Cate Blanchett is to reprise her role as the Goddess of Death Hela in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, it has been confirmed. Director Bryan Andrews revealed at the Lightbox Expo that the actress had recorded dialogue for an episode featuring her character for the animated series What If…?, though he gave little detail other than that.
Andrews did mention that the second season will pick up immediately after the finale of the first, without revealing any further information.
The character, inspired by the Norse goddess Hel, first appeared in the 2017 film Thor: Ragnarok, and was mentioned in the subsequent sequels Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022).
As narrated and monitored by Uatu the Watcher voiced by actor Jeffrey Wright, each episode of the series involves key moments of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and how things might have gone differently in alternate universes and timelines.
In season one, we saw Peggy Carter played by Hayley Atwell becoming the first Super Soldier instead of Steve Rogers. The anthology reimagines numerous major events from the movies in game-changing ways, and also features Chadwick Boseman, who was able to reprise T’Challa via voice work before his death.
But apart from her role in Marvel, the Academy Award-winning actress has been in numerous movies to critical acclaim. The 53-year-old won the prestigious prize in the ‘Best Actress’ category for Blue Jasmine in 2014. And on Sunday (20 February), she won a Bafta for her role in Tár.
Here’s some of her top movies:
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9. Notes on a Scandal (2006)
Blanchett’s sensational performance is matched by Judi Dench in this drama Notes on a Scandal (2006), where Blanchett becomes involved with a 15-year-old student. | Searchlight Picture / YouTube
10. Elizabeth (1998)
Blanchett was still new to audiences when she was cast as a young, vibrant, furious Queen Elizabeth in Elizabeth (1998), but she would never be unknown again. Blanchett earned her first Oscar nomination and introduced the planet to her myriad of abilities. | Universal Pictures /YouTube
11. Carol (2015)
Blanchett was considered the lead in the exquisite romantic drama Carol (2015), alongside her love interest played by Rooney Mara. Transporting the audience to a time we can only see in our dreams, Blanchett showcases a strength that isn’t exhibited too often in LGBTQ period dramas. | The Weinstein Company / YouTube
12. Blue Jasmine (2013)
In the performance of her career so far, Blanchett is the true architect of writer and director Woody Allen’s distant cousin creation of “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Blanchett won her second Academy Award for a character who, for many viewers, was hard to like in Blue Jasmine (2013). | Sony Pictures Classics / YouTube