Cate Blanchett Returning To Marvel As Fan Favorite Thor Villain
Cate Blanchett is reprising her role as Hela for an episode of Marvel's What If...?
Cate Blanchett is returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, thanks to the wonders of animation! The Oscar-winning actress is returning to the role of Hela, Thor’s power-hungry sister, for an episode in season two of Marvel’s What If…? animated series, according to a report by Laughing Place. Blanchett last appeared in the role in 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, and her over-the-top performance made her an instant fan favorite.
According to the report, Marvel Studios was at Lightbox Expo, an animation convention, and they were on hand with a booth and recruiting animators for future projects. What If…? director Bryan Andrews was on hand to lead a panel, “Marvel Studios’ Journey Into Imagination,” during which he revealed he worked with Cate Blanchett on a recording session for an upcoming season of the series.
Andrews stated that he was not only astonished to be working with Cate Blanchett to begin with, she brought a different take to the character in her recording session, that will likely surprise fans. Since the animated series relies on the Multiverse to create its stories, which explores alternate-universe scenarios and versions of Marvel characters, it is likely the Hela we will see will be a different one from the Hela we saw in Ragnarok. However, given Marvel Studios’ tendency to crossover plots among its movies and series, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility to think that Hela’s appearance could explain how she could return to the MCU.
When we last left Hela, she was seemingly killed by Surtur (Clancy Brown), the Fire Demon Lord of Muspelheim who brought about Ragnarok, the prophesied destruction of Asgard, at the end of Thor: Ragnarok. She fell under Surtur’s huge flaming sword and a pile of rubble, but her body was never seen again, leading some fans to wonder if she is actually dead, or just plotting her return and revenge. Her “death” in the Taika Waititi film was likely purposely vague, but it remains to be seen if she would return to battle Thor (Chris Hemsworth) in a future film.
Blanchett is best known for her role as Galadriel in Peter Jackson’s Oscar-winning The Lord of the Rings trilogy, playing an elf queen who joins the battle against Sauron in a quest to destroy a Ring of Power. She first gained notoriety in films like Elizabeth and The Talented Mr. Ripley before the Rings trilogy. her next film is Tar, opening this week.
Her other films include Ocean’s Eight, Don’t Look Up, and Carol.
She provided the narration voice for Netflix’s The School for Good and Evil, and she will also be seen in the live-action adaptation of the video game Borderlands, playing Lillith alongside Jack Black and Kevin Hart.
She has been nominated for six Academy Awards, winning two, for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for 2004’s The Aviator and Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for 2013’s Blue Jasmine.
Season two of What If…? does not yet have a release date, but it will be some time in 2023, according to Marvel and Disney+.
