Hela, created by the dynamic duo of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, made her first appearance in Journey Into Mystery #102 (March 1964). Her character was largely based on the Norse goddess, Hel. She was born in Jotunheim, the land of the giants. She is the child of Loki – no, not that Loki – a different incarnation who died during a prior Asgardian Ragnarök, and the giantess Angrboða. Hela possesses superhuman strength, stamina, and durability, black magic, telepathy, life expansion, reincarnation, teleportation, a high level of mystical powers, and deadly touch, aka Hand of Glory.

After she came of age, Odin appointed Hela as the Goddess of Death, giving her rule over the realms of Hel and Niflheim. Despite all she had, Hela wasn’t content and often tried to expand her power to the dead who dwell in Valhalla as well. This obsession with power often brought Hela into conflict with both Odin and Thor.

On several occasions, Hela has attempted to kill, curse, and steal the soul of Odin and Thor, but is ultimately thwarted. After learning of their shared enemies, Hela plotted with Loki to bring about Ragnarök by killing the god Balder and attacking Asgard. Before enacting their plan, the pair summoned Volla’s spirt to tell them everything about Ragnarök. After which they prepared an army of monsters and set them lose on all of Asgard, with devastating results.