Who Is Hela's Mother In MCU Thor Movies?

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 worst MCU movie. After another mission with the Avengers in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor got his third solo movie, Thor: Ragnarok. 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 and a sense of humor, as well as introducing one of the best MCU villains to date: Hela, who happens to be Thor’s sister.

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 Thor's mother Frigga.

Hela's Comic Origin Is Very Different From Thor: Ragnarok

Hela Marching Down The Bifrost - Thor Ragnarok

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 (via Yahoo! Entertainment), Hela’s backstory was changed for Ragnarok so that 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 even after Thor: Love and Thunder, and it’s also a mystery if the studio will choose to stay true to the comics and make Angrboða her mother or change her story 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, concealing Hela’s mother's identity leaves the door open to many possibilities that could help justify how Thor: Ragnarok changed Hela's origins.

Hela's Mother Is One More Reason She Needs An MCU Return

The lingering mystery of Hela's parentage provides one compelling reason that she should appear again in the MCU, as her story's not fully resolved. Even besides this, though, Hela should continue to be a part of Thor's story simply because she's the best villain he's ever faced in his impressive arc. Thanos may have been a far-reaching threat, and Gorr may have been terrifying, but Hela was uniquely suited to be Thor's foe because of their shared history and how she forced him to reconsider his heritage and his role as a king. After Thor: Love and Thunder, there's still plenty more room for Thor's character to deepen, and Hela would be a great way to achieve this. And like the MCU's Loki, Hela could have some unexpected depth to her as well. Thor: Ragnarok gave her a great debut, but it would be a shame not to take her further.