What if Odin were just a bad parent?
That’s the simple premise that drives the plot in the latest What If…? story, and I kinda love it.
After all, we’ve witnessed adopted child Loki try to enslave a planet, Thor act like an entitled nepo baby, and Hela try to kill everyone.
In the cases of Loki and Thor, the MCU has told later stories that redeem each character, demonstrating they can change for the better.
In What If…Hela Found the Ten Rings?, the same possibility arises for Hela. Will she take it?
Let’s talk about What If…? episode 2-7, the least likely MCU redemption story to date.
Hela and the Legend of the Ten Rings
That header aptly describes the entire premise of this episode.
We swap out Shang-Chi for Hela in a story that tosses in a bit of the Thor franchise as well.
The premise is that Odin tried to unite the Nine Realms as subordinate to Asgard.
To accomplish his goal, he weaponized his daughter, Hela, as the Goddess of Death.
In this scenario, Hela coveted even more power. She sought to enslave everyone and attacked Odin by using Mjolnir.
In this scenario, Odin destroys Mjolnir and strips his daughter of her power.
Photo: Pinterest
If that sounds familiar, it should. It’s how Thor once woke up in Oklahoma.
This time, Hela loses her wicked helmet, which Xu Wenwu discovers.
While neither Wenwu nor Hela knows it, they’re about to embark on a kind of love story akin to what happened with Ying Li.
I say this because Hela appears soon after her helmet…and she wants it back.
Wenwu shows off his Ten Rings and expects Hela to cower. When she pulls back her hair reflexively, absolutely nothing happens.
Odin really has defanged her. Still, even without powers, Hela proves herself a remarkable warrior.
Wenwu and his rings are better, though. Hela laments that if she had her crown, she’d crush him.
Wenwu tests the theory by leading her to the crown, which Hela quickly discovers she cannot lift. Sound familiar?
Yes, Odin has cast a spell that makes only the worthy capable of lifting Hela’s helmet.
Stuck with no better options, Hela stays at Wenwu’s village, where he proposes…not marriage.
Instead, the leader views Hela as a worthy fighter who could help his people in the coming battle.
Hela responds by beating him unconscious and trying to steal the Ten Rings. Romcoms have gotten so weird.
Hunden and Ta Lo
Hela discovers that the Ten Rings cannot be taken, but she meets a new friend during her escape. It’s one of the Hunden.
This faceless creature leads Hela to the hidden entrance to Ta Lo, which immediately seems like a trap.
Hela rides horseback through the area, only to discover that the “foliage” is trying to squash her.
Actress Cate Blanchett delivers some priceless line reading during this episode, and my favorite is when she describes her location as “the enchanted murder forest.”
Marvel Mission Hela. Photo: Marvel
If that’s not a South Korean horror movie yet, it will be soon.
Eventually, Hela manages the same accomplishment as Shang-Chi when she sets foot in the mystical Ta Lo.
Immediately, an invisible force attacks and subdues the Goddess of Death, no small feat.
This individual reveals herself as Jiayi, the presumed leader of Ta Lo.
Remember that this setting occurs before the events of Shang-Chi, and Ying Li doesn’t meet Wenwu in this universe.
During Hela’s unconsciousness, the Hunden has spilled the beans on who she is. It likes her anyway.
Hela pitches her wares as a potential warlord for the people of Ta Lo. They are…reluctant to agree.
In fact, drawn swords point to Hela’s throat at one point, which is admittedly a strong negotiating tactic.
Oh, Sure. Let’s Strengthen the Goddess of Death.
Sure enough, Hela offers to train in order to protect Ta Lo from the Underworld.
She wants to do the whole “fending off darkness with light thing.”
At this point, a dragon reveals itself, and Hela suddenly starts to dig Ta Lo.
Meanwhile, Heimdall must alert the king that he can no longer “see” Hela. So, Odin decides to pay a visit to Midgard.
Hela’s training differs from Shang-Chi’s in that she already knows how to fight.
Jiayi seeks to train Hela to experience inner peace, which sounds like a come-on, but it’s not.
The mystical Ta Lo leader senses the torment inside Hela and attempts to help her face it.
In doing so, Hela remembers some childhood traumas involving her father and a pet she loved that he feared…for some reason.
Hela experiences an epiphany that what she really wants is “the freedom to choose my own path.”
Now the grasshopper is ready to snatch the pebble from the hand.
Within minutes, Hela is levitating flowers and creating rainbows. And she knows her father is terrorizing Wenwu’s village.
Hela learns that Ta Lo doesn’t wage war, but she must stop her father from attacking that boy she likes enough to beat him unconscious.
After some flirty banter, Wenwu and Hela start to fight as a team, quickly leading to a showdown with Odin.
This is a weird way for Wenwu to receive his potential father-in-law’s blessing.
I’m being glib because Hela is definitely an independent woman now, even though she says she’s “not alone.”
Hela warns her not-quite boyfriend to separate Odin from Gungnir.
I can tell you from my Final Fantasy experience that she’s right.
A Changed Woman
“I knew I should have locked you away when I had the chance.”
If you’ve missed the metaphor about Odin being sexist before now, that piece of dialogue should tell the story.
Odin quickly recognizes that his daughter is a changed woman now, one who fights for causes and beliefs.
Meanwhile, Wenwu proves something Heimdall had said by using the Ten Rings to match Odin in battle.
During this distraction, Hela foments a plan involving “fire knives” to subdue her father.
“Please, father, let us end this violence once and for all.”
As Hela makes this request, Odin’s face hardens. At a different location, the Helmet of Death starts to tremble.
Hela has proven herself worthy.
The helmet returns to its master. As it descends on her, Hela’s battle armor turns to resplendent white.
She is the Angel of Death…and she wants to kick her daddy’s ass.
Odin recants as he recognizes his daughter hasn’t merely changed but improved. She simply explains, “I gave peace a chance.”
I have no idea whether this statement will ever prove important in the MCU, but all three of Odin’s children have now demonstrated great heroics.
If not for his lousy parenting, perhaps this is what Loki, Thor, and Hela always could have been.
Final Thoughts
For her part, Hela promises to fix all the wrongdoings Odin caused in enslaving parts of the Nine Realms.
A lovely, decidedly unexpected scene unfolds when a young girl I somehow know is Gamora watches as liberators arrive to stop Thanos.
Gamora with Blade of Thanos in WHAT IF…? on Disney+. Photo: Marvel Studios
Leading the charge are Hela, Wenwu, and Hela’s Hunden friend.
Importantly, something you might have missed is that Hela is riding the very childhood pet Odin once took from her.
Photo: Marvel Studios
This was a strong episode with an excellent message and a lovely ending.
Also, the story somehow enhances the quality of a film I already loved, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
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Featured image: Marvel
