Last year it was revealed that Melissa McCarthy would be portraying a fake Hela in the upcoming Thor installment, Thor: Love and Thunder. For those that missed Thor: Ragnarok, one of the funnier moments in the film comes when Thor discovers that Loki has been putting on amateur plays about their exploits together, though with a narrative bias clearly in Loki’s favor. Though the play feels mostly like an opportunity for laughs, it acts as an example of what the entire film. Thor: Ragnarok is truly a story biased in favor of the person telling it.
Thor: Ragnarok treats Thor as a hero because Thor is the one telling the story. But given the details of the story and considering the ultimate results of Thor’s efforts in Thor: Ragnarok, it becomes pretty clear that Hela’s characterization as a villain wasn’t exactly fair. Melissa McCarthy’s role as the fake Hela really needs to address how Hela got the shaft. And here’s why.
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Hela Built Asgard With None of the Reward
Marvel Studios
Before his death, Odin admits that Hela is his firstborn, a position that should make her the rightful ruler upon his death. And in the course of the film, it’s explained that Hela did most of the work in establishing Asgard; she led Asgard’s armies and conquered the Nine Realms. But instead of appreciating her work ethic and ability to lead, Odin feared her. So he punished Hela – imprisoning her for the crimes of being ambitious and powerful – two traits that literally define Loki and Thor, respectively.
Hela’s actions could be viewed as dangerous, sure, but being punished for carrying out orders issued not just by one’s leader but one’s own father seems particularly cruel. And it would almost be different if Odin treated all of his ambitious and powerful children in the same way – but he clearly didn’t. His perfectly capable sons failed to instill fear in him the way Hela did. This says a lot about Odin’s values and that maybe he wasn’t the best leader for Asgard himself. Hela’s success shouldn’t have scared Odin. And if he needed her to change tack, that’s something he needed to communicate as a leader. Also, his failures as a leader are one thing, but his failure as a father here – unforgivable. She built his kingdom with her efforts, and he, after imprisoning her, just continued to reap those benefits.
Hela Was the Rightful Ruler Didn’t Get Her Chance
As aforementioned, Hela was the firstborn; this isn’t an issue of contention. Odin has explained this much and the fact that Hela is responsible for building Asgard to Thor and Loki. Now, sure – Odin expresses fear of her, which is maybe a red flag. It would be understandable if Thor and Loki were wary of her. It would be understandable if they wanted to keep an eye on her as she took her place as the rightful ruler of Asgard. But they immediately express themselves to be enemies, as do multiple Asgardians. Folks literally flee her.
Now, if this doesn’t strike one as strange, think for a moment about the series of events in Black Panther. A similar struggle occurs whenT’Challa’s rule of Wakanda is threatened by a cousin he didn’t know existed, Killmonger, who also arguably has a right to the throne. They fight it out, Killmonger wins. The film is about T’Challa doing what he must in order to get Wakanda back, much as Thor: Ragnarok was also about Thor doing what he must to get Asgard back. But there was a basic level of respect that Killmonger was afforded in Wakanda from the jump that Hela never quite received, which is weird because Killmonger showed up and won a single fight. Again, Hela built Asgard by conquering whole worlds. She should have at least been given a chance by her younger brothers, who also should have at least tried to get to know her a bit.
If Hela Had Ruled, Thanos Would Have Failed to Snap
Walt Disney Studios
Thor and Loki preferred to see Asgard destroyed rather than let Hela rule it, which is a pretty interesting choice. Even the Power Rangers left the smoothie shack standing after destroying the city with their fights. But no – Thor and Loki unleash Surtur to defeat Hela. Asgard is destroyed in the process. The sentiment that Asgard is the Asgardians isn’t meaningful when you just killed off the one person who could have protected them from Thanos.
Also, if one plays the fun game of imagining what would have happened if Thanos had needed to confront Hela to complete his Infinity Gauntlet, it’s pretty clear Thanos would never have completed his Infinity Gauntlet. Hela was smart, deadly, and she wouldn’t have allowed him to get away with something that belonged to her. If her brothers had to destroy Asgard to keep her from ruling it, there’s not much chance Thanos could have gotten away with stealing from her.
The point is Hela deserved more. She deserved Asgard. She deserved a chance. History is written by the winners, but with Melissa McCarthy portraying the fake Hela, perhaps there will at least be a joke or two that can give her a little bit of the justice the MCU owes her.
