In the direct-to-video animated movie Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!, Coco Diablo (Myrna Velasco) is introduced as a love interest for Velma Dinkley (Kate Micucci). Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! from 2022 is part of a long line of Scooby-Doo direct-to-video movies, which are notable for their increased production values and higher stakes. Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! sees the gang invited to a Nepalese ski resort where they solve a crime with Coco Diablo as the perpetrator. The film then jumps a year into the future and finds the gang bored with the ease of cases they’ve recently been solving.
As they’re all puttering around, save Scooby (Frank Welker) and Shaggy (Matthew Lillard), who are enjoying the respite, the gang gets involved with a haunted carnival mystery that eventually leads them to a Halloween chase involving some classic villains from past Scooby-Doo cases. The gang has remained basically the same since the classic episodes of the show, Velma has seen a change over the years. Velma’s sexuality has evolved in recent Scooby-Doo productions, with a notable LGBTQ+ characterization in Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!, which is where Coco Diablo comes in.
A year after Coco is put away in jail due to her crimes in Nepal, Fred is attacked by a ghost that’s a mirror image of himself. The gang goes to Coco in prison, whose costume-making abilities she showcased in Nepal mean she should be able to help Scooby and co. find out who could make such a realistic imitation of Fred. Coco’s freed from prison so that she can help Mystery Inc. though as it turns out, Coco is more closely involved with the crime than anyone realizes. She’s framed by the warden, and eventually returns to jail.
Coco is a talented costume designer. While she makes costumes for criminals and has found it hard to get along with others, she does have a soft spot for the gang. After her arrest in Nepal, Velma grows smitten with her and thinks about Coco frequently over the next year. Coco Diablo, whose name is a reference to both Coco Chanel, the famed fashion designer, and the devil (“diablo” in Spanish), also shows affection towards Velma and, though neither woman acts on it, there’s a clear connection between the two.
Coco Diablo is voiced by Myrna Velasco, a voice actress who has voiced characters in dozens of TV shows and movies, and also has a few live-action performances on her filmography. Her most notable TV voice performances include Lucia in Madagascar: A Little Wild, Green Lantern in DC Super Hero Girls, CJ in Descendants: Wicked World, and Torra Doza in Star Wars: Resistance. Her movie voice roles primarily consist of DC films, including Lara in Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons.
In nearly all of Velasco’s roles, she portrays characters who are tough, intelligent, and slightly “over it”, but generally have a kind heart beneath their tough shells. She appears to have no problem playing heroes or villains, and she’s made a savvy career choice by targeting major franchises for voice opportunities. Many of her movie roles are spinoffs of TV shows or in the same universe, meaning that filmmakers and showrunners repeatedly return to Velasco to play the same character, meaning she could turn up as Coco Diablo in another Scooby-Doo project soon.
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