First Hint at ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Spotted in ‘Thor: The Dark World’

Each film in the Thor franchise uncovered a tragic chapter in the history of Asgard, but few were as depressing and morbid as Hela’s backstory in Thor: Ragnarok.

As Hela explains to her ignorant brother, she was Odin’s first born and the first to wield Mjolnir, helping her father conquer other realms to rule and people to pillage. But Odin changed his ways while Hela did not, so he banished his daughter.

A fan discovered Odin’s bloodthirsty nature in a rewatch of Thor: The Dark World, in which Odin and Thor argue over the best way to deal with the threat of Malekith and the Dark Elves. Odin’s rage harkens back to Hela’s recollections and the murals painted on the ceiling of Asgard’s throne room.

This is a big moment that might have gone missed by most fans, and might not have been planned until director Taika Waititi took the reigns of the Thor franchise. While Christopher Yost and Craig Kyle wrote the previous film and set the franchise up, this seems more like convenient circumstance rather than best laid plan.

But it just goes to show how well the Marvel Cinematic Universe plays off of what came before, and how Marvel Studios manages to maintain a tone of consistency across wildly divergent films.

From its first appearance, Asgard is a pillar of society and honor in the MCU, but it’s through Odin’s actions throughout the franchise that we learn all that glitters is not gold. Hela finally states it all so plainly when she reveals her father as a conqueror, putting his actions into new perspective. It makes sense that he willingly dies in Thor: Ragnarok, and that he’d let his sons clean up his mess, as if he’s finally seen the error of his ways and cannot atone for it.

Fans are hopeful to see Hela again, as she was one of the better villains Marvel Studios has tackled. Actress Cate Blanchett is open to returning to the role, so long as the circumstances line up.

“There’s always a way back, but I’m sure there’s always a way forward, who knows? Sure. I never say no to anything,” Blanchett recently told IGN while promoting The House With a Clock in Its Walls.

We’ll see if Hela returns to aid Thanos, as the Goddess of Death could make a good pairing with the Mad Titan, when Avengers 4 premieres in theaters on May 3, 2019.