Hela

Biodata

Power Progression

Background and History

Hela was once Odin's foremost general during Asgard's wars of expansion, fighting beside the Valkyries and conquering worlds for her father. After her witch bloodline awakened, Odin deemed her unfit to inherit Asgard and sealed her in the Underworld for more than a thousand years. Her deepest grievance was Odin's decision to send the Valkyries—her former comrades—to hunt her, forcing Hela to kill warriors she had once led. 36 37

As Thanos's war pushed Asgard toward collapse, Odin entered the Underworld to recruit Hela. She initially attacked him, but Odin subdued her and offered release in exchange for her assistance against Thanos. Hela agreed after securing the Eternal Flame, intending to resurrect her former subordinates; Odin then removed her seal and returned her to Asgard. 36 37

Back on Asgard, Hela absorbed energy from the realm's core and joined Odin against Thanos. During Sanctuary II's Antimatter Cannon strike, Odin used her as a shield, reducing her to a skeleton. She regenerated through the Eternal Flame and Asgard's energy, then immediately turned on Odin. Their conflict escalated after Odin accidentally killed Frigga, and Hela ultimately killed her father with a condensed Death Power sword. 38 41

Hela then challenged Thanos, but his superior strength forced her to submit. She guided him to Odin's treasury and killed more than one hundred Asgardian guards who attempted to stop them. After Asgard's fall, she was allowed to operate independently under Thanos's authority; during the following four months, she conquered a planet of witches rather than pursuing a broader campaign. 42 44 50

Hela's conquest took her to her mother's witch homeworld, where she killed half the population before settling into an idle life. When surviving Asgardians and the Alliance of Gods later attacked Thanos's territories, he sent Hela and Laufey to deal with them. 50 51

During the fighting near Blue Star, Hela's black swords interrupted Captain Marvel's attack on a Space Fortress. Black Bolt shattered the swords, and the arrival of numerous other superheroes prompted Hela to retreat. Thanos's appearance reassured her. Around Jupiter, she and Laufey led Thanos's assault; Hela destroyed hundreds of the gods' warships and later arrived with reinforcements at Ganymede, helping drive the Alliance fleet back. 76 83 86

Hercules later defeated Hela, Laufey, Ancient One, and the Black Order during the Alliance's campaign in the Twin Suns system. Hela remained with Thanos's forces. She subsequently fought Doctor Strange alongside Ancient One and Laufey; a dark-magic-laced Mirror Dimension cut into her, but the Eternal Flame healed her wounds. Thanos later noted that Hela had killed the Dwarves, leaving him without their expertise for forging another Infinity Gauntlet. 112 113 130 147

When the Universal Coalition Army drove Thanos's surviving forces back to the Solar System, Hela helped hold their position while awaiting his return. She questioned whether his prolonged absence meant he had been trapped and considered surrender, but the coalition's representative made surrender untenable. Thanos returned before the deadline expired. 174

After Asgard's destruction, Hela no longer had its energy core to sustain her and remained depleted. Thanos later lent her and Ancient One power through Divine Grace and ordered them to lead an all-out advance against the Alliance of Gods. They fought Athena on the frontier but withdrew when Alliance reinforcements arrived. Hela was subsequently among the forces Thanos dispatched when he resumed his Harvest Plan, and later argued with Ancient One, the Black Order, and Laufey over their next move while facing the threat of Darkseid. 216 217 286 331

Appearance

Hela has long black hair, a deathly aura, and initially appears in a tight black outfit. When preparing for battle, she manifests black-and-green armor, a cloak, and a helmet resembling spider legs. 36

• Dark eyes described as carrying death and abyssal darkness. 36
• Can form black swords and short blades from her own Death Power. 36 38
• Her armor and weapons can be enhanced by the Eternal Flame. 38
• Later appears in a dark green, skintight combat suit with her spider-leg-like helmet. 86

Personality

Hela is proud, relentless, and deeply resentful of Odin. Her hatred was shaped by imprisonment, the loss of her Valkyrie comrades, and Odin's repeated betrayals; when confronting him, she attacks without defending herself and shows little concern for her own survival. 37 40

Despite her coldness, Hela retains powerful attachments. She loves Frigga, who tried to protect her from exile, and she sought the Eternal Flame to resurrect her dead subordinates. Frigga's death reignites Hela's rage and drives her to kill Odin. 37 40 41

Hela does not easily accept subordination, resisting Thanos even after Odin's death. However, her fear of death ultimately outweighs her pride when Thanos gives her the choice to submit or die. 42

She remains reluctant to take orders from other subordinates and initially pays little attention to Thanos's broader campaign. Over time, his presence becomes reassuring to her in battle. She is delighted when he lends her enough energy to relieve the depletion she has felt since Asgard's destruction, though she remains wary of confronting Zeus without such support. 44 50 76 216

Abilities & Skills

Death Power

Hela wields death-based energy that she can shape into blades and projectiles.

• Conjures black swords, short blades, and large-scale barrages of flying swords. 36 38 41
• Death-infused swords erode a target's energy and can eventually rot their flesh if they connect. 41
• Initially relied on numerous weak attacks that could not breach Odin's defenses. 41
• Refined her power into a compact, highly condensed black sword after Thanos criticized her technique; this attack pierced Odin's chest and killed him. 41
• Uses volleys of swords against warships and to destroy Doctor Strange's magical copies. 86 130

Eternal Flame Fusion

Hela fused with the Eternal Flame after returning to Asgard.

• Adds a burning effect to her manifested weapons. 38
• Allowed her to regenerate from a skeleton after the Antimatter Cannon strike. 40
• Her resurrection depended on being near Asgard, the Eternal Flame, and the knowledge gained during her millennium in the Underworld. 40
• Later healed wounds inflicted by Doctor Strange's dark-magic-laced Mirror Dimension. 130

Asgardian Core Empowerment

Frigga bound Asgard's energy core to Hela in the past, giving her access to a vast reserve of energy while on Asgard.

• Returning to Asgard rapidly replenished energy depleted during her imprisonment. 37
• Her death-based power still required gradual conversion after replenishment. 37
• Odin considered this empowerment sufficient to bring her close to his own strength when fighting on behalf of Asgard. 35
• Asgard's destruction deprived her of that support. She thereafter had to obtain her own energy and reported that her strength had not improved. 216

Skyfather-Level Combat

Hela is an agility-focused mage rather than a physical-strength specialist. 42

• Fought Odin continuously for an hour despite the two-minor-realm gap between them. 37
• Could battle alongside Odin against Thanos, though Thanos remained capable of suppressing both simultaneously. 38
• Was unable to overcome Thanos in direct combat after Odin's death. 42
• Can fly on a manifested sword; her attacks devastated warships whose shields could not withstand Skyfather-level power. 86 130
• Was defeated by Hercules alongside Thanos's other leading fighters. 112 113
• After Thanos strengthened her through Divine Grace, fought Athena beside Ancient One. Athena's experience and divine artifacts gave her a slight advantage, and Alliance reinforcements forced them to retreat. 216 217

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Black-and-green Death Goddess armor — Manifested battle armor with cloak and spider-leg-like helmet. 36
• Manifested black swords — Weapons formed from Death Power, ranging from short blades to large condensed swords; one can also carry her through flight. 36 41 86
• Eternal Flame — Fused with Hela, enhancing her blades and enabling her regeneration near Asgard and later healing her wounds. 38 40 130

Relationships

• Odin — Father and former ruler. He imprisoned Hela for her witch bloodline, sent the Valkyries against her, later used her as a shield against the Antimatter Cannon, and was ultimately killed by her. 36 37 39 41
• Frigga — Mother. Frigga attempted to protect Hela from exile, bound Asgard's core to her, and reunited emotionally with her after a thousand years apart. Hela later conquered Frigga's witch homeworld. 29 37 50
• Valkyries — Former subordinates and comrades. Odin ordered them to hunt Hela, forcing her to kill warriors she had once led. 37
• Thanos — Conqueror and later overlord. He forced Hela's submission after Odin's death, then used her knowledge to reach Odin's treasury. Although she resists subordination, his arrival later reassures her in battle; he lends her power after Asgard's destruction and entrusts her with an offensive against the Alliance of Gods. 42 43 76 216
• Laufey — Fellow subordinate of Thanos. Hela and Laufey regard each other as the only newly recruited allies worth their attention. They later fight in the same campaigns and help defend Thanos's forces during his absence. 44 83 174
• Ancient One — Fellow fighter under Thanos. They are defeated by Hercules, later receive power from Thanos and fight Athena together, and subsequently debate how to respond to Darkseid. 112 216 217 331
• Hercules — Alliance of Gods fighter who defeats Hela and several of Thanos's other leading combatants in the Twin Suns campaign. 112 113
• Athena — Alliance frontier defender who holds her own against Hela and Ancient One after Thanos strengthens them. 217

Notable Quotes

“Odin! I've waited for you for a long time!” 36

“I am Odin's daughter, the Goddess of Death.” 42