SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Thor: Ragnarok, now playing in United Kingdom/Nov. 3 in the U.S.
Thor: Ragnarok has already begun to conquer movie theaters, but those who aren't familiar with the concept of Ragnarök, either in Norse mythology or Marvel Comics, might be asking themselves, just who is this Hela character, and what's the deal with her Army of the Dead anyways?
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Since Hela's army (the Draugr) play a huge role in the battle between Hel and Asgard, CBR will explains just what the Draugr are, who they work for, and what their purpose is with relation to Ragnarök, aka the foretold destruction of Asgard and "End of the World" myth in Norse mythology.
Hela, daughter of Loki, is the Norse Goddess of Death, the ruler of Hel and Niffleheim. She is based on the goddess Hel from Norse Mythology. Hela first appeared in Journey Into Mystery #102, written by Stan Lee and penciled by Jack Kirby. Hel presided over the realm named after her, which receives a portion, but not all, of the dead. The Norse believed there to be more than one location a person could be sent once they died: Hel, Valhalla, Fólkvangr and Helgafjell. You shouldn't confuse Hel with the Christian destination of the damned, as the two are very different despite the similarities in their names.
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Hel is considered to be located beneath the Earth, much like Hell, but the inhabitants spend much of their time doing what they did in life, drinking, fighting and... well, you get the idea. While the underworld version of Hel isn't too bad, the lady in charge is a ruthless goddess who possesses immense power. As she is the basis for Marvel's Hela, her comic book counterpart shares a lot in common with he mythological sister, including the Draugr, her army of the undead.
Like their mistresses' namesake, the Draugr also derive their name from Norse mythology. The word literally translates into "again-walker," and they comprise Hela's primary military force. They first appeared in a Season 2 episode of Marvel's Avengers Assemble titled "Back to the Learning Hall." They subsequently made their way to the comics when Loki made arrangements with Hela and Tyr to unleash the Midgard Serpent in an attempt to destroy Midgard and save the Universe in Loki: Agents of Asgard #14, written by Al Ewing and penciled by Lee Garbett.
To achieve this goal, the Draugr were unleashed upon Asgardia alongside the Frost Giants of Jotunheim and the Kingdom of Rock Trolls to fight and destroy the Asgardians. Ultimately, the Draugr were defeated when Odin used the Gjallerhorn to summon the fallen Asgardians to be reborn and join the fight.
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Throughout her many appearances in the comics, Hela has made a number of attempts to take control of the undead who reside in the realms outside of Hel. In so doing, she has come into direct conflict with Odin, who doesn't share her opinion that she has jurisdiction over these souls, specifically those who reside in Valhalla. Because Valhalla is home to only the greatest warriors and honored dead in history, Odin always refused her attempts, and given his ability to raise them to fight against the armies of Hel, it's clear why.
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Even without the fallen from Valhalla and the other realms of the dead, Hela's army of Draugr is still nothing to laugh at -- they are quite deadly and a formidable force, the likes of which the Asgardians had never before faced. The Draugr are stronger than they were in life and, due to their undead nature, much harder to kill. Basically, it's a race of warrior zombies loyal to Hela and willing to bring about the destruction of reality, so even Thor and Odin consider them something to fear and respect.
Even with a near infinite horde of the undead, you might be asking yourself what kind of actual threat the Draugr post to the forces of Asgard. They have Thor, after all, and if you check out the picture below, he isn't coming to the party without bringing along some powerful friends. Consider this: Hela has the ability to command the dead from her realm. When she or her horde of the undead kill an Asgardian in battle, she may just have the ability to raise that dead soldier and join her ranks. We have seen something similar in season six of Game of Thrones, but it's a lot scarier when the person being resurrected to fight on the side of evil is, in essence, a god.
It's because the majority of the fallen who make their way to the realms of Hel, Valhalla and the other lands of the dead originated in Asgard where each being is godlike. They don't necessarily lose their abilities just because their flesh is rotting away, making them much deadlier than your average zombie.
Hela may have her army, but she's no slouch in the butt-kicking department when it comes to one-on-one combat. As we've seen in the trailers, she catches Mjolnir and destroys it, easily, leaving Thor to resort to some of his other less-known weapons. She may be on track to bring about Ragnarök, but we may be able to see her continue in the Marvel Cinematic Universe well into Infinity War as some rumors suggest.
Debuting Nov. 3 in North American theaters, director Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Cate Blanchett as Hela, Idris Elba as Heimdall, Jeff Goldblum as Grandmaster, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Karl Urban as Skurge, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk and Anthony Hopkins as Odin.