Spoilers for the seventh episode of Marvel’s What If…? Season 2, “What If… Hela Found The Ten Rings?” lie ahead.
The latest season of What If…? – the animated anthology series that provides alternate takes on pivotal moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – has been firing on all cylinders. Head writer A.C. Bradley and her colleagues have simply been knocking it out of the park when it comes to telling entertaining stories from the multiverse. While just about all of the installments have been well received by fans, one of the latest to be praised is the Hela-centric story. The episode, which sees Cate Blanchett reprise her role as the Asgardian Goddess of Death, marks the character’s first appearance since 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok but, interestingly, Bradley just revealed that Hela could’ve appeared in Season 1 of the series.
The Thor franchise has been well-represented throughout the first two seasons of the animated show, which is available to Disney+ subscribers. One of the most prominent instances of that was in “What If... Thor Were an Only Child?” The madcap adventure centered on a somewhat more irresponsible variant of the God of Thunder. As is, the story is wild enough but, after Hela’s episode of the show, A.C. Bradley revealed that she and her team wanted the villainess to appear. Bradley, while hyping up Season 2's Hela story, also explained why it didn’t happen:
The amazing #WhatIf Hela ep is pure Matt Chauncey. While I was writing Party Thor in S1, we kept looking to incorporate Hela into the Vegas chaos. No dice. Finally, Matt said, ‘if Cate Blanchett is willing to return, then she deserves her own damn story.’
It would’ve been so much fun to see the clean-shaven Thor and the Frost Giant Loki mix it up with a version of their sister. I’d imagine that the antagonist would’ve shaken up the proceedings had she been a part of them. However, the EP’s comments on X (formerly Twitter) seem to suggest that it was simply too challenging to fit her into the narrative in an organic way. Considering everything that goes down in the installment, I can certainly understand that.
While some may dwell on what might’ve been, it’s fair to say that Hela’s recent debut on the show – “What If… Hela Found the Ten Rings?” – more than makes up for it. The story incorporates plenty of elements from 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, as it sees the Goddess being ousted from Asgard and landing in China, where she encounters Wenwu – the leader of the eponymous organization. That encounter sets Odin’s oldest child on a journey that takes her to Ta Lo, where she not only learns new fighting skills but realizes her purpose in life. By the end, Cate Blanchett’s protagonist not only regains her abilities and receives the throne of Asgard, but she also sets out (with Wenwu) to ensure that others across the Nine Realms have freedom as well.
This is definitely a far cry from the version of the character that audiences saw smash Thor’s hammer during the events of Ragnarok. However, it was refreshing nonetheless to see the character in this light (and in a new costume to boot). Cate Blanchett also more than brought her A-game to the proceedings, providing just the right amount of soulfulness and camp. This also served as a solid refresher on Shang-Chi’s corner of the MCU, which is much appreciated since Simu Liu provided a disappointing update on the sequel.
A.C. Bradley has been dropping some sweet BTS nuggets throughout What If…? Season 2’s run, and they are very much appreciated. (This week, she also explained why the Wasp was part of the Avengers roster in the Hydra Stomper episode.) I’d expect Bradley to share more details as the season comes to a close and, hopefully, they’re just as, if not more intriguing than what she spilled about the always dramatic Hela.
The season finale of What If…? is set to drop tomorrow, December 30, on Disney+ as part of the 2023 TV schedule. With the season almost over, be sure to read up on the upcoming Marvel shows that are on the docket.
