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Hela (comics)
Encyclopedia
Hela is a fictional character
, the Asgardian goddess of death in the Marvel Comics
universe
, based on the Norse
goddess
, Hel
. The ruler of Hel
and Niffleheim, the character has been a frequent foe of Thor
. Hela first appeared in Journey into Mystery
#102 and was adapted from Norse Myths by Stan Lee
and Jack Kirby
.
and the giantess Angrboða. When she came of age, Odin appointed her as the Goddess of Death, giving her rulership over the dead in the realms of Hel and Niffleheim.
Hela often tried to expand her power to the dead who dwell in Valhalla as well. These attempts often brought Hela into conflict with Odin or his son Thor
. She once appeared to Thor while he was on the verge of death after battling the Wrecker
who knocked a building onto him while he was depowered. However, she failed to tempt Thor into entering Valhalla, despite an image of one that dwelled in Valhalla.
Later, she stole a portion of the sleeping Odin's soul while he was on the Sea of Eternal Night due to Loki planning to take over Asgard, thus creating the powerful entity Infinity
. Hela then unleashed Infinity upon the universe. Infinity even took control of Odin. Hela slew Thor, who was restored to life by the sacrifice of her servant, the Silent One. Hela was then slain by Odin to save Thor, but then returned to life by Odin after being convinced by Thor to restore the natural balance of life and death. Hela slew Thor after tracking him down by putting humans in danger, but restored him to life after Sif offered to die in his place.
Hela later battled the Olympian Death-god Pluto for the right to claim Odin's soul, as Odin had been killed by the monster Mangog
. As a result, Hela restored Odin to life to prevent Pluto from claiming him. Some time later, Hela confronted Thor. Some time after that, she confronted Odin. She then plotted with Loki to bring about Ragnarök
by slaying the god Balder then attacking Asgard. She summoned Volla's spirit before this to tell her and Loki about Ragnarok, after which she prepared an army of monsters to attack Asgard. However Odin used his powers to prevent Balder dying. Later Balder was restored after the Asgardian's death and resurrection battling the Celestials
.
Hela then summoned the Valkyrie to aid in a war against Ollerus, while Hela encountered the other Defenders
. Hela was then forced to join a conspiracy of Loki and Tyr
against Odin. She also unwillingly entered an alliance with the death-gods of other Earth pantheons, joining their realms together to create a vast hell. As a result, she was destroyed and devoured along with other Death-gods by Demogorge the God-Eater
, though it happened to her last, who was wakened by the joining, but was restored to life with Demogorge's defeat.
Hela later allied with Malekith
, and took souls of Earth mortals to Hel using special food of the faerie. She then appeared in Asgard to claim Odin's soul, but was driven off by Thor. She encountered the X-Men
and New Mutants
in Asgard. She appeared to claim Wolverine
's soul, but was driven off by the X-Men and Mirage
. Hel was then invaded by Thor, Balder, the Executioner
, and the Einherjar to rescue the captive mortal souls. Hela wrestled Thor for the captive mortal souls. Hela raised an army of the dead to stop Thor's escape from Hel.
During this fight with Thor, in revenge for his defiance and invasion of her realm, Hela cursed Thor with eternal life, while making his bones brittle, leaving him unable to die while rendering him increasingly vulnerable to attack. Hela then contested against Mephisto
who attempted to possess Thor's soul. With the aid of Tony Stark
and dwarf ironmongers, Thor attempted to create a special armor to keep his body together, but eventually forced Hela to lift the curse by using the Destroyer
as his host body to invade Hel after his bones were literally pulverized during a battle in which he killed the Midgard Serpent, forcing Hela to restore his body to life and health in an attempt to extract Thor from the Destroyer.
From time to time, Odin would enter a magical sleep in order to bolster his powers. It was during one of these sleeps that Hela made a plan for power. She corrupted the Valkyries
, mentally and physically, transforming them into fire-demons. This also included Danielle Moonstar, of the New Mutants, who was on Earth at the time, who Hela set against the New Mutants. Dani and her team were eventually brought over to Asgard. Hela sent the Valkyries against the dwarves and New Mutants in Asgard. The New Mutants skirmished with Hela's forces again and again, even rescuing the prisoner Hrimhari
, a wolf-prince from a far away land. Hela forced the dwarf Eitri to forge an uru sword. One of Hela's spells split the group. This resulted in a more efficient recruitment of resistance force, which included the Warriors Three
. Hela sent Mirage to kill the sleeping Odin. While most of the Asgardian forces battled Hela's soldiers, the mutants ventured to Odin's very bedchambers, saved Odin's life and foiled Hela's plans. Hela was defeated when the uru sword was destroyed.
Conflict with various forces brought Bruce Banner, a.k.a. the Hulk
and Agamemnon
, the leader of the Pantheon
, to Hela's realm. After an undetermined time fighting Hela's skeletal forces, Agamemnon pleaded, based a vaguely hinted upon relationship, to allow the two to leave. Hela relented, reluctantly.
Hela was awakened from her mortal guise after Ragnarök
by Thor, albeit due to Loki's machinations. She now lives in Las Vegas, maintaining a lair where she can feed on the souls of random unlucky people, and agrees to use her powers to aid her father Loki in bringing him back in time to Asgard to complete his own sinister plans for Asgard.
She was seen attending a meeting with Mephisto
, Blackheart
, Satannish
and Dormammu
about a disturbance created by the newly resurrected Magik
, who is looking for the soulsword and the original Bloodstone amulet. Belasco's daughter, Witchfire appears during the meeting and reveals she is now the current owner of the original amulet and vows to take her father's place as ruler of Limbo and seat at their table.
When Norman Osborn
attempted to subdue the X-Men, Cyclops sends Danielle Moonstar
to Las Vegas where she approaches Hela for a boon. Hela warns her that the price of the boon is a heavy one, but Dani accepts, requesting "a new ride home and a big ol' sword." Later, Hela is summoned to Utopia by Hrimhari to save a pregnant Rahne and their child, which is neither human nor mutant. Faced with a moral dilemma, to save his child or Rahne; Hrimhari asks Hela to restore Elixir
to full health so Elixir may heal them both and to take him instead. Hela agrees and takes Hrimhari away.
During the Siege of Asgard
Loki appears before Hela asking if she has made arrangements for the dead. Hela points out she is without a Hel so she cannot take them in and plans to let the dead wander Midgard forever. Loki provides her with proof of the Disir, banished, cannibalistic Valkyrie's who once belonged to Bor whom he cursed for dining on the flesh of other Asgardians to only be able to feed on the souls of gods. Using his extraordinary swordmanship skills Loki was able to make a group of 13 submit to him. Meeting with Mephisto, Loki strikes up a deal granting a portion of his netherworld to Hela for one thousand and one years, as her new Hel. In exchange for this, Hela erases Loki from the Books of Hel, thus he is no longer tied to Hel or Asgard, gaining absolute freedom. However, unknown to Hela, Loki had manipulated these events in his favor as he had the Disir in his services and had leased them out to Mephisto for one hundred and one days after demonstrating their skill to the demon lord. Hela summons Danielle Moonstar to repay her debt and to gather the spirits of the Asgardians that fell in battle with Norman Osborn's forces as quickly as possible so they do not fall prey to the Disir.
The Disir, still hungry, attack Hela's new Hel as it was not the true Hel they were banished from. Sensing the Disir's assault on the dead Asgardians, Hela attempts to protect them using the sword Eir-Gram, but she is disarmed and her arm sliced off brutally. Hela is quickly overwhelmed and her own remaining power insufficient to counter theirs. Absorbing the dead into her body, Hela creates a fortress around herself to protect them and asks Thor for help through the recently deceased body of an Asgardian. With the help of Thor and Tyr, they manage to slay and banish the remaining Disir, whose souls are claimed by the triumphant Mephisto.
In the aftermath of the Siege of Asgard, Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor are mysteriously drawn into one of the other Nine Realms, eventually revealed to be the Hel-realm of Hela. Thor, after a fierce struggle with the Enchantress
, engages in open combat with the Nightsword-armed Hela, and though managing to hold his own against her and her forces for some time, ultimately falls to her immense and evidently vastly enhanced power. Amora, after teleporting herself and Hela away to save Thor's life, herself challenges Hela using all her strength, but Hela defeats her twice in quick succession, attempts and fails to destroy Mjolnir, despite summoning Bor himself to her aid, and apparently slays the Enchantress after revealing that she now wields the Twilight Sword of Surtur.
After Thor reunites with Iron Man and Captain America, he manages to persuade many of his former Asgardian enemies into rallying behind him into an army against Hela and her own forces. Hela attacks Thor and his allies, defeating and nearly slaying him with the power of the Twilight Sword, but the Enchantress intervenes and saves him, teleporting him away to re-claim Mjolnir and using her own powers to help Thor fight Hela. Thor ultimately manages to claim the Twilight Sword and uses it to restore the Nine Worlds back to their former harmony and order while banishing Hela, but refuses to set Asgard back into the sky, as Amora asks, claiming that using such unholy power for his own ends would make him the same as Hela herself. A grateful and healed Amora then returns Thor and his friends back to Midgard after Thor promises her that her allegiance will not be forgotten.
During the Chaos War
storyline, Hela breaks into Pluto's throne room in the Underworld to warn him of Amatsu-Mikaboshi
's army of thousands of alien deities decimating the death realms, joining forces with him in a desperate and a seemingly futile attempt to repel the massive assault on their domains. Hela, along with Pluto, Satannish, and many other rulers of Earth's various netherworlds, are shown to be slaves of the Chaos King after he obliterates the realms of Hell itself.
During the Fear Itself
storyline, Cyclops sends Danielle Moonstar to what's left of Las Vegas (after what Juggernaut in the form of Kuurth: Breaker of Stone did to it) to look for Hela while the X-Men fight Kuurth. When Moonstar does find Hela, she teleports Moonstar to Hel in order to defend it. When her teammates try to invoke a dark magic to summon a portal to follow Danielle, they end up in Hell instead of Hel where they encounter Mephisto who says that he will get them to Hel if Magma goes out with her.
Hela has vast mystical powers which she can use for various effects like limitless astral projection while retaining many of her powers and abilities, firing deadly bolts of energy from her hands which can kill even Asgardians, levitation and the creation of illusions. Her most powerful ability is her Hand of Glory, a technique that used mystical energy to enhance the strength of her punch to kill even an Asgardian.
As a Death Goddess, Hela has a pact with Death
, allowing her to claim the souls of any worshipper of the Asgardians and the Asgardians themselves and take them to Hel or Niffleheim, as well as able to travel nearly anywhere within the Nine Worlds in an instant. While Hela's touch is fatal to mortals as well and she is capable of stealing their souls into Hel, she generally did not claim the souls of mortal heroes, leaving that task to the Valkyries
who took the souls of heroes to Valhalla
. Hela is usually willing to wait until a person has died before claiming the soul, but she can kill a healthy human or even Asgardian with a single touch, her "touch of death." Hela is also willing to use her illusions to kill living Asgardians. Hela also has the ability to restore a dead Asgardian to life provided their spirits have not passed on to the afterlife, but she rarely used these abilities.
Hela always wears her magical cloak which enhances her strength and keeps her young and healthy. Without the cloak, Hela reverts to her true form: in this form half of her body is healthy, while the other half is decaying. Without the cloak Hela is very weak and can barely move. Hela doesn't need to wear the cloak; simply touching it is enough to restore her to her stronger form. Without her cloak, Hela's powers are greatly reduced; she is unable to levitate or even stand, and cannot project mystical bolts. The left side of her body appears dead and decayed, though it appears alive and healthy while she wears her cloak.
Hela is often armed with her "Nightsword," and is a proficient swordswoman.
Hela can command all of the dead who dwell in Hel and Niffleheim, but she had no power over the dead in Valhalla.
named Tiana, the love interest of the titular hero, was turned into Hela via technological means for this project.
She appears in Ultimate Comics: New Ultimates, telling Thor she will release him in exchange for giving her a son. The next issue has a vision shown to Valkyrie by Amora where Thor is making love with Hela, as he had no other choice. Thor then demands his freedom however he is informed another deed is still required to release him. Thor, being incapable of killing Hela, is released by Valkyrie dead.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, the Asgardian goddess of death in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
, based on the Norse
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
goddess
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
, Hel
Hel (being)
In Norse mythology, Hel is a being who presides over a realm of the same name, where she receives a portion of the dead. Hel is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson...
. The ruler of Hel
Hel
Hel may refer to:* Hel , a location in Norse mythology* Hel , ruler of Hel, the location* Hel , a Swedish Viking rock band* Hel, Poland, a town on the Polish Baltic coast* Hel Peninsula, the peninsula on which the town is situated...
and Niffleheim, the character has been a frequent foe of Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
. Hela first appeared in Journey into Mystery
Journey into Mystery
Journey into Mystery was an American comic book series published by Atlas Comics, and later its successor Marvel Comics. It featured horror, monster, and science fiction stories...
#102 and was adapted from Norse Myths by Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
and Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
.
Fictional character biography
Hela was born in Jotunheim, the land of the giants. According to legend she was the child of the trickster LokiLoki (comics)
Loki is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. He is the adoptive brother and archenemy of the superhero Thor. He is based on the being of the same name from Norse mythology...
and the giantess Angrboða. When she came of age, Odin appointed her as the Goddess of Death, giving her rulership over the dead in the realms of Hel and Niffleheim.
Hela often tried to expand her power to the dead who dwell in Valhalla as well. These attempts often brought Hela into conflict with Odin or his son Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
. She once appeared to Thor while he was on the verge of death after battling the Wrecker
Wrecker (comics)
The Wrecker is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Wrecker was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and first appears in The Mighty Thor #148 The Wrecker (Dirk Garthwaite) is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics....
who knocked a building onto him while he was depowered. However, she failed to tempt Thor into entering Valhalla, despite an image of one that dwelled in Valhalla.
Later, she stole a portion of the sleeping Odin's soul while he was on the Sea of Eternal Night due to Loki planning to take over Asgard, thus creating the powerful entity Infinity
Infinity (Marvel Comics)
Infinity is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Infinity first appears in Quasar #24 . The character was created by Mark Gruenwald and Greg Capullo.-Publication history:...
. Hela then unleashed Infinity upon the universe. Infinity even took control of Odin. Hela slew Thor, who was restored to life by the sacrifice of her servant, the Silent One. Hela was then slain by Odin to save Thor, but then returned to life by Odin after being convinced by Thor to restore the natural balance of life and death. Hela slew Thor after tracking him down by putting humans in danger, but restored him to life after Sif offered to die in his place.
Hela later battled the Olympian Death-god Pluto for the right to claim Odin's soul, as Odin had been killed by the monster Mangog
Mangog
Mangog is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Thor #154 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
. As a result, Hela restored Odin to life to prevent Pluto from claiming him. Some time later, Hela confronted Thor. Some time after that, she confronted Odin. She then plotted with Loki to bring about Ragnarök
Ragnarök
In Norse mythology, Ragnarök is a series of future events, including a great battle foretold to ultimately result in the death of a number of major figures , the occurrence of various natural disasters, and the subsequent submersion of the world in water...
by slaying the god Balder then attacking Asgard. She summoned Volla's spirit before this to tell her and Loki about Ragnarok, after which she prepared an army of monsters to attack Asgard. However Odin used his powers to prevent Balder dying. Later Balder was restored after the Asgardian's death and resurrection battling the Celestials
Celestial (comics)
The Celestials are a group of fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters first appear in Eternals #1 and were created by writer-artist Jack Kirby....
.
Hela then summoned the Valkyrie to aid in a war against Ollerus, while Hela encountered the other Defenders
Defenders (comics)
The Defenders is the name of a number of Marvel Comics superhero groups which are usually presented as a "non-team" of individualistic "outsiders," each known for following their own agendas...
. Hela was then forced to join a conspiracy of Loki and Tyr
Tyr (Marvel Comics)
Tyr is a fictional character, an Asgardian god in the Marvel Comics Universe, loosely based on the Norse god of the same name. Along with Thor and Balder, he is one of Odin's biological sons.-Fictional character biography:Tyr is the Asgardian god of war...
against Odin. She also unwillingly entered an alliance with the death-gods of other Earth pantheons, joining their realms together to create a vast hell. As a result, she was destroyed and devoured along with other Death-gods by Demogorge the God-Eater
Atum (comics)
Atum is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics, based loosely on the Ra of Egyptian mythology. The character first appears in Thor Annual #10 and was created by Alan Zelenetz and Bob Hall....
, though it happened to her last, who was wakened by the joining, but was restored to life with Demogorge's defeat.
Hela later allied with Malekith
Malekith the Accursed
Malekith the Accursed is a supervillain in the Marvel Universe. He is ruler of the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim, and has come into conflict with Thor. He once wielded the Casket of Ancient Winters.-Fictional character biography:...
, and took souls of Earth mortals to Hel using special food of the faerie. She then appeared in Asgard to claim Odin's soul, but was driven off by Thor. She encountered the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
and New Mutants
New Mutants
The New Mutants are a group of teenaged mutant superheroes-in-training published by Marvel Comics. They have been the main characters of three successive comic book series, which were spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise....
in Asgard. She appeared to claim Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
's soul, but was driven off by the X-Men and Mirage
Danielle Moonstar
Danielle "Dani" Moonstar, originally codenamed Psyche and later Mirage, is a fictional Marvel Comics superheroine associated with the X-Men....
. Hel was then invaded by Thor, Balder, the Executioner
Executioner (comics)
Executioner is the name of two fictional characters in the .-Skurge:Skurge is born in Jotunheim, and later becomes a warrior, gaining his name the Executioner after fighting in a war against the Storm giants. Skurge has always had feelings for Amora, the Enchantress, and regularly aids her in...
, and the Einherjar to rescue the captive mortal souls. Hela wrestled Thor for the captive mortal souls. Hela raised an army of the dead to stop Thor's escape from Hel.
During this fight with Thor, in revenge for his defiance and invasion of her realm, Hela cursed Thor with eternal life, while making his bones brittle, leaving him unable to die while rendering him increasingly vulnerable to attack. Hela then contested against Mephisto
Mephisto (comics)
Mephisto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Silver Surfer #3 and was created by Stan Lee and John Buscema, loosely modeled on Mephistopheles - a character from the Faust legend.Debuting in the Silver Age of comic books,...
who attempted to possess Thor's soul. With the aid of Tony Stark
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
and dwarf ironmongers, Thor attempted to create a special armor to keep his body together, but eventually forced Hela to lift the curse by using the Destroyer
Destroyer (Thor)
The Destroyer is a fictional object that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The object first appears in Journey into Mystery #118 The Destroyer is a fictional object that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The object first appears in Journey into Mystery #118 The...
as his host body to invade Hel after his bones were literally pulverized during a battle in which he killed the Midgard Serpent, forcing Hela to restore his body to life and health in an attempt to extract Thor from the Destroyer.
From time to time, Odin would enter a magical sleep in order to bolster his powers. It was during one of these sleeps that Hela made a plan for power. She corrupted the Valkyries
Valkyrior (Marvel Comics)
-Fictional group history:The Valkyrior are warrior goddesses of Asgard who ride winged horses. Originally, under the leadership of Brunnhilde, they took mortally wounded human heroes from German and Scandinavian battlegrounds and brought them to Valhalla, an area of the Asgardian dimension where...
, mentally and physically, transforming them into fire-demons. This also included Danielle Moonstar, of the New Mutants, who was on Earth at the time, who Hela set against the New Mutants. Dani and her team were eventually brought over to Asgard. Hela sent the Valkyries against the dwarves and New Mutants in Asgard. The New Mutants skirmished with Hela's forces again and again, even rescuing the prisoner Hrimhari
Hrimhari
Hrimhari is a fictional character published by Marvel Comics. He was first introduced in the New Mutants Special Edition #1 , and was created by Chris Claremont and Art Adams.-Fictional character biography:...
, a wolf-prince from a far away land. Hela forced the dwarf Eitri to forge an uru sword. One of Hela's spells split the group. This resulted in a more efficient recruitment of resistance force, which included the Warriors Three
Warriors Three
The Warriors Three are a group of fictional characters who served as supporting cast members in Thor, published by Marvel Comics. The Warriors Three is made up of the Asgardians Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg...
. Hela sent Mirage to kill the sleeping Odin. While most of the Asgardian forces battled Hela's soldiers, the mutants ventured to Odin's very bedchambers, saved Odin's life and foiled Hela's plans. Hela was defeated when the uru sword was destroyed.
Conflict with various forces brought Bruce Banner, a.k.a. the Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
and Agamemnon
Agamemnon (comics)
Agamemnon is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Fictional character biography:Agamemnon is a half-human and half-Asgardian god...
, the leader of the Pantheon
Pantheon (Marvel Comics)
The Pantheon is a fictional organization appearing in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Peter David, the Pantheon first appeared in The Incredible Hulk The Pantheon is a fictional organization appearing in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer...
, to Hela's realm. After an undetermined time fighting Hela's skeletal forces, Agamemnon pleaded, based a vaguely hinted upon relationship, to allow the two to leave. Hela relented, reluctantly.
Hela was awakened from her mortal guise after Ragnarök
Ragnarök
In Norse mythology, Ragnarök is a series of future events, including a great battle foretold to ultimately result in the death of a number of major figures , the occurrence of various natural disasters, and the subsequent submersion of the world in water...
by Thor, albeit due to Loki's machinations. She now lives in Las Vegas, maintaining a lair where she can feed on the souls of random unlucky people, and agrees to use her powers to aid her father Loki in bringing him back in time to Asgard to complete his own sinister plans for Asgard.
She was seen attending a meeting with Mephisto
Mephisto (comics)
Mephisto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Silver Surfer #3 and was created by Stan Lee and John Buscema, loosely modeled on Mephistopheles - a character from the Faust legend.Debuting in the Silver Age of comic books,...
, Blackheart
Blackheart
Blackheart is a fictional demon in the . The character was created by Ann Nocenti and John Romita, Jr., and first appeared in Daredevil #270...
, Satannish
Satannish
Satannish is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe.-Fictional character biography:Satannish is a very powerful extra-dimensional demon who has clashed with Doctor Strange. Satannish is known for granting mortals mystical power in exchange for their souls...
and Dormammu
Dormammu
Dormammu is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #126 Dormammu is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #126 Dormammu is a...
about a disturbance created by the newly resurrected Magik
Magik (comics)
Magik is a Marvel Comics character, associated with the X-Men. She is the younger sister of the Russian X-Man Colossus.-Publication history:...
, who is looking for the soulsword and the original Bloodstone amulet. Belasco's daughter, Witchfire appears during the meeting and reveals she is now the current owner of the original amulet and vows to take her father's place as ruler of Limbo and seat at their table.
When Norman Osborn
Green Goblin
The Green Goblin is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #14 ....
attempted to subdue the X-Men, Cyclops sends Danielle Moonstar
Danielle Moonstar
Danielle "Dani" Moonstar, originally codenamed Psyche and later Mirage, is a fictional Marvel Comics superheroine associated with the X-Men....
to Las Vegas where she approaches Hela for a boon. Hela warns her that the price of the boon is a heavy one, but Dani accepts, requesting "a new ride home and a big ol' sword." Later, Hela is summoned to Utopia by Hrimhari to save a pregnant Rahne and their child, which is neither human nor mutant. Faced with a moral dilemma, to save his child or Rahne; Hrimhari asks Hela to restore Elixir
Elixir (comics)
Elixir , is a fictional character, a mutant in the and a student at the Xavier Institute. He first appeared in New Mutants, vol. 2 #5, and he is one of only a few students to retain his powers in the wake of House of M....
to full health so Elixir may heal them both and to take him instead. Hela agrees and takes Hrimhari away.
During the Siege of Asgard
Siege (comics)
Siege is a fictional character, owned by Marvel Comics, who exists in the Marvel Universe.-Creative origins:John Kelly was initially created by Dwayne McDuffie and Gregory Wright as a pseudo-preview of their then-upcoming relaunch of Deathlok as well as to provide existing in-continuity backstory...
Loki appears before Hela asking if she has made arrangements for the dead. Hela points out she is without a Hel so she cannot take them in and plans to let the dead wander Midgard forever. Loki provides her with proof of the Disir, banished, cannibalistic Valkyrie's who once belonged to Bor whom he cursed for dining on the flesh of other Asgardians to only be able to feed on the souls of gods. Using his extraordinary swordmanship skills Loki was able to make a group of 13 submit to him. Meeting with Mephisto, Loki strikes up a deal granting a portion of his netherworld to Hela for one thousand and one years, as her new Hel. In exchange for this, Hela erases Loki from the Books of Hel, thus he is no longer tied to Hel or Asgard, gaining absolute freedom. However, unknown to Hela, Loki had manipulated these events in his favor as he had the Disir in his services and had leased them out to Mephisto for one hundred and one days after demonstrating their skill to the demon lord. Hela summons Danielle Moonstar to repay her debt and to gather the spirits of the Asgardians that fell in battle with Norman Osborn's forces as quickly as possible so they do not fall prey to the Disir.
The Disir, still hungry, attack Hela's new Hel as it was not the true Hel they were banished from. Sensing the Disir's assault on the dead Asgardians, Hela attempts to protect them using the sword Eir-Gram, but she is disarmed and her arm sliced off brutally. Hela is quickly overwhelmed and her own remaining power insufficient to counter theirs. Absorbing the dead into her body, Hela creates a fortress around herself to protect them and asks Thor for help through the recently deceased body of an Asgardian. With the help of Thor and Tyr, they manage to slay and banish the remaining Disir, whose souls are claimed by the triumphant Mephisto.
In the aftermath of the Siege of Asgard, Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor are mysteriously drawn into one of the other Nine Realms, eventually revealed to be the Hel-realm of Hela. Thor, after a fierce struggle with the Enchantress
Enchantress (Marvel Comics)
The Enchantress is the name of two fictional characters in the Marvel Comics universe, the first of which is a powerful sorceress named Amora and is one of the most notable antagonists of Thor.-Publication history:...
, engages in open combat with the Nightsword-armed Hela, and though managing to hold his own against her and her forces for some time, ultimately falls to her immense and evidently vastly enhanced power. Amora, after teleporting herself and Hela away to save Thor's life, herself challenges Hela using all her strength, but Hela defeats her twice in quick succession, attempts and fails to destroy Mjolnir, despite summoning Bor himself to her aid, and apparently slays the Enchantress after revealing that she now wields the Twilight Sword of Surtur.
After Thor reunites with Iron Man and Captain America, he manages to persuade many of his former Asgardian enemies into rallying behind him into an army against Hela and her own forces. Hela attacks Thor and his allies, defeating and nearly slaying him with the power of the Twilight Sword, but the Enchantress intervenes and saves him, teleporting him away to re-claim Mjolnir and using her own powers to help Thor fight Hela. Thor ultimately manages to claim the Twilight Sword and uses it to restore the Nine Worlds back to their former harmony and order while banishing Hela, but refuses to set Asgard back into the sky, as Amora asks, claiming that using such unholy power for his own ends would make him the same as Hela herself. A grateful and healed Amora then returns Thor and his friends back to Midgard after Thor promises her that her allegiance will not be forgotten.
During the Chaos War
Chaos War (comics)
"Chaos War" is a Marvel Comics storyline that began publication in October 2010 across nine comic book series: the five-issue miniseries Chaos War, written by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente, supplemented by seven branded miniseries or one-shot publications, and by three issues of Incredible Hulks, a...
storyline, Hela breaks into Pluto's throne room in the Underworld to warn him of Amatsu-Mikaboshi
Amatsu-Mikaboshi (comics)
Amatsu-Mikaboshi is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe, a supervillain and demonic god of evil who is best known as an enemy of Hercules...
's army of thousands of alien deities decimating the death realms, joining forces with him in a desperate and a seemingly futile attempt to repel the massive assault on their domains. Hela, along with Pluto, Satannish, and many other rulers of Earth's various netherworlds, are shown to be slaves of the Chaos King after he obliterates the realms of Hell itself.
During the Fear Itself
Fear Itself (comics)
"Fear Itself" is a 2011 crossover comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, consisting of a seven-issue, eponymous miniseries written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by Stuart Immonen, Wade Von Grawbadger, and Laura Martin, a prologue book by writer Ed Brubaker and artist Scott Eaton, and...
storyline, Cyclops sends Danielle Moonstar to what's left of Las Vegas (after what Juggernaut in the form of Kuurth: Breaker of Stone did to it) to look for Hela while the X-Men fight Kuurth. When Moonstar does find Hela, she teleports Moonstar to Hel in order to defend it. When her teammates try to invoke a dark magic to summon a portal to follow Danielle, they end up in Hell instead of Hel where they encounter Mephisto who says that he will get them to Hel if Magma goes out with her.
Powers and abilities
Hela possesses attributes of a member of the race of superhumans known as Asgardians. She possesses superhuman strength, speed, stamina, agility and durability. When wearing her cloak, Hela has superhuman strength and stamina like all Asgardians, but she is far stronger than the vast majority of her race. Hela, also like other Asgardians, ages much more slowly than human beings and is immune to all terrestrial diseases and poisons. Like all Asgardians she has some resistance to magic.Hela has vast mystical powers which she can use for various effects like limitless astral projection while retaining many of her powers and abilities, firing deadly bolts of energy from her hands which can kill even Asgardians, levitation and the creation of illusions. Her most powerful ability is her Hand of Glory, a technique that used mystical energy to enhance the strength of her punch to kill even an Asgardian.
As a Death Goddess, Hela has a pact with Death
Death (Marvel Comics)
Death is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain Marvel #27 Death is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain Marvel #27 Death is a fictional...
, allowing her to claim the souls of any worshipper of the Asgardians and the Asgardians themselves and take them to Hel or Niffleheim, as well as able to travel nearly anywhere within the Nine Worlds in an instant. While Hela's touch is fatal to mortals as well and she is capable of stealing their souls into Hel, she generally did not claim the souls of mortal heroes, leaving that task to the Valkyries
Valkyrior (Marvel Comics)
-Fictional group history:The Valkyrior are warrior goddesses of Asgard who ride winged horses. Originally, under the leadership of Brunnhilde, they took mortally wounded human heroes from German and Scandinavian battlegrounds and brought them to Valhalla, an area of the Asgardian dimension where...
who took the souls of heroes to Valhalla
Asgard (comics)
Asgard is a fictional realm within the Marvel Comics universe based on the Asgard of Norse mythology and is home to the Asgardians and other beings of Norse mythology...
. Hela is usually willing to wait until a person has died before claiming the soul, but she can kill a healthy human or even Asgardian with a single touch, her "touch of death." Hela is also willing to use her illusions to kill living Asgardians. Hela also has the ability to restore a dead Asgardian to life provided their spirits have not passed on to the afterlife, but she rarely used these abilities.
Hela always wears her magical cloak which enhances her strength and keeps her young and healthy. Without the cloak, Hela reverts to her true form: in this form half of her body is healthy, while the other half is decaying. Without the cloak Hela is very weak and can barely move. Hela doesn't need to wear the cloak; simply touching it is enough to restore her to her stronger form. Without her cloak, Hela's powers are greatly reduced; she is unable to levitate or even stand, and cannot project mystical bolts. The left side of her body appears dead and decayed, though it appears alive and healthy while she wears her cloak.
Hela is often armed with her "Nightsword," and is a proficient swordswoman.
Hela can command all of the dead who dwell in Hel and Niffleheim, but she had no power over the dead in Valhalla.
2099
In the year 2099, the mega-corporation Alchemax tried transforming people into false versions of the Norse Aesir in order to gain advantage of the worldwide worship of these beings. A supporting character in Ravage 2099Ravage 2099
Ravage 2099 is a Marvel Comics superhero, a fictional character created by Stan Lee in 1992 for Marvel's Marvel 2099 imprint...
named Tiana, the love interest of the titular hero, was turned into Hela via technological means for this project.
Ultimate Marvel
In Ultimatum #2, Thor travels to Valhalla in order to retrieve Valkyrie's soul, since she died. Hela tells him that if he manages to defeat her army, she will revive Valkyrie, but for a price. In Ultimatum #3, after her army is defeated, she reveals that the price is Thor's soul. He agrees, and Captain America (who had died) and Valkyrie are released.She appears in Ultimate Comics: New Ultimates, telling Thor she will release him in exchange for giving her a son. The next issue has a vision shown to Valkyrie by Amora where Thor is making love with Hela, as he had no other choice. Thor then demands his freedom however he is informed another deed is still required to release him. Thor, being incapable of killing Hela, is released by Valkyrie dead.
Television
- Hela appears in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest HeroesThe Avengers: Earth's Mightiest HeroesThe Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes is an American animated television series by Marvel Animation in cooperation with Film Roman based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers. The show debuted on Disney XD in Fall 2010 starting with a 20 part micro-series. A second season has been...
episodes "The Fall of Asgard" and "A Day Unlike Any Other", voiced by Nika FuttermanNika FuttermanNika Futterman is an American actress, singer, voice artist, and comedienne.She did the vocals "Give it to me, baby" in The Offspring hit single "Pretty Fly ."-Animated Series:...
. Captain America is transported into her realm. She tries to convince him to stay. She knows of her father's (Loki's) plans and plays along with them, but knows her father would betray her eventually. She agrees to transport Cap to Asgard to aid his friends, on the condition that should he fall in battle, his soul will belong to her. Back on Earth, Captain America sees a reflection of Hela on his broken shield just before he is ambushed by a SkrullSkrullThe Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The Skrulls first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
.
Film
- Hela appears in the animated direct-to-video film Hulk vs. ThorHulk VsHulk Vs is a 2009 direct-to-video animated film from Marvel Animation and Lionsgate, featuring the Incredible Hulk in two short film battles, one against Wolverine, the other against Thor. Both short films have been rated PG-13 by the MPAA. The animation was by Madhouse, and Kaare Andrews provided...
voiced by Janyse JaudJanyse JaudJanyse Aldis Jaud is a Canadian actress, dancer and singer/songwriter. She is of Icelandic-French descent....
. In the film ThorThor (Marvel Comics)Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
takes LokiLoki (comics)Loki is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. He is the adoptive brother and archenemy of the superhero Thor. He is based on the being of the same name from Norse mythology...
to Hel to bargain with Hela for the soul of Bruce Banner after Loki separated Banner from the Hulk and kills him in a botched attempt to defeat Thor, not knowing that Banner was the only person that can control the Hulk. Loki tricked Hela into releasing Bruce Banner from Valhalla so he could reunite with the Hulk. She took Loki instead to make up for losing Banner, but states since he's her father he won't stay long.
Video games
- In Marvel: Ultimate AllianceMarvel: Ultimate AllianceMarvel: Ultimate Alliance is an action role-playing game developed for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox and Xbox 360 by Raven Software and published by Activision. The game was simultaneously ported to the PlayStation Portable and Wii by Vicarious Visions, and to Microsoft Windows by Beenox...
, it is briefly mentioned by Thor during the Bifrost Bridge briefing that LokiLoki (comics)Loki is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. He is the adoptive brother and archenemy of the superhero Thor. He is based on the being of the same name from Norse mythology...
has bargained with Hela to let loose the dead meaning that the heroes also have to face Undead Viking Warriors.
Motion comics
- Hela appears in the Thor & Loki: Blood BrothersThor & Loki: Blood BrothersThor & Loki: Blood Brothers is a four episode motion comic from Marvel Knights Animation released in April 2011. It is based on the 2004 miniseries Loki by Robert Rodi and Esad Ribic....
motion comic, voiced by Katharine Chesterton.
External links
- Hela at MarvelDirectory.com
- Character Gallery Hela