Thor: Ragnarok got me excited because of one reason—and no, it wasn’t Chris Hemsworth or Tom Hiddleston. It was Cate Blanchett as the goddess of death Hela.
As mentioned before, Hela is the first female main antagonist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s a pretty big deal considering that women are usually just sidekicks to the bad guys. (Ex. Mystique in X-Men and Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy.) Plus, Cate gave an intimidating portrayal of her which was really effective.
So now I want to share my thoughts on Hela as the badass antagonist that she is. I’m warning you now that there might be some spoilers, so click away if you haven’t seen the movie. If you have, come and gush with me.
The introduction
When Hela was first shown on the trailer, the first thought I had was, “She looks sooo good!” The jet black hair, smokey eye makeup on pale skin, the black latex-like suit, and evil smirk really gave her a sinister look. Plus, the fact that she destroyed Mjölnir (Thor’s hammer) was enough to convince anyone that this woman means serious business.
Dark goddess vibe
Aside from the exterior, Hela’s deep voice added to the mystery of her character. It also made her an intimidating leader as she ordered her army of the dead. If you watched the Lord of the Rings saga, you’ll know that she’s like Galadriel’s evil sister. Hela’s movements were also sly, especially when she’s magically putting her crown on, even Taylor Swift’s snakes can’t compete with her.
Fighting style
Cate told The Newpaper that one of her favorite parts of playing Hela was doing hand-to-hand combat. “I enjoyed working with Zoe Bell, who is the most extraordinary stunt person and also a wonderful actor… Some of the happiest times on this film for me have been beating people up,” she said. Suffice to say that her training paid off as she threw punches and knives toward every person.
Tragic backstory
Just like heroes, villains also have tragic backstories. For Hela, it was interesting to find out how she was banished and kept as a secret by her father King Odin. In one scene, I almost sided with her when she revealed that Odin covered up the war-filled mural with a more peaceful one. Don’t worry, I went back to Team Thor after the scene with the Valkyries.
What was missing?
If it wasn’t obvious enough, I loved Hela as a character. I think she had more depth than the other characters—though, Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) was also entertaining to watch. However, while the battle against Thor was expected, it would’ve been nice to see a longer revenge fight scene between her and Valkyrie. Because let’s be real, among “The Revengers,” Valkyrie’s deep-seated grief and anger is enough reason for her to beat Hela up until the very end.
Did you recently watch Thor: Ragnarok too? Let us know your personal thoughts on Hela and the other characters.
Art by Lara Intong
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