What If... Hela Found the Ten Rings?

The seventh episode of What If...? Season 2 presents a fascinating alternate reality where Hela, the Asgardian goddess of death, finds herself in an entirely new world: Earth's medieval China. This bold reimagining of Hela's story provides a fresh twist on both the Thor and Shang-Chi mythologies, blending these two universes in a way that feels entirely organic, yet thrillingly new.

When Odin exiles Hela to Earth instead of imprisoning her in Hel, her journey leads her to a fateful encounter with Xu Wenwu, the formidable leader of the Ten Rings. The chemistry between Hela and Wenwu is immediately palpable, as their shared lust for power forms a strong foundation for their partnership. Wenwu's decision to try and woo Hela is a brilliant narrative choice, showcasing the complex character of the Ten Rings leader, who, despite his ruthless nature, is out of his depth against Hela's godly might.

The episode continues with Hela's search for power, leading her to the mythical land of Ta Lo, where she meets Jiayi, a character who attempts to steer Hela away from her bloodthirsty tendencies. However, Hela's insatiable desire for conquest proves too powerful to be quenched by Jiayi's pleas. Hela's journey ultimately takes her back into the arms of Wenwu, and together they form an alliance that could shift the balance of power across the Nine Realms and beyond.

The animation in this episode is stunning, with vibrant colors and visually captivating action sequences that make the interactions between Hela and Wenwu truly spectacular. The Ten Rings themselves are showcased as more than mere weapons of destruction; they become symbols of power and unity that fuel the creation of an empire far more formidable than anything seen before.

Cate Blanchett's return to voice Hela is a real highlight, as she imbues the character with a layer of nuance and empathy rarely seen in her previous appearances. The dynamic between her and Wenwu (voiced by Feodor Chin) is compelling, giving us a glimpse of what could have been if the two had been allies rather than enemies.

While the episode does explore themes of power, empire-building, and the consequences of unchecked ambition, it also brings a fresh perspective to familiar characters. Hela's character arc in this alternate timeline feels both inevitable and tragic, as her quest for dominance leads her down a path of destruction and ultimately alienates her from any hope of redemption.

Ultimately, What If... Hela Found the Ten Rings? Is an exhilarating, thought-provoking exploration of an alternate timeline that offers new depths to the characters we thought we knew. The episode's blend of Thor and Shang-Chi elements provides a fresh and exciting perspective, and the dynamic between Hela and Wenwu makes for one of the most engaging What If...? Scenarios to date.

A big thing in this new era of Marvel has been a surprising lack of recognition for some of the new characters that they have introduced. Ms. Marvel got her introduction to the wider MCU audience in "The Marvels," but many other projects have yet to be featured again, which has caused a lot of irritation for some fans. However, if there is any way of actually giving these characters another stage, it's probably through the vast possibilities of the huge "What If...?" Disney+ series. And now, Wenwu and the Ten Rings have seen a comeback, although in a very strange and kinda random collaboration.

The character of Hela was not necessarily a standout in her film, but the presence of Cate Blanchett will always be appreciated. Her return definitely adds some sense of nostalgia to the character, even if this is a vastly different and wildly inconsistent version of the character. The idea of using the plot of the first "Thor" film to tell this story is not lost on anybody, but it doesn't really seem to mesh that well with a character who was set up as pure evil during her last appearance. However, her collaboration with Wenwu is certainly an interesting one, although the bigger implications of this team-up doesn't really seem to go beyond this episode, which would be a lost opportunity if not. Because the episode alone is very entertaining and the visuals are definitely some of the show's best in here, but the premise and the direction that it goes in never really felt like they worked for me. It also has a very unearned ending that actually deflated the thing a little bit. It's also important to note that Blanchett is the only major actor who actually reprises her role in this episode, so all of the other characters have new voices, and they all actually do a really good job of embodying the characters that we know from their previous appearances. The episode isn't bad at all, it just never really does anything with its story beyond the cool nature of the team-up, and that ultimately leaves a lot to be desired.

"What If... Hela Found the Ten Rings?" fails to fully utilize the amazing opportunity that this show presents and is largely just a remake of "Thor." The animation is stellar and the voice work is also superb - with Cate Blanchett's presence truly felt - but the episode never really rises above its fairly simple entertainment value.

I loved Hela in MCU's main universe.

Great character with personality, motivation, a bit comedy and, most importantly, Cate Blanchett, who portrayed this character very well.

This episode shows a very interesting alternate storyline of her, that shows a version of the character that is like the Hela we know so well and a different kind of characteristics at the same time (Just as a character can be in a Multiverse). And I'd love to see more! Especially because the very same actress is acting the character.

There are similarities not only between 616 and this universe's Hela, but other characters as well.

Also, the episode reminded me of the old Odin and Thor's original story and honestly, I'd love to see this Hela taking part in something even greater as the Season 1 characters did...

As a MCU fan, I'd like to say, that seeing the concept of the Multiverse used as beautifully and interestingly as in this episode are always welcome (although all episodes are great, this one was one of the more interesting episodes for me personally).

This What If... is a simple redemption story about Hela, the Goddess of Death. Under her father Odin, Hela wanted to continue her bloodthirsty ways even after the nine realms were united.

Where originally odin banished Hela to hell. She is sent to a realm of Earth and has lost her powers.

Finding herself in China where she meets Wenwu and his 10 Rings. Hela learns life is not much fun without her powers. It is a good job then that Xu Wenwu is intrigued by her.

Later Hela encounters Jiayi at the magical village of Ta Lo. She is fascinated by Jiayi and slowly a change of mood takes place. Something Heimdall notices.

Cate Blanchett dos the voice work but this does very much play like a Thor story or even a Loki one. The naughty offspring seeing good.

Back to familiar characters again this week, and with another episode that loosely blends the prequels of two MCU films together. This time it's Ragnarök and "Shang Chi".

Having become concerned about the increasing bloodlust in his daughter, instead of locking her away, Odin (Jeff Bergman) strips Hela (Cate Blanchett) of her power and sends her to Earth. There she encounters military warlord Xu Wenwu (Feodor Chin) who is in possession of the ten rings, a weapon not of earth origin. Seeing her strength in battle, Wenwu proposed an alliance, but Hela just want to take possession of the rings.

So, it's an interesting mix of Thor's rehabilitation storyline alongside the events that would later take place in Shang Chi, including a trip through the moving forest to Ta Lo. Where she meets skilled forced opposing Wenwu and wishes to learn their powers too. It sounds like Blanchett is having a ball voicing Hela again and there's a lot of fun moments as her redemption plays out. I felt the ending of the story was perhaps a bit odd, we could perhaps have expected the change in Hela but in Wenwu too? Anyway, it leads to an interesting final moment in the episode - though no tie into a wider story for this one.

Descent again, though perhaps still a touch below the first couple of episodes of this run.