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Marvel Studios rejected Hela as the main antagonist of Thor: The Dark World over concerns for potential action figure sales.
Cate Blanchett wowed audiences when she debuted as the Goddess of Death in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Hela was originally intended for Thor: The Dark World. If it weren’t for concerns over action figure sales, it might have been Hela who threatened the Convergence in the Thor sequel.
In the recently published The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, executive producer Craig Kyle stated, “Initially, we actually put forward Hela… She was in the early story documents by Don Payne. The book revealed that it was Marvel Entertainment’s concerns over female action figures that ultimately compelled Kyle’s team to shift focus to Malekith and the Dark Elves.
Still, Hela appeared later on in Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok in 2017. She arrived on Earth almost immediately after the death of Odin and easily defeated both Thor and Loki, crushing Mjolnir and forcing the Asgardian princes to flee. She then conquered Asgard and ruled it until it was destroyed by the giant Surtur– an event that brought her end as well.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has a multitude of major and minor villains, but only a handful of female antagonists. Besides Hela, the film franchise has presented audiences with Avengers: Age of Ultron‘s Scarlet Witch, who became an Avenger soon after; Black Widow‘s Taskmaster, whose villainy ended when she was freed from her father’s control; Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2‘s Ayesha, Golden High Priestess of the Sovereign; and Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame‘s Proxima Midnight. A few more were introduced through the recent Disney+ miniseries, including WandaVision‘s Agatha Harkness and arguably Loki‘s Sylvie.
The next instalment in the Thor franchise does not appear to be ready to introduce another female villain. However, it will see the mantle of the God of Thunder passed on to Jane Foster, who will be played by a returning Natalie Portman. Taika Waititi’s upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder will feature Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher as the primary antagonist.
Waititi previously explained that Thor: Love and Thunder, as the title suggests, will lean more into romance. “We’ve been writing the script off and on for over a year.” He revealed that the upcoming film is “so insane and it’s also very romantic.” Discussing the major shift in genre, Waititi stated, “I’m into romances now. I want to make a romance. I want to make something that I’ve never done or never cared for.”
Thor: Love and Thunder hits theaters July 8, 2022.
Source: The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe
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