Hela Being The Dark World’s Villain Would’ve Hurt Two Thor Movies
Some viewers have suggested that Hela, Odin's secret eldest child and Goddess of Death, should have been the villain of Thor: The Dark World, but that would have changed the Thor movies to come for the worse. These suggestions are centered on the idea that Hela (as played by the astounding Cate Blanchett, who appeared to be having a blast in Thor: Ragnorak) would have elevated The Dark World to a higher quality. While there's no doubt that Hela was a fun, vibrant, and truly wicked baddie, putting her in The Dark World wouldn't have fixed the film, which had more problems than just its villain.
It's no secret that The Dark World has a bad reputation, and both critics and fans have often considered it one of - if not the - worst MCU films, while some wish to ignore it completely. The film has been critiqued for insufficient development of Malekith, The Dark World's Dark Elf villain, played by Christopher Eccleston. Malekith’s motivations were fuzzy, his dialogue was overwrought, and he didn't inspire much interest, let alone concern for the final outcome. However, the movie’s tone was just as big of a problem as was its villain, and swapping out one Dark Elf for an evil older sister wouldn’t change the fundamental reason fans didn’t love The Dark World.
However, replacing Malekith with Hela in The Dark World would definitely have damaged and perhaps even eliminated the Thor movies that came after it. Setting aside what the change could have done for The Dark World, the domino effect it likely would have caused would undoubtedly have changed Thor's future. Taika Waititi, director of Ragnarok and the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder, would have had to either serialize Hela into his follow-up, accommodating whatever ending The Dark World gave her, or adopt an entirely different villain for his film. Another actor would probably have been cast, were the part to have been introduced earlier. Blanchett may not have been available, and the MCU was still fairly young when The Dark World started casting. An A-list actor may have hesitated to play such a limited role at that point. But even if Cate Blanchett had signed on, the Hela of Ragnarok would not have been the Hela of The Dark World.
The magic of Hela as a character came as much from Blanchett's talent and skill as it did from Waititi's reimagined vision for the Thor series. He created a complex story where Hela was a product of the influence and harm done by Odin, who comes off as villainous in his own right. Waititi also embraced the colorful and humorous feeling of the early Thor comics. The loud rock music, the over-the-top setting on Sakar, and the comedic tone all served as the perfect canvas for Blanchett’s Hela. Without that change to the style, Hela would likely have been Malekith 2.0. And without the family dynamics that slowly revealed Odin’s secrets and the damage he'd done, the character growth of Thor and Loki in Ragnarok would have been lost, as well.
Hela was an extraordinary villain, but simply putting her in The Dark World wouldn't have saved the lackluster film. Inserting her earlier in the origin tale would have done more harm than good. If Hela were the villain of Thor: The Dark World, it and subsequent films would have suffered. The Thor franchise was already in danger, and we may never have gotten to Love and Thunder, which Waititi promises will be an even wilder ride.