Up until this year, Natalie Portman had a rather rocky relationship with Marvel Studios. Jane Foster was generally considered a fairly boring character who was just ‘Thor’s girlfriend.’ Portman was also reportedly unhappy with Patty Jenkins’ decision to quit Thor: The Dark World and became frustrated with Jane not being given much to do. So, it wasn’t a huge surprise when she didn’t appear in Thor: Ragnarok and her cameo in Avengers: Endgame was digitally composited from unused footage.
But now she’s coming back to the MCU with a bang. Or, to be more specific, a crash of thunder. Jane Foster will be taking up the mantle of Thor in Thor: Love and Thunder, following in the footsteps of the comic book Jane Foster. Chris Hemsworth will still play a large part in the movie, but having renounced the throne of Asgard, he’s expected to rechristen himself ‘Odinson.’
Now, it seems that Marvel Studios are so pleased with the way Portman is shaping up as the new Thor that they’re eager for her to continue for a few films yet. In fact, our sources – the same ones who said Marvel was developing both a Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk show before the were officially revealed, and that Taskmaster would be the villain in Black Widow – are telling us that they’re trying to get Jane Foster’s Thor to appear in Captain Marvel 2.
While nothing is set in stone yet given how early on it is, the plan would be for her to assist Carol against the Kree invasion. It sounds like an exciting team-up, too: two ‘normal’ Earth women who’ve been granted incredible cosmic powers joining forces. Who knows, perhaps Carol could even give Jane a couple of tips on what it’s like to be the most powerful person in the room at any given time?
I really hope Jane Foster’s Thor sticks around, too. Natalie Portman is an incredible actress and I’ve long felt that her talents have been wasted on Jane. As such, shaking things up a bit and showing her kicking ass for a few more films, like Captain Marvel 2, definitely sounds like a good time to me.