In an article posted toLaughing Placeon July 19, 2025, it was revealed that a fan-favorite character from 2017’s Taika Waititi written and directed smash hit Marvel Studios' filmThor: Ragnarokwill be returning from the dead – but this time, she is appearing in animated form. In the upcoming second season of the Disney+ animated seriesWhat If…?, Hela (Cate Blanchett), long-lost daughter to Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and sister to Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston), will return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Hela was both introduced and killed inRagnarok. Despite Blanchett’s short-lived appearance in the MCU, she left a big impression on fans. Since her first appearance in 2017, many have hoped that she would return to the screen in some capacity, and while it is most likely that the version of the character we see onWhat If…?will be a multiversal variant of the version fromRagnarok, her return is extremely welcome tolegions of fans.
The news was revealed byWhat If…?director Bryan Andrews during the “Marvel Studios’ Journey Into Imagination” panel at the 2022 LightBox Expo, which took place October 21 through 23. The panel was moderated by Marvel Studios production manager Alex Scharf and also featuredI Am Grootdirector Kirsten Lepore.
According toLaughing Place, Andrews expressed “astonishment” at the caliber ofBlanchett’s performance, which he promises will reveal a side of Hela that we’ve never seen before. InWhat If…?’s first season, it also relied on the plot device of showing a new side of a reformed MCU villain, the biggest bad of them all, Mr. “Mad Titan” Thanos (Josh Brolin). In “What If… T’Challa had Become a Star-Lord?” Marvel fans got to see a version of Brolin’s character privately referred to as “California Thanos” during production.
Related:What If…? Season 2: Plot, Cast, and Everything Else We Know
Bryan Andrews Teases 1988’s The Avengers inWhat If…?
Although no Season 2 footage was shared during the LightBox panel, Andrews teased some plot details about what fans can anticipate when the anthology show returns for its second season. In addition to Hela’s return,Laughing Placereported that Andrews discussed a 1988 iteration of the Avengers team and noted that learning the team’s roster is particularly exciting. He also revealed that the show’s second season premiere picks up “right where the Season 1 finale left.”
Season 2 ofWhat If…?is currently scheduled to arrive for streaming on Disney+ in 2023.
