Has A Major 'Thor: Ragnarok' Plot Twist Just Been Revealed On An Australian Chat Show?

Thor: Ragnarok has already premiered in Los Angeles and on the Australian Gold Coast, and is beginning its international release next week. The cast is now circulating, happily conducting interviews promoting the film, but they're facing one major issue: many of their interviewers have actually seen the movie, and that means there's a good chance spoilers will wind up discussed.

Take this interview on an Australian chat show. Leaving aside mobile phone issues, Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo are pros. They know what they can and can't say — but what should they do when the interviewer accidentally lets a major spoiler slip?

Has Hela's identity just been revealed?

If you watch around the 6:16 mark, you'll see the interviewer launches a very specific question about the Thunder God's family. Now, he may just be making a mistake, but Ruffalo and Hemsworth certainly cringe. The interviewer then rephrases the question, omitting the spoiler, but maintaining the central theme. None of this is the kind of reaction you'd expect if the spoiler wasn't true.

If the interviewer's assertion is right, we now know that Hela is actually Thor's sister. Fierce and malevolent, Hela was banished by Odin ages past and has been kept prisoner by his power. Loki has no idea of her existence, but in Odin's absence, she's finally broken free. She now seeks vengeance on her father and intends to claim the throne of Asgard as her own.

It's a chilling concept — and perfectly fitting. The Shakespearean family drama has always been a core theme in the Thor films, and this would bring Thor: Ragnarok in sync with the rest of the franchise. Ragnarok may have a distinctive style, but thematically it will still feel like part of the Thor trilogy. Meanwhile, it also suggests that the #MCU version of Hela is partly inspired by the comic book character of Angela.

Created back in the '90s by Neil Gaiman and Todd MacFarlane, Angela was a cosmic warrior who was sold to Marvel in 2013. They gradually integrated Angela into the wider Marvel Comics universe, revealing that she was actually the sister of Thor. Kidnapped as a child by the Tenth Realm, Angela had been forgotten by Asgard and was one of Odin's most painful secrets. Hela's backstory clearly bears some cursory similarities, although her powerset has been blended with that of Gorr, the God-Butcher. Given how heavily Hela has been adapted, it's going to be interesting to see if she's also the MCU equivalent of Death.

The next fortnight will be a difficult one for #Marvel fans. Each fan will have to make their own decision — will they read the spoilers, or will they avoid them? The international release next week will bring matters to a head, as viewers across the world give their reaction to Marvel's latest blockbuster.