As an avid gamer and fan of the Marvel comics and movies, few hypothetical clashes get me more excited than a battle between the Mad Titan Thanos wielding the Infinity Gauntlet and the Asgardian Goddess of Death – Hela. These two cosmic-powered villains shaped the Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s Infinity Saga, but who would prevail in an no-holds-barred faceoff?
By delving into their classic comic abilities, MCU portrayals, tactical nous, obscure enhancement artifacts and even their roots in Norse mythology, we can analyze how an extended knock-down brawl between the MCU‘s two most intimidating villains would shake out across multiple savage rounds.
Background and Abilities
Let‘s set the stage by surveying their formidable backgrounds and power sets. Both wield incredible might, but in sharply contrasting magical and mystic styles.
Thanos: Master Strategist and Bionic Titan
As an intergalactic conqueror, Thanos has repeatedly proven himself one of Marvel Comics‘ foremost masterminds. Debuting in 1973‘s Iron Man #55, his decades-spanning stories depict a calclulating warlord who doggedly pursues his goal of lethal universal balance. Established as an Eternal-Deviant genetic anomaly, his very existence symbolized Death‘s darker half – an omen inspiring his uncompromising nihilism.
When we analyze Thanos‘ threat level, his prodigious physique as an Eternal-Titan hybrid gives him tremendous innate power from birth. Eternals possess incredible longevity, strength, stamina and cosmic energy manipulation putting them easily in Asgardians’ league. As a Titan, this is amplified further – Thanos has consistently proven able to even overpower beings as mighty as Thor and Hulk.
Combat Feats:
- Silver Surfer Vol 3 #34 – Matches Silver Surfer in close quarters after ambushing him, one of Marvel‘s classic heavyweights. This cements Thanos‘ speed and reflexes to contend with even top-tier cosmic heroes.
The Infinity Gauntlet – Easily defeats heroes like Thing, Wolverine, Cyclops and many Avengers. Later battles cosmic entities like Eternity and Galactus, proving himself a universal-tier threat.
- Thanos vs Hulk – Defeats Hulk by absorbing the Gamma radiation from his body, then transforms him back to Banner. Confirms his vastly superior energy manipulation and scientific knowledge.
Infinity Gauntlet (1991) – The famous comic where Thanos gains true omnipotence by securing all 6 Infinity Stones in the Infinity Gauntlet, letting him defeat the entire Marvel cosmic pantheon and embody the One Above All‘s power for a time.
So while already superhuman, Thanos has continuously enhanced his physique and skills over centuries thanks to his genius intellect and science to push him to universal levels even without added artifacts. Some key enhancements include:
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Bionic & Genetic Enhancements: His superior scientific knowledge has led Thanos to consistently improve on his biology. His bulky exterior actually hides top-tier bionic implants enhancing his base strength to lift over 100 tons up to Earth-shaking levels at full power.
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Energy & Matter Manipulation: Via bionic implants, Thanos can project enormously destructive energy blasts and control over magnetism powerful enough to temporarily hold off Thor‘s hammer Mjolnir. His sheer damage output could destroy cities.
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Advanced Training Regimes: Thanos has trained for centuries in hand-to-hand combat as well as swordplay and martial arts across the cosmos under masters like Supergiant. This makes him a versatile fighter in both armed and unarmed disciplines.
This broad range of enhancements via bio-science, magic and technology makes Thanos terrifyingly well-rounded as a master fighter. While immensely strong, he employs skill just as much as raw power.
Hela: The Firstborn Goddess of Death
In sharp contrast is the Asgardian warrior Hela, introduced in 1964‘s Journey into Mystery #102 comic as Thor‘s foster sister. As Odin‘s firstborn, Hela reveals Asgard‘s hidden violent history of conquering realms through sheer bloodthirsty war and deception. And as literal goddess of death based on the Norse ruler of the dead, she wields similarly ruthless powers.
As shown when unleashed in 2017‘s Thor: Ragnarok film, Hela draws her might directly from Asgard itself – the Asgardian lifeforce amplifies her physical abilities. She can manifest weaponry and then infuse it with violent ‘necro‘ energy for disintegration effects and even raise armies of the dead. This makes her a difficult opponent to put down.
Combat Feats:
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Thor: Ragnarok – Within seconds of returning, catches Mjolnir and crushes the Uru hammer, shocking Thor. Further dominates Thor and Valkyrie in combat skill.
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Siege (2010) – Manifests a "Legion of the Unliving" from souls of dead heroes, holds her own against Marvel top-tiers like Sentry. This high-end necromancy makes her armies persistent.
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Young Avengers (2013) – Kills a Celestial, mighty cosmic giants, to bathe in its blood and gain power. This confirms her damage output and endurance up to universal tiers.
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Angela: Queen of Hel – As queen of Hel, banishes the Angels of Heven easily with high-end reality warping abilities.
So in her own right, Hela has gone blow-for-blow with Marvel‘s best thanks to her Asgardian heritage. But she directly depends on proximity to Asgard or magic amplifiers like Angrboda‘s runes to unlock her most apocalyptic necromantic powers. Cut off from Asgard over time, she has proven vulnerable.
Tale of the Tape: Stats and Powersets
Given their immense backgrounds, how do Hela and Thanos directly compare by measurable stats and abilities? We can approximate some metrics based on their feats:
Hela:
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Superhuman Strength: At least 100+ tons demonstrated, can likely exceed Class 100 (lifting over 100 tons) like Thor or Hercules.
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Superhuman Speed: Beyond supersonic (Mach 5) reflexes and combat speeds based on feats blocking Mjolnir, deflecting bullets etc.
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Superhuman Durability: Likely universal tier. Took direct hits from Mjolnir and swords of Asgard‘s greatest warriors unfazed. Can be injured but rapid healing/regeneration makes her persist.
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Energy Projection: Necro magic blasts can obliterate Asgardian structures and weapons as durable as Uru metal.
Thanos:
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Superhuman Strength: Thanos consistently trades blows with cosmic tiers like Thor and Silver Surfer. Easily Class 100, lifting well beyond 100+ tons up to planetary.
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Superhuman Speed: Relativistic (Light speed) combat reactions/reflexes. Can fight Silver Surfer. Teleportation enhances mobility.
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Superhuman Durability: Universal tier and up. His shields tanked Odinforce-Thor‘s blows and galaxies‘ energy. Magic/tech amplify near any damage.
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Energy Projection: Rivals Odinforce Thor‘s energy output via tech. Nano-second pulses hitting with teratons of energy shatter planets.
So in physical metrics, Thanos holds advantages in strength while roughly equaling Hela‘s striking power. His rapid mobility could also counter Hela‘s skill thanks to teleportation and flight.
As a magic-focused fighter, Hela depends heavily on her ability to channel Asgard‘s life force – being cut off from Asgard over time limits her strongest feats. Thanos faces no such external power supply limitations. His innate Eternal attributes, bionic/genetic implants and personal energy manipulation make him consistently formidable anywhere, no outside energy needed.
Battle Analysis
With their fearsome power levels and contrastring magic vs tech power sets in mind, let‘s theorize how a no-holds-barred duel could play out!
Magic vs Tech: Round 1
Hela‘s Game Plan
A pragmatic combatant, Hela would likely open by testing Thanos‘ capabilities with ranged attacks. By manifesting spears and blades infused with violent Asgardian magic from her surroundings or own armour, she can bombard Thanos from a distance.
Should Thanos charge directly, she can continue manifesting waves of sword projectiles to keep him occupied. Her centuries of combat experience also make her exceptionally skilled at anticipating and countering opponents attacks pre-emptively from any angle.
Though ruthless, Hela has struggled against exceptionally durable mystical foes able to match her blow for blow like Sentry. So her plan would be wearing Thanos down through waves of attritional attacks before moving to finish with her touch of death.
Thanos‘ Game Plan
Against such rapid-fire assaults, Thanos holds his greatest advantage – his shields and sheer brute force durability. His kinetic and energy-absorbing shields have contained planet-destroying attacks, allowing him to withstand Hela‘s onslaught.
Recognizing her Asgardian weapons draw from surrounding life force, Thanos could rapidly scan and identify environmental power sources. His control over magnetism/gravity via implants lets him manipulate even Uru metal, denying Hela raw materials for manifestations while collecting them for himself.
In close quarters, Thanos is no meager brawler either – he has mastered multiple martial arts fighting styles from across the cosmos. His skill allows him to spar beings like Mangog. Combined with his bullrush physical strength, he could batter through Hela‘s own defenses despite her superior agility.
Round 1 Verdict
While Hela‘s output potentially exceeds Thanos shield capacity if drawn directly from Asgard, her ranged attacks are slow and predictable compared to true energy manipulators like Silver Surfer. This gives Thanos opportunities to analyze her projectile properties and cut off her environmental weapons sources mid-fight with magnetism/gravity.
Neither can put the other down easily in early exchanges. But Hela risks accelerated exhaustion being cut off from Asgard‘s power over an extended bout, unable to heal while Thanos‘ shields and energy absorbing implants keep him going far longer.
Victor: Thanos via endurance and shutting down Hela‘s manifestation spam.
Gauntlet vs Necromancy: Round 2
Let‘s take their iconic weapons into account for Round 2: Thanos‘ Infinity Gauntlet and Hela‘s Necromantic magic.
A fully powered double-gem Infinity Gauntlet would provide Thanos truly inexhaustible power by freely harnessing six Infinity Stones – Reality, Space, Time, Mind, Soul and Power gems.
The Reality gem alone lets Thanos manifest any effect at will – he could seal Hela‘s magic outright or banish her to a pocket dimension. The Space gem grants interstellar teleportation for point-blank attacks Hela would struggle reacting to. And the raw Power gem physically overwhelms almost anyone.
Hela‘s best counter would be manifesting necromantic portals to redirect his otherwise unstoppable attacks momentarily while raising undead armies to divide his focus. And channeling Asgard‘s power, she can continue raining blows that might eventually overload Thanos‘ gauntlet. Her skills as an assassin also make her dangerously unpredictable.
But between the Time, Mind and Soul gems in conjunction, Thanos has uncountable ways to anticipate and erase her ability to fight back via time manipulation, soul/mind attacks and simply willing her out of existence. An enraged Thanos could shatter entire planets with his blows, preventing Hela from recovering her full undead army over time.
While Hela‘s magic appears an even match, the Gauntlet provides Thanos too many angles of attack and effectively unlimited power she cannot actually counter simultaneously. Her best bet would be destroying Thanos‘ physical form then attempting to seize the Gauntlet herself – which took the entirety of Marvel‘s abstract beings to barely accomplish in the comics.
Verdict: Thanos via overwhelming Infinity Stone abilities checkmating Hela‘s magic from all dimensional angles.
Final Verdict: Thanos‘ Superior Arsenal and Tactics
Ultimately, while Hela‘s Asgardian magic makes her a difficult matchup for even high cosmic abstracts, her overspecialization depending on Asgard itself limits her full threat potential anywhere in the wider cosmos. Cut off from actively channeling death energies, her rapid healing and raw striking power decline over time.
In contrast, Thanos‘ unique hybrid lineage, continued self-enhancement through bioengineering, magic and tech make him persistently formidable and adaptable. This well-roundedness paired with tactical mastery has allowed him to conquer planets and match cosmic entities alike.
The Infinity Gauntlet providing literally deific power only cements the outcome further in Thanos‘ favor – reality warping abilities block Hela‘s magic outright. With deep reserves of strength and personal amplification magic/tech, Thanos can continue fighting even inconceivably massive battles of attrition until Hela finally goes down or gets BFR‘d to another plane.
So while Hela exceeds Thanos in pure swordsmanship, the Titan‘s workhorse utility via tech, his physical might and the Gauntlet‘s raw magical potency secure him the win over Asgard‘s violent firstborn. The Mad Titan‘s penchant for crafting complex strategies spanning star systems gives him the critical edge against Hela‘s overwhelming but more rigid Asgard/death magic.
Thanos has repeatedly proven why he sits firmly atop Marvel‘s cosmic hierarchy. When the dust settles among the ruined planets Thanos and Hela have broken like playtoys in their duel, Hela‘s Goddess of Death title itself becomes just another of Thanos inevitable collected trinkets…
But what do you think? Can the goddess of Death pull out a victory or does Thanos‘ cunning secure him the win? Let me know in the comments!