One of the most memorable features in Thor: Ragnarok‘s Jack Kirby-inspired adventure was the headdress of Hela, the Goddess of Death. As worn by Cate Blanchett, Hela’s signature headdress seemed to take on a life of its own, growing and reshaping thanks to some CGI trickery. But as explained in Tested‘s latest video, even without the benefits of computer animation, the physical version of Hela’s headdress was a pretty impressive piece of headwear in its own right.
At DesignerCon 2017, Tested‘s Norm Chan got a close-up view of the headdress while speaking with Ironhead Studio’s Jose Fernandez, the lead creative artist behind Hela’s costume in the film. According to Fernandez, the biggest challenge was getting the weight right so that it could be balanced on Blanchett’s head. The end result was surprisingly light, weighing four pounds or less by Fernandez’s guess.
Fernandez also related that Marvel was involved in every step of the creation, from the initial 3D model to breaking it down into modular pieces that could be removed as needed. Additionally, Fernandez described the intensive process that was used to finish the individual antlers of Hela’s headdress, and teased his company’s work on Aquaman‘s lead villain, Black Manta.
It’s currently unknown when or if Hela will reappear within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But we wouldn’t bet against Blanchett making a return at some point. And hopefully her costume and headdress will remain intact.
What do you think about this look at Hela’s headdress? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
Images: Marvel Studios
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