Who is the main villain of Thor: Ragnarok?

The main villain of Thor: Ragnarok is Hela. Played by Cate Blanchett, Hela is the Asgardian goddess of death and Thor’s previously unknown older sister.

Hela is released when Odin dies, breaking the magical imprisonment that had kept her away from Asgard. The film reveals that she once led Asgard’s armies and helped Odin conquer the Nine Realms, but he eventually rejected her brutality and erased her from official history. After returning, she destroys Mjolnir, defeats Asgard’s forces, and attempts to rebuild the empire she believes was stolen from her.

Surtur is also central to the film’s ending, but he is not the primary villain. Thor ultimately realizes that Surtur’s destruction of Asgard is necessary to stop Hela, making him an instrument of the final plan rather than the story’s main antagonist. Loki is an uneasy ally, while Malekith belongs to Thor: The Dark World.

Hela draws partly on Hel, a figure from Norse mythology, but the MCU version substantially changes her family relationships and backstory.