Photos from the Australian set of Thor: Love and Thunder confirm Melissa McCarthy will be appearing in the film as Fake Hela. McCarthy campaigned for a role in Thor 4 via Instagram earlier this year. The Bridesmaids actress posted a video alongside her husband Ben Falcone asking Taika Waititi to cast them in the film. The pair are currently in Australia, where Thor: Love and Thunder is filming, while McCarthy shoots the miniseries Nine Perfect Strangers and it looks like the actress got her wish.
The role of Hela was originated by Cate Blanchett in Thor: Ragnarok and she quickly became one of the most iconic villains to grace the MCU. As Thor and Loki’s long lost sister, Hela returned to claim what she thought was rightfully hers and ended up destroying Asgard and herself in the process. Hela’s death may have set up Gorr the God Butcher’s MCU debut as Christian Bale, who is set to be the next villain Thor and friends will have to face off against. Before they do that, though, it looks like Thor: Love and Thunder will be bringing on a new version of Hela.
Set photos (via Daily Mail) show McCarthy in costume on the set of Thor: Love and Thunder and the outfit is instantly recognizable. McCarthy is sporting the black and green antler head piece Blanchett wore in the third Thor film. In the photos, McCarthy can be seen alongside Luke Hemsworth and Matt Damon, who look to be reprising their roles as Fake Thor and Fake Loki respectively. The set in question looks to be a stage in what will likely be another theatrical performance akin to the one in Thor: Ragnarok.
One of the best parts of Thor: Ragnarok‘s eclectic and humorous take on the God of Thunder was his return to Asgard. When Thor makes it back to his home world he finds Loki, disguised as Odin, watching a play that is reenacting Loki’s sacrifice during Thor: The Dark World. It looks like Waititi is going to return to this storytelling format to recap the events of Thor: Ragnarok. With Damon and the Hemsworth’s brother returning, they’ve found the perfect actress to make fun of Hela’s otherworldly villainy in McCarthy.