As I wrote about
yesterday, many of the recent
Marvel Studios films have taken more risks with their villains than earlier entries in the series.
The latest chapter in the MCU,
Thor: Ragnarok, also tries something new with its main villain, Hela. After the Goddess of Death is revealed to be Thor and Loki’s sister, we start to realize that she won’t be easily defeated. This is made particularly clear when Thor throws his hammer, Mjolnir, at Hela, only for her to catch and destroy it with ease.
And while seeing a villain get introduced as unbeatable only to have them vanquished by the hero by the end of the movie is nothing new, Thor: Ragnarok took a different approach.
While Hela was defeated by the end of the movie, the audience wasn’t given the pleasure of seeing the hero do the vanquishing. Instead, Thor lets Ragnarok happen as the prophecy foretold, and unleashes Surtur to destroy Hela, along his homeworld Asgard. The destruction of Asgard was a bold way to show off the stakes of the film, and was a surprisingly dark turn for a pretty funny movie.
Looking at the MCU as a whole, I’d say there are more memorable villains than forgettable ones. But one of the things that make Marvel villains memorable is the context they are used in. Hela works well as a villain not just because of Cate Blanchett’s performance and her character’s connection to Thor. She’s also a good villain because of her endgame.
While Hela dies at the end of Thor: Ragnarok, she leaves a permanent mark on the film’s characters. Thor not only loses an eye in his fight with Hela, but also loses his home. Hela didn’t kill Thor, but she made him destroy the place where he grew up. This decision helps develop Thor’s character, and proves that he is finally ready to be king.
The destruction of Asgard was an effective way to prove the worth of a villain, but if a planet blew up in every Marvel movie, it wouldn’t take long before the destruction became meaningless to the audience.
The most memorable villains in pop culture are the ones who end up winning, at least to some degree. From the Emperor in the Star Wars trilogy to the Joker in The Dark Knight, villains who take actions that have lasting effects on the hero tend to be the most iconic. These kinds of characters can only really shine when the stakes are high.
However, the way the Marvel Cinematic Universe is set up, with so many different characters and films, not every movie is going to have the emotional stakes of Thor: Ragnarok or Captain America: Civil War. Just like in any serialized story, there are going to be a few filler episodes for every jaw-dropping season finale.
By taking risks, filmmakers can make movies that are less significant to the overarching story feel memorable. But, by definition, some storytelling risks aren’t going to go over well with audiences.
Iron Man 3 is one of the best examples of this, as director Shane Black pulled a classic bait and switch, exciting fans by teasing the The Mandarin, only to have him revealed to be just an actor with a drug problem. The twist, while unexpected, was not well received by most comic book fans. It serves as a lesson that different isn’t always good.
So how does Hela compare to other villains in the MCU? Personally, I think the best MCU villains are the Winter Soldier and Loki, even though neither really count as bad guys anymore. While I think Hela stacks up pretty well against fellow one-off villains Red Skull and Ultron, it’s harder to compare her to less conventional villains like Zemo and Dormammu.
What did you think of Hela? Share your thoughts in the comments below.