In 2011’s Thor, the God of Thunder went up against the Frost Giants of Jotunheim, the Destroyer, and his brother Loki. For its 2013 sequel, The Dark World, Thor fought Kurse, Malekith and his army of Dark Elves. One thing that all of those villains have in common is that they are all male. To make sure Ragnarok felt fresh and different from those previous films, Marvel chose to go with a female villain this time around.

So what convinced two-time Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett to portray the Goddess of Death? “Well let’s face it: as a woman, these opportunities have not in the past come up very frequently and I think there’s a revolution happening from within Marvel,” she told EW. “I’ve seen so many of the Marvel franchises, particularly being the mother of four. They tend to be the only type of film particularly having young boys. But for me as an actor, this is separate is my desire to work with [director] Taika Waititi.”

How’s she feel about being Thor’s first female villain? “Can you believe it? Can you believe we’re having this conversation and it’s 2017 and we’re talking about the first female villain? It’s ridiculous,” she said. “There’s so much untapped potential villainy in women. It’s really exciting. I think finally it’s beginning to be acknowledged that women and men want to see a diverse array of characters, and that’s race, gender across the sexual spectrum.”

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Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok – the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization – at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela. But first he must survive a deadly gladatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger – The Incredible Hulk!”

The cast features Chris Hemsworth in the title role for the fifth time; Tom Hiddleston as Thor’s adversarial, adopted brother, Loki; Idris Elba as the Asgardian sentry, Heimdall; Sir Anthony Hopkins again portraying Odin, Ruler of Asgard; Mark Ruffalo reprising his role of Bruce Banner/the Hulk; Cate Blanchett as the mysterious and powerful new villain Hela; Jeff Goldblum as the eccentric Grandmaster; Tessa Thompson bring the classic hero Valkyrie to life on the big screen; and Karl Urban will add his might to the fray as Skurge.

Thor: Ragnarok is directed by Taika Waititi, written by Craig Kyle, and will open in theaters November 3, 2017.