14 Things You Didn't Know About Hela From The Comics
Cate Blanchett clearly had a fun time vamping it up as Hela in Thor: Ragnarok. That version of the character may have been pretty faithful to the source material in some ways, but there are definitely some things about the Hela of Marvel Comics that are very different from her big-screen counterpart.
Were you aware she has her own named weapon, called the "Nightsword"? Did you know her body is actually half-dead? Have you heard the Nazis were actually able to control her mind during WWII? Does the idea of her kissing Thanos weird you out a little bit? If these questions tickle your fancy, scroll on down, true believers. You're sure to learn something new about the Queen of Hel.
She Is Perhaps Best Known As The Ruler Of 'Hel'
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Marvel's "Hel" shouldn't be confused with the hell you're probably familiar with, though they are pretty similar in form and function. Hel is located on Niffleheim, which happens to be one of the infamous Nine Realms Thor is always babbling about in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is ruled by Hela, often called the "Queen of Hel," and the appearance of Hel can be changed by Hela at any point in time.
While it can serve as a place of eternal punishment for some - a la the classic idea of hell - it also acts as the final resting place for all souls across the Nine Realms and includes Valhalla. Interestingly, Hela apparently has no control over what happens in Valhalla, even though she rules over Hel, as Valhalla is the home of fallen heroes who get to be honored in the afterlife.
Her Lineage Is Complicated And Shrouded In Mystery
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Hela's birth and actual parentage are the subject of much confusion within the pages of Marvel Comics - it's unlikely this will clear it up much. Myth claims Hela was born to Loki and Angerboda. Then again, myths are myths for a reason. 2009's Thor: Tales of Asgard #1 claims she was "born ages ago to the being who would one day be called Odin and a goddess whose name and image have been lost in antiquity." That origin seems more in line with Thor: Ragnarok, but the idea of Loki as her true father still remained.
2012's Journey into Mystery #645 does nothing but muddle these waters further as Hela herself states, "No, Loki was never Hela's father." In as short a summation as is humanly possible, Kid Loki, a reincarnated child version of Loki, magically wrote another child named Leah into existence who was eventually sent back in time by Hela, after which the Queen of Hel implies that Leah was actually Hela the whole time. Yes, this means Loki was her creator and not her father and yes, it gives us a headache...
Like Every Asgardian, She Is Imbued With The Allspeak
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The Allspeak, or "All-Tongue," is a lovely little cheat code of an ability that gives Asgardians a leg up when it comes to dealing with the many residents of the Nine Realms. Simply put, it automatically translates the words Asgardians speak into the native language of those they are speaking to.
Imagine how useful this would be to your average human being and how it would open the door to better conversation among people who could never communicate before. And your average, everyday human being isn't charged with running the day-to-day operations of Hel! Hela would have a tough time managing that without the Allspeak.
She Wields The Accursed 'Nightsword'
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When you have a fancy, named weapon all to yourself - something along the lines of Thor's Mjolnir or Gorr's All-Black the Necrosword - you know you've made it to the big time. The Hela of Thor: Ragnarok is more into pulling magical knives out of nowhere, a power more reminiscent of Loki, but the Hela of Marvel Comics gets a weapon named Nightsword that she takes into battle.
Hela can apparently summon the sword whenever she sees fit, a power taken to the nth degree in Thor: Ragnarok, but when you have a blade called "Nightsword," you don't need to summon a bunch of knives and throw them around. In 1972's Thor #199, Hela battles Pluto (AKA Hades) to a full-on stalemate using Nightsword. That surely is no easy feat.
Her Half-Decayed Body Appears Normal When Wearing Her Magical, Green Cloak
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In another bit of mysterious and bizarre Hela trivia, it turns out half her body is somehow dead and decayed. It is unclear how this happened to her, though 1986's Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #5 reads, "Legend has it that Hela was born in this condition." That certainly doesn't provide any answers.
When wearing her magical cloak, Hela's body returns to a state of full life. If the cloak is removed from her body, the left side of her body reverts to a form of decay that weakens her so much, she cannot use her powers and can hardly crawl. It makes some sense, though we haven't yet figured out how you can have a body that's half-alive and half-dead. It's magic!
She Commissioned The Building Of The Naglfar, A Ship Made Of The Toenails And Fingernails Of The Dead
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Tell us the Naglfar doesn't sound like something you'd find on the cover of a black metal album: a giant ship meant to be sailed during Ragnarok, built from the clipped fingernails and toenails of the dead. The logistics of such a ship baffle the mind, as that would take an astonishing amount of nails - and, well, would a ship made of fingernails and toenails even float? Does it really even matter?
Adding to the mysticism of everything surrounding this absolutely disgusting ship is the line Thor himself utters in the pages of 1985's Thor #362: "Naglfar, she is called, Harokin, and she has been a-building since the dawn of time." Has it really been under construction since the dawn of time? Is that even possible? Again, does it really even matter or are we just sitting here overthinking comic books again?
During WWII, The Nazis Managed To Control Her Mind
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We feel comfortable in assuming you've heard of WWII; it was a pretty important event in world history that defined the 20th century and reshaped the way humanity thinks about warfare. And if you were looking for more (fictional) evidence that Nazis were bad people, they managed to mind-control Hela into doing their bidding in the pages of 2014's All-New Invaders #1.
Baron von Strucker and the Nazis were able to achieve this mind-control by using the Gods' Whisper, a powerful Kree artifact that clearly was not meant for human hands. The Gods' Whisper was eventually broken into three pieces, ending the mind-control, and the pieces were hidden by members of the Invaders, as it was deemed too powerful for use by anyone.
She Teamed With The Defenders To Defeat Ollerus The Unmerciful
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With a lineup of the Hulk, Valkyrie, Nighthawk, and Hellcat, it seems clear why the Defenders failed to find a solid readership in the 1970s. While all of those characters definitely have their fans (especially the Hulk), the team lacks the headline names that the Avengers and X-Men are known for. But that doesn't mean some interesting stories weren't being told at the time.
Hela was actually going to lose control of Valhalla to Ollerus the Unmerciful - a great name, in all honesty - until the Defenders teamed up with her to beat back the assault of Ollerus's army. There is a lot of superhero comic book goofiness in this story arc - including the Hulk smashing a mountain - but it's a lot of fun to see some of Marvel's Earth-based superheroes teaming up with the Queen of Hel to save Valhalla.
She's Been Known To Go Toe-To-Toe With Some Of The X-Men, From Time To Time
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Hela is Asgardian and the Queen of Hel, so it makes sense that she would primarily be an antagonist of Thor. But this is Marvel Comics; big-name villains don't get to go up against only one superhero. In line with that tradition, Hela has been a thorn in the side of some of Marvel's mutants from time to time.
She tried to claim Wolverine's soul in 1985's Uncanny X-Men Annual #9, telling the X-Men, "Give me what I require and I shall leave thee in peace." Of course, the mutants fought her off, with Hela vowing her eventual revenge. She has forced Danielle Moonstar to become her valkyrie, tried to abscond with Rahne Sinclair's baby, and has come into conflict with X-Factor. Hela certainly seems to get around for a woman who rules over the Nine Realms' final resting place.
She Lived In Las Vegas For A Spell, Harvesting Souls
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After the events of 2007's "Ragnarok" storyline, Hela found herself in Las Vegas to prey on unlucky souls. If your whole thing is being the malicious Queen of Hel and you find yourself stranded on Earth, Vegas seems like the best place to lay down some roots.
During a scene in 2009's Thor #12, Loki visits Hela at her abode in Sin City and finds a closet full of human husks. It's a ghastly sight, yet unsurprising, considering this is Hela we're talking about here. Hela doesn't even seem to care much when Loki asks her about the bodies. "Those? Toys, only," she says. "They distract me from the loss of so much of my realm, so much power - and provide a bit of nourishment to sustain me in their absence." Sounds like the kind of guest you want to have at your housewarming party.
She Lost Control Of 'Hel' To Thor's Half-Sister, Angela
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After Marvel bought the rights to Angela from Neil Gaiman in 2013, the writers immediately got to work integrating her into the main Earth-616 continuity of comics. As a character in Image Comics, Angela was an angel and bounty hunter. When brought to Marvel, she was retconned into being the firstborn child of Odin and Freyja, making her Thor's half-sister.
In the pages of the 2015 Angela: Queen of Hel series, Angela takes the reins of Hel away from Hela merely to rewrite the rules of the afterlife in order to bring her lost love, Sera, back to life. Angela would eventually pass the throne on to Balder, her brother, as she only took the crown in order to save Sera. This all left Hela without a realm to rule, which didn't make her happy. At all.
She Locked Lips With Thanos
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In an image that's sure to tickle the fancy of some of the MCU's more interesting fandoms, Hela and Thanos were actually an item for a hot minute. Yes, in a bid to win back her control of Hel, she allied with Thanos and the two began... dating? What do you call it when the Queen of Hel and the Mad Titan start hooking up?
If you really wanna check out that scene of Hela and Thanos locking lips, make sure to check out 2017's Unworthy Thor #5. It is both extremely well-drawn and highly unsettling. If we're being real, it's kind of hard to believe the internet hasn't come up with a fan-made version of the MCU's characters having a big ol' smooch. That seems like some prime internet content right there.
After 'The War of the Realms,' She Ended Up Reluctantly Married To Karnilla And Sharing Control Of Hel
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During Marvel's big 2019 event The War of the Realms, Hela returned to Hel as a prisoner of Sindr, the Queen of Cinders. Loki managed to convince Balder and Hela to marry in order to unite their armies against the might of Sindr's forces. In 2018's Thor #4, the wedding ceremony was interrupted after Hela said her vows and eventually refused to follow through with the marriage, stating the "real war" would soon begin. Classic Hela.
In a goofy bit of storytelling, Balder's girlfriend Karnilla took the black, thorned wedding ring and slid it on Hela's finger. Karnilla said, "I do! The pact is now sealed. With this ring, I thee wed, Hela," and Balder was officially saved from the horrible reality of being married to an evil, half-dead witch of a woman. Even without some official documentation signed by a few witnesses, this caused Hela and Karnilla to become wives and rulers of Hel together. Talk about a bittersweet ending for everyone involved!
She Was Sucked Into A Black Hole Of Her Own Creation Thanks To Beta Ray Bill
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The opening six issues of the 2019 Guardians of the Galaxy series are a bit complicated, with a lot of reading necessary to know exactly what's going on. To make a long story short, Gamora took out Thanos, but Thanos was going to be able to get resurrected thanks to his consciousness taking over the body of his brother, Starfox. Gamora was able to stop this resurrection by slaying Starfox, which enraged Hela.
Angered by this turn of events, she took hold of a black hole cannon. She screamed, "You've ruined him," and thought it a wise idea to shoot off a black hole cannon at Star-Lord and Gamora on an enclosed spaceship. Beta Ray Bill knocked the black hole missile off course, causing the black hole to go off closer to Hela and pull her in. Someone really did not think through the consequences of her actions.