Yesterday’s Marvel Comic-Con panel brought many, many shocks as part of the studio’s announcement of their Phase 4 slate. One of the biggest was that Natalie Portman is returning to the MCU for the upcoming fourth Thor movie, titled Thor: Love and Thunder. Not only that, but she’ll be the one to wield Mjolnir in the film, with Jane Foster confirmed to become the Mighty Thor herself.
Following the surprising news, the actress took to Instagram today to comment on her unexpected comeback. Portman posted a photo of herself standing on stage in Hall H holding the mystical hammer, alongside a laughing Taika Waititi. In her caption, the star wrote that she was “thrilled” to be back and praised her co-stars and director as “legends.”
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Portman’s last proper appearance in the franchise was back in 2013’s Thor: The Dark World. Much like Hemsworth, the actress didn’t have a great time on the lackluster sequel and when she didn’t return for the much superior Thor: Ragnarok we thought she was written out for good. However, her very minor role in Avengers: Endgame – and appearance at the world premiere – showed that her and Marvel were friends again.
In her Instagram post, Portman also teased that she’s going to undergo a serious physical transformation for the role, as she promises that she’s going to get “jacked” for when she takes over from the God of Thunder. Thor: Love and Thunder is out in November 2021, meaning filming will presumably get going next year. In other words, Portman’s definitely got some time to get into shape, and we can’t wait to see her back in the MCU in the upcoming sequel.