different genres and captivate varied audiences.
- In 'Annihilation,' Tessa Thompson takes on a challenging role that blends science fiction and horror elements, highlighting her willingness to engage with complex and thought-provoking narratives.
