In the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok, Cate Blanchett plays Hela, the latest Marvel movie villain. Wwhen you take a look at her history in the comics at Marvel, this complicated goddess of death is rich in Asgardian lore . Who is this character and where did she come from? We're taking a look at this character's origins and summing up everything you need to know.
Hela is loosely based on the mythological overseer of the Norse underworld, which shares the same name as its ruler, Hel. The character was adapted for Marvel Comics in 1964 by the legendary duo Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and Hela made her first appearance in Journey Into Mystery #102. While her appearance was brief, she was a bit of a sympathetic character. Hela captured Sif, and Thor offered his life for his friend's. Hela was impressed with Thor's offer and released them both, as she decided his bravery earned their freedom.
Hela isn't your typical villain in the comics. First, she's a god and the daughter of Loki and the giant Angerboda, so she has a bizarre lineage of giant, frost giant, and Asgardian god coursing through her veins. She's the leader of Hel as well as Niffleheim, a frozen realm for the afterlife in Asgard. Like many villains, she craves ultimate power--like ruling all of Asgard--but she's a logical character, as she can be persuaded with. She may want to expand Hel, but at times, she's also for the greater good.
While the character is just as much giant as Asgardian, Hela retains many of the traits of Thor, Odin, Valkyrie, etc: She has an incredibly long lifespan, duribility, and super-human strength--she's actually one of the strongest Asgardians around. She has her mystical Nightsword and is extremely proficient in combat. In addition, Hela is capable of astral projection, meaning her spirit can travel great distances, whether it's around Asgard or even to Midgard, Earth. Most of her power comes from her cloak, and without it, she's revealed to be half decayed on the left side of her body and in addition, she completely loses her strength.
Hela's most notable power comes from her touch, which is fatal. Seeing as she rules over the afterlife, Hela is a collector of souls. When an Asgardian dies, their spirit remains trapped in their physical form, and it is Hela's job to take that spirit from the deceased and move it to the afterlife. There have also been times where she's killed perfectly healthy Asgardians simply by touching them. Finally, she also has the power to bring life as well, restoring recently passed gods whose spirits have not left their bodies. Simply put, Hela is extremely powerful.
Although Hela controls death--and life at times--in Asgard, she's not immune to events in the comics like Ragnarok, which felt like a cyclical event in the books at one point. After the most recent one, Hela was hiding on Midgard in Las Vegas, while Thor--who inherited Odins powers--recreated Asgard in Oklahoma. She worked with Loki for a short time to bring trouble to Thor, and eventually, she got the idea in her head to try and rule all Nine Realms, turning them into a twisted version of what they used to be. Obviously, the end result were things going back to normal, which included Hela getting a new Hel to rule, under the command of Freya, the new All Mother.
Most recently, Hela teamed with Thanos, but in in order for him to agree to the partnership, she had to find Ultimate Thor's hammer. Thanos has an obsession with death--both the concept and the character--so this partnership is beneficial to both parties. Hopefully, this is a story Marvel decides to go back to as their alliance is powerful enough to destroy all the realms.
Looking for some reading material involving Hela? Check out these storylines.
- The Unworthy Thor: Hela makes an alliance with Thanos. Takes place in issues #1-5.
- Hell On Earth: A culmination of over a year's worth of stories, lords of the afterlife battle for the seven billion souls on Earth. Takes place in X-Factor #250-256.
- The Fine Print: In the aftermath of Siege, with no Hel to rule over, Hela makes a deal with Mephisto, brokered by Loki, to rule over a piece of his Hell. Takes place in Thor #611-614.
- Avengers Prime: Hela has control of the Nine Realms and Thor, Iron Man, and Steve Rogers fight to restore order. Takes place in issues #1-5
If you want to know more about the upcoming film, check out our review of Ragnarok. In it, GameSpot's Mike Rougeau said, "Thor: Ragnarok shines when it's allowed to stray from the formula set by a decade of predecessors in the MCU, and it seems Waititi is to thank for most of what feels fresh and new here. By the movie's end, Thor and co. have left much of their past behind, ensuring the future is exciting in its potential, especially as we approach the Infinity War storyline."
