Marvel's What If...? Hela Episode Boiled Down To One Make Or Break Factor
Marvel's "What If..." has employed a mix of reprisals and recasts from the movies. Captain Peggy Carter may have the super soldier serum, and Strange Supreme went down a darker path, but they're still played by Hayley Atwell and Benedict Cumberbatch like the originals. Tragically, T'Challa-as-Star-Lord also went down as Chadwick Boseman's final performance.
On the other hand: Mick Wingert fills in for Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Lake Bell plays Black Widow instead of Scarlett Johansson, and season 1 big bad Infinity Ultron was voiced by Ross Marquand, not James Spader.
"What If..." season 2 brings in two characters not seen in season 1, Hela (the villain of "Thor: Ragnarok") and Wenwu (the villain of "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings"), and pairs them up in episode 7: "What If... Hela Found the Ten Rings?" The episode splits the difference on recasting: Wenwu is voiced by Feodor Chin, not Tony Leung, but Cate Blanchett is back as Hela.
Speaking to IGN, "What If..." head writer A.C. Bradley suggested that Blanchett agreeing to return cemented their plans for the episode. It didn't take much convincing, either:
"[Blanchett] apparently signed on pretty fast. I sent her the script, and thank God, because I don't think anyone can play Hela. Not with her wit and darkness. With only using her voice, she gives you such a juicy character arc. So, we were very lucky she said yes."
Even so, this Hela is very different than the one Blanchett played before.
What If... Cate Blanchett is the best living actor?
Hela is the Goddess of Death and upon her reawakening in "Ragnarok," she sets about bringing all the Nine Realms to her heel. The Ten Rings, as introduced in "Shang-Chi," are alien artifacts of great power. Hela finding them sounds like a recipe for disaster — but the episode (scripted by Matthew Chauncey) swerves, giving her a redemption arc akin to Thor's in his 2011 debut film. The episode interrogates Hela's backstory in "Ragnarok," arguing Odin did his daughter dirty by raising her for war and then throwing her away. Under the right tutelage, Hela becomes a hero, reclaiming her crown that turns white to reflect her change of heart.
Even skilled movie actors can struggle with voice acting since they've been taught to use their whole body to perform. Blanchett is not one of these. Though primarily a screen actor and the very best at what she does, she's got voicework under her belt too; she played a monkey in Guillermo del Toro's stop-motion "Pinocchio." Bringing her back as Hela was absolutely the right call. The pathos and comedy of the episode are about Hela being out of her element, and yet this only works because of how easily Blanchett slips back into the role. While her sultry and sassy British accent is used for comedy more so than menace, she still sounds natural and assured.
Part of Blanchett's versatility is that she's convincing as both a hero and villain — sometimes in the same part. Galadriel in "The Lord of the Rings" radiates motherly benevolence, yet you believe her promise that "All shall love me and despair!" had she fallen for the Ring's temptation.
With her talent, Blanchett finds the light even in a villain as vile as Hela.
"What If..." is streaming on Disney+.