New Natalie Portman Image Confirms How She Becomes Thor
See Jane Foster as the Mighty Thor!
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Thor: Love and Thunder is on its way and we’ve had precious few preview images from the film. Since Marvel Studios’ promotional efforts for the time being seem focused on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it may still be a while before we get more. But, we do have some good news. There’s a new image of Natalie Portman’s version of Thor and, as a bonus, it confirms exactly how Jane Foster gets her hands on Mjolnir.
The images aren’t of Natalie Portman herself, but from a new line of Thor: Love and Thunder action figures from Bandai’s S.H. Figuarts line. The preview images all look impressive, but a couple of them will make you want to do more than drop cash on new collectibles — it confirms the nature of this new version of Thor.
As you can see in the image above, the Mjolnir that Natalie Portman’s Mighty Thor is holding is covered in cracks, meaning that this is the reassembled version of the hammer that Cate Blanchett’s Hela destroys in the beginning of 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok. Ever since Mighty Thor’s inclusion in Thor: Love and Thunder was announced, fans have theorized about how Jane Foster could even get her hands on Mjolnir. Understandably — considering how Multiverse-crazy the MCU has become in the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame — many fans theorized this would prove to be a variant Jane Foster. Likewise, some thought it must have something to do with Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) returning the hammer to 2013 at the end of Endgame. But this image debunks both those theories. This is the MCU Prime version of Jane Foster, and the hammer she wields is the same one Thor left shattered in Norway.
If you’re interested in owning this figure yourself, it’s due to be released in June 2022. Along with figures of Natalie Portman’s Mighty Thor, S.H. Figuarts also released preview images of Chris Hemsworth’s OG Thor, in a new blue-and-gold costume. You can see all those images below.
It’s fitting that Christian Bale will be playing Gorr the God Butcher in the same film that sees the premiere of Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster as the Mighty Thor. In the comics, Gorr is indirectly responsible for Foster’s transformation in the wake of the 2014 line-wide event Original Sin. Thor loses his worthiness to wield Mjolnir after Nick Fury tells him, “Gorr was right” — referencing what the God Butcher had told Thor about all gods being vain and vengeful, and that mortals would be better off without them. The hammer abandons Thor and falls to the surface of the Moon, where it’s later retrieved by Jane Foster.
It’s possible we could see more of Foster’s source material story brought into the film. In the comics, Jane Foster is battling an aggressive cancer at the same time she becomes Thor. Foster eventually learns that rather than helping her condition, every time she uses the powers of Thor, her cancer gets worse. Natalie Portman hasn’t confirmed this part of her story will be explored in Thor: Love and Thunder, but she hinted at its inclusion in a 2020 interview. We’ll find out more when Thor: Love and Thunder hits theaters on July 8.
