Thor: Ragnarok introduced Hela, the goddess of death and Thor’s sister who was imprisoned by Odin for years. Hela’s father in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is Odin, but who is her mother? The MCU has been bringing various characters from Marvel Comics to the big screen for years, beginning in 2008 with Jon Favreau’s Iron Man, which prepared the ground for the arrival of The Avengers in 2012. One of the original members of the team is Thor, who made his MCU debut in 2011.

Following the Battle of New York and teaming up with the Avengers, Thor returned with Thor: The Dark World, considered by many to be the weakest entry in the MCU. After another mission with the Avengers in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor got his third solo movie, Thor: Ragnarok. Now with Taika Waititi in charge of directing, Ragnarok brought some much-needed changes to Thor and those around him, giving the God of Thunder a personality, sense of humor, and giving the characters a purpose. Ragnarok also introduced one of the best villains the MCU has had so far: Hela, who happens to be Thor’s sister.

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Hela was Odin’s oldest child and served as his personal executioner and leader of the Einherjar, the main army of Asgard. Hela helped her father conquer the Nine Realms, but Odin eventually realized that the only way to unite the realms was through peace, and Hela’s ambitiousness was an obstacle. After she massacred many Asgardians and attacked her father, Odin saw she was too dangerous and battled her. Odin defeated Hela, but he was incapable of killing her, so he banished her from Asgard, imprisoned her within Hel, and wrote her out of Asgard’s history. His life force acted as the lock to her prison, which is why once he died in Ragnarok, Hela was free. The identity of Hela’s mother wasn’t revealed in the film, but as it turns out, she’s actually Thor’s half-sister, as she isn’t the daughter of Frigga.

As it has done with many other characters, the MCU changed many details from the comics, including Hela’s family tree. In the comics, she’s the daughter of Loki and the giantess Angrboða, and was born in Jotunheim. When she came of age, Odin appointed her as the Goddess of the Dead, and so she became the ruler of Hel and Niflheim – and that’s her only connection to the All-father. According to screenwriter Eric Pearson, Hela’s backstory was changed for Ragnarok so it could have more impact on her and Thor’s final confrontation, and so Hela represents the “ghosts of Asgard’s past” and “what it is to rule Asgard, Thor’s family, what he’s been told, what he hasn’t been told”. Later on in Avengers: Infinity War, Thor referred to Hela as his half-sister, thus confirming that she’s not Frigga’s daughter.

The identity of Hela’s mother in the MCU remains unknown, and it’s also a mystery if the studio will choose to stay true to the comics and make Angrboða her mother (and introduce her in Thor: Love & Thunder) or change it completely. Depending on where Thor’s next solo film takes him, Hela’s mother could be revealed or not, as at this moment in the MCU’s history, it’s not really a mystery that needs to be solved. Still, not revealing who Hela’s mother is yet leaves the door open to many possibilities, but again, it all depends on what Marvel wants to do with Thor and his future in the MCU.

Key Release Dates
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  • Black Widow (2021)Release date: Jul 09, 2021
  • Eternals (2021)Release date: Nov 05, 2021
  • Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)Release date: Sep 03, 2021
  • Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)Release date: Jul 08, 2022
  • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)Release date: May 06, 2022
  • Black Panther: Wakanda Forever/Black Panther 2 (2022)Release date: Nov 11, 2022
  • The Marvels/Captain Marvel 2 (2023)Release date: Feb 17, 2023
Thor: Love & Thunder Merch Hints at Gorr Attacking Valkyrie & New Asgard

About The Author


Adrienne Tyler
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Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. She is an Audiovisual Communication graduate who wanted to be a filmmaker, but life had other plans (and it turned out great). Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. She was also a contributor for FanSided’s BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings.

When she’s not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs!), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round.

Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. It was great.

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