Natalie Portman Confirms Comic Book Portrayal of Jane Foster in Thor: Love and Thunder

One of the most uplifting, empowering, and yet tragic, Marvel comic book arcs in recent years was the journey of Jane Foster. The former Thor love interest and nurse was dying of cancer, even as the Odinson had lost faith in himself and in the will of the gods. Feeling himself unworthy to wield his mystical hammer Mjolnir, Thor dropped it and it found its way into the hands of Jane Foster, who was worthy. She became the “all-new, all-different” Thor, inheriting all of her former lover’s powers and abilities, including his immunity to cancer. However, whenever she would revert back to Jane Foster, she would be sicker than ever, as her Thor powers cleansed her body of the chemo that was trying to kill her cancer.

When Natalie Portman returns to the MCU in director Taika Waititi‘s  Thor: Love and Thunder, her Jane Foster will also become Thor, just as in the comics, but not much more has been divulged about her character or what happened to her when Thanos (Josh Brolin) snapped his fingers in Avengers: Infinity War. In a recent interview with yahoo!life, Portman said that she has been working out for her return to the MCU and revealed that her Jane Foster’s onscreen portrayal is at least partially inspired by the comic books:

I’m starting to train, to get muscles. If there can be all these female superheroes, the more of them they are, the better it is. I’m trying to think — it’s based on the graphic novel of the Mighty Thor. She’s going through cancer treatment and is a superhero on the side.

Thor: Love and Thunder was written (with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson) and will be directed by Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok, Jojo Rabbit). Tessa Thompson will return as Valkyrie, King of New Asgard, with Christian Bale playing an unknown villain.

Thor: Love and Thunder is slated to open on February 11, 2022.

Images courtesy of Disney/Marvel Studios & Marvel Comics; Edits by Movie Nooz