Hela

Hela, Odin's first born, served as Asgard’s Executioner and Goddess of Death, as her and her father made their way through the Nine Realms bringing death, destruction and conquest along for the ride. When Odin had a change of heart and wanted peace, he could not stop Hela's ambition and bloodlust; he imprisoned her. With Odin’s passing, his power over her waning, Hela freed herself from Hel to take what she sees as rightfully hers—first, Asgard, then all Nine Realms.

Goddess of Death

Though her history would eventually be so well-hidden that even Thor didn't know of her existence, Hela was born long before her brother. Proving herself an incredibly effective warrior, Odin choose her to ride at his side as they conquered the Nine Realms together. However, when Odin realized that this path would only lead to endless war and that Hela had no intention of changing her ways, the All-Father used his own considerable powers to keep her imprisoned. In Hel, she plotted and planned how to reclaim her birthright, even if it meant killing every last Asgardian.

She Who Is Worthy

Like all Asgardian warriors, Hela is an extremely powerful being who possesses a number of superhuman attributes. However, as Odin’s first born and most loyal and faithful servant, Hela was the original wielder of Mjolnir. Drawing enhanced strength and power from Asgard itself, at one point, Hela was the most powerful warrior in all Nine Realms, unmatched in every way.

The Goddess of Death can also materialize Necroswords, daggers, axes, and other weapons of various sizes, hurling them at her enemies with great speed and precision. Cementing her role as Queen of Asgard, with the Eternal Flame, Hela rebuilds her army of undead warriors and her giant wolf Fenris to do her bidding alongside the living Skurge, her newly-appointed Executioner.

Kneel Before Your Queen

As Odin's right hand, Hela saw anyone standing in their way of domination of the Nine Realms as an enemy of Asgard. When Odin decided to become a benevolent king and have Thor, he imprisoned her in Hel for some millennia, erasing her from Asgardian history. Her resentment for Odin and her brothers Thor and Loki grew intensely. While racing to Asgard on the Bifrost, she knocks both of them off the Rainbow Bridge, banishing them from Asgard, and inadvertently sending them to Sakaar.

Upon her arrival home, Hela gives everyone an opportunity to welcome their new Queen. Easily angered and impatient, Hela eventually kills or terrorizes nearly every living Asgardian. Hela despises anyone who stands in her way and will gladly eliminate all who stand in her way to ruling the Nine Realms and beyond, specifically Heimdall, Thor, Loki and Valkyrie, as well as outsiders like Hulk, Korg, Miek, and the world-crushing demon Surtur.

Gathering of the Dead

Hela was an effective, brutal and faithful wartime leader alongside her father Odin. After breaking out of her prison upon Odin’s death, she heads home to Asgard and takes Skurge, first as her loyal servant, then as her Executioner. Using the Eternal Flame, the Goddess of Death resurrected an army of dead Asgardian warriors entombed under the throne room as well as her giant wolf Fenris.

Destined to Rule All Others

Eons before Odin welcomed his infant son Thor to Asgard, he had a daughter named Hela, the original wielder of Mjolnir. Proving herself to be a ferocious warrior, Odin gave her the rank and title of Executioner. More impressively, she became the Goddess of Death, using her ability to create a seemingly limitless number of daggers, swords and spires to help pillage and plunder all the Nine Realms, gilding the kingdom in gold.

With the arrival of Thor in the picture, Odin had a change of heart and realized that this way of life would only lead to endless conflict and death. Hela relentlessly disagreed believing Asgard should rule all life. Refusing to deviate from destiny, Odin knew that the longer Hela stayed on Asgard, the more of a threat she would become.

Storming the palace and sacrificing Asgardian lives, Odin stood between Hela and the throne. Unable to kill his own daughter, Odin defeated Hela and imprisoned her using his own power to keep her at bay in another realm for eons.

During this respite, Hela attempted to escape imprisonment in Hel and was near successful. Odin dispatched the female warriors known as the Valkyrie to stop her. Though some of the strongest and most impressive Asgard could offer, Hela managed to massacre the entire force but one before Odin stepped in to send her back to prison.

In the modern era, Odin’s power waned when Loki ambushed him, removed his memories and left him in a nursing home on Earth while the Trickster assumed Odin’s form and throne. Thor soon discovered the ruse and tracked down their father in Norway with brother in tow. Odin’s weakened state had brought about Ragnarok, the death of Asgard, and Hela’s escape. Appearing alongside her brothers, moments after Odin’s death, Hela demanded their kneel before their queen!

A battle between the siblings resulted in Mjolnir crushed in her hand. Loki called for the Bifrost to take them back to Asgard, but Hela jumped in too. She attacked both brothers and knocked them off the path, sending them to Sakaar. However, she made her way to Asgard where Volstagg manned the Bifrost. She immediately killed him and also Fandral before asking if Skurge wanted a job working at her side.

With the Einherjar army – including Hogun – ready to take her on, Hela introduced herself as queen and explained that it was their duty to conquer all life. The Asgardians didn't take kindly to this; Hogun led the battalion against her, but ultimately, they all fell to the Goddess of Death.

She and Skurge then traveled to the throne room where she uncovered the mosaics about her and Odin's bloody swath of destruction that he had covered up. In the art, she's depicted as wielding Mjolnir and riding a giant wolf known as Fenris. Grasping a ball of the Eternal Flame, Hela broke through the floor and used the mystical fire to bring back a legion of Asgardian warriors from her era buried there as well as Fenris!

Later, as common Asgardians pounded on the front gates, Hela dubbed commended Skurge for proving himself as her loyal warrior. The Executioner and Hela traveled to the Observatory only to discover that Heimdall's sword had been removed preventing access to the Bifrost Bridge. Instead of conquering other realms, Hela focused on finding the sword and cowing her people further. She didn't know it yet, but Heimdall had taken his weapon and begun rounding up citizens, hiding them in an ancient part of the realm.

During this time, Heimdall managed to commune with Thor still stuck on Sakaar. The all-seeing one told the God of Thunder what Hela had been up to and also how to escape the planet. While Thor worked to get off planet, aided by Bruce Banner and the last living Valkyrie, Hela ordered Skurge to start killing citizens to find out Heimdall's hiding place. Before he could, a man told their safe home, but by the time Hela and her minions arrived, they'd evacuated and began journeying towards the Bifrost.

Returning to the throne room, Hela found Thor pounding Odin’s scepter on the ground. While they battled, Skurge the Executioner, Fenris and Hela’s undead warriors gave Heimdall and the citizens trouble on the way to Bifrost. During the sibling fight, Hela sliced out Thor's right eye and then brought him outside so he could see Fenris fighting Hulk, the dead warriors taking down Valkyrie's ship and their dire fate.

The tide turned when Loki showed up with a spaceship filled with Sakaar refugees including Meik and Korg who waded into the fight. With daggers piercing him, Thor communed with Odin and came to understand that he didn’t need Mjolnir to wield the lightning. Summoning his internal might, he blasted Hela with a huge bolt and waded into battle on the Bifrost himself, crackling with electric energy. Upon seeing this, Skurge dropped his Bloodaxe, wrapped himself in a cloak and attempted to blend in with the other Asgardians being led onto the spaceship.

To ensure enough time for Asgard’s evacuation, Thor, Loki, and Valkyrie all presented a front on Hela’s path. Acting on his father’s revelation about Asgard not being a place, Thor urged Loki to drop Surtur’s crown in the Eternal Flame to bring about Ragnarok; thereby, destroying his home and also Hela’s power source.

Thor and Valkyrie held Hela off long enough for the remaining Asgardians to escape. However, her geokinesis halted the ship’s takeoff as a massive spike came out of the water and allowed her undead army to ascend upon the ship. Having a change of heart, Skurge freed the ship of its makeshift anchor and its unwelcome guests. For his act of defiance and betrayal, Hela killed Skurge with a swift blade.

In Odin’s vault, Loki succeeded in his mission to resurrect the fire demon Surtur on Asgard. While distracted with Thor’s offer of ruling Asgard, Valkyrie stabbed Hela from behind sending her crumbling with the Bifrost into the waters below.

Erupting from the Asgardian castle as a colossal giant, Surtur began to burn everything in sight. Not one to submit willingly, Hela burst from the water impaling Surtur numerous times. Surtur dealt the final blow against Hela with his own fiery sword and brought the prophesized Ragnarok to Asgard itself, as Thor and the other remaining Asgardians escaped on their ship.