Marvel's What If Creator Reveals How Hela's Return Almost Happened in Season One

Hela was almost in the Party Thor episode of What If...?

By Jamie Jirak

The second season of Marvel's What If...? has been releasing new episodes daily on Disney+, and the season's seventh episode asked the question, "What If... Hela Found the Ten Rings?" The episode saw Cate Blanchett returning to voice Hela, the character she originally played in Thor: Ragnarok back in 2017. The episode's alternate reality featured some exciting changes for Hela, but she almost came back sooner. What If...?'s head writer and executive producer, A.C. Bradley, took to Twitter to reveal Hela almost made an appearance in What If...?'s first season episode, "What If... Thor Were an Only Child?" 

"The amazing #WhatIf Hela ep is pure Matt Chauncey. While I was writing Party Thor in S1, we kept looking to incorporate Hela into the Vegas chaos. No dice. Finally, Matt said, 'If Cate Blanchett is willing to return, then she deserves her own damn story,'" Bradley shared. You can view the tweet below:

Who Was Recast in What If...? Season 2, Episode 7:

While "What If... Hela Found the Ten Rings?" saw the return if Blanchett as Hela, the roles of Xu Wenwu and Odin were both recast. Tony Leung played the part of Wenwu in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, but Feodor Chin took over in the animated series.

 Hela's episode and "What If... Kahhori Reshapred the World" both featured appearances from Odin, the character played by Anthony Hopkins in the MCU. However, Hopkins did not reprise his role in the animated series. In What If...?, the role of Odin is played by Jeff Bergman, the actor known for voicing Bugs Bunny. 

What Is Season 2 of What If...? About? 

You can read Marvel Studios' official synopsis here: "Season two of What If…? continues the journey as The Watcher guides viewers through the vast multiverse, introducing brand new and familiar faces throughout the MCU. The series questions, revisits, and twists classic Marvel Cinematic moments with an incredible voice cast that includes a host of stars who reprise their iconic roles. Featuring fan-favorite characters this season like Nebula, Hela, and Happy Hogan, episodes are directed by executive producer Bryan Andrews with executive producer AC Bradley as head writer."

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The episode titles of What If...? Season 2 are as follows: "What if Nabula Joined the Nova Corps?"; What If Peter Quill Attacked Earth's Mightiest Heroes?"; "What If Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?"; "What If Iron Man Crashed into the Grandmaster?"; "What if Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?"; "What if Kahhori Reshaped the World?"; "What If Hela Found the Ten Rings?"; "What if The Avengers Assembled in 1602?"; and "What if Strange Supreme Intervened?."

One new episode of What If...? releases every day from December 22nd to December 30th. 

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