Cate Blanchett may have just landed another Oscar nomination for the drama "Carol," but the actress has an even more buzzworthy prospect on the horizon: A starring role in a Marvel tentpole flick. Blanchett has been rumored for weeks to be joining the cast of "Thor: Ragnarok," and now, there may be some clues as to who she's playing.

First came word that Blanchett would be one of the female leads of the flick. Then, earlier this month, Mark Ruffalo -- who's set to reprise his Hulk role in "Thor 3" -- let it slip that she would be playing a villain. And Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige also teased that the film would be very different from the first two "Thor" movies, and take place primarily in the cosmos.

Using those clues, the folks over at Geek.com have pieced together that Blanchett is probably playing a character called Hela, the Norse goddess of death. Here's the scoop from the site:

Sources have confirmed with Geek.com that the big bad of Thor: Ragnarok will be Hela, the Marvel comic book character who is the ruler of Hel and the realm of Niflheim. Considering Ruffalo let slip that Blanchett will play a baddie, it's probably safe to assume that she'll assume the role of Hela. She'll be her normal comic book self, complete with her cloak and power over the dead souls of the Nine Realms. Hela will make it to Asgard, where she'll be in cahoots with Tom Hiddleston's Loki, current motives unknown.

Geek.com has a bunch more spoiler-y details for how Hela could factor into the larger Marvel Phase 3 plan (including "Avengers: Infinity War"). It certainly sounds like a juicy role befitting an A-list star, and Blanchett's acting chops and ethereal looks are a powerful combination that make her a natural choice to play an all-powerful Norse villainess.

Of course, as with all things Marvel, nothing is officially official until an announcement is made. Stay tuned.

[via: Geek.com, ET, Empire/ComicBookMovie]

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