Ngl I'm legit terrified of what Waititi might have done to Jane Foster. If his idea of a strong female character is exclusively "violent, beautiful women" (Valkryie, Topaz, and Hela) I genuinely fear for the wildly intelligent and delightfully selfish spitfire that is Jane

#also a lot of feelings abt hela bc HOT DAMN IS THAT A CAN OF WORMS <--- okay but what are your thoughts on hela??? i think she has a lot of unused potential and would love to know your opinions!

Wasted potential is definitely the main consensus. In Gagnarok she was a one dimensional Big Bad whose only traits seem to be snarky and violent, which wouldn't be terrible for a standalone popcorn comedy, but is incredibly stupid and out of place within the emotionally nuanced Thor franchise

It's such a disappointment we never got to see anything beyond her capacity to do harm. Why doesn't she give half a damn about her siblings? Why's she so helbent on conquering the universe? Where has she even BEEN these past 1000+ years???

Answering that last question can spin her entire character in wildly different directions. If Odin trapped her in a pocket dimension where she basically slept until her release, then her canon attitude makes some sense. If she's been in Hel the entire time, either chilling with the dead or ruling the realm like in mythos proper, then why isn't she giving more of a fuck about Thanos trying to slaughter half the universe (be it because his idiotic plan is going to overflow her realm or perhaps a grimdark take would have her joining him for the lolz)? If she's been in a dimensional cage with one way glass so she can see life continue without her, why isn't she more interested in being around people, specifically her brothers, ESPECIALLY the stolen war child who was also abused and tossed out by the absolute eggplant that is Odin?

And another thing: why is her aesthetic literally Loki without any gold? Shouldn't that visual parallel have, yknow, meant something??? At this point I'm just mad that Cate Blanchett wasn't cast as Lady Loki because that would've honestly been perfect and she would've pulled it off SO GOOD

To me, the most heinous crime is pardoning Odin's bullshit simply because Hela was "worse" and "went too far." Like, babe, she learned it from somewhere and I highly doubt it was Frigga (if Frigga even is her mother). It's like giving Stalin a pass because Hitler had a higher body count; it's stupid as fuck and they both deserve to be held accountable for their actions

All in all, Hela in Gagnarok is a fun yet disappointing mess. I think it's a shame we never get to see any side of her that isn't overcompetent warmonger. She should've been able to bond with her brothers, especially Loki, as she pulled the wool from Thor’s eyes completely in regards to their father, helping complete his arc of finding his own path rather than blindly following Odin's example. She would've been an excellent way to explore Asgard, both its militant culture and how its influence molded the realms to Bor and Odin's wills. She should've been allowed to grieve and heal and grow past Odin's treatment and expectations of her to find a place with the family she was denied

Hela could've been so many things, but instead all we'll ever get is a bad joke