Natalie Portman (Jane Foster) talks about the Marvel comic that the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder is based on. Get ready for a new kind of God of Thunder.
Thor: Love and Thunder is undoubtedly among the most anticipated movies coming in Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Coming after the crazy success of Thor: Ragnarok, superhero golden boy Taika Waititi will return to direct the next installment of the Thor saga.
Returning to the saga after some time off is Natalie Portman (Jane Foster). Portman sat out Thor: Ragnarok, and other than a cameo in Avengers: Endgame hasn’t featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since Thor: The Dark World in 2013. But at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con, Portman lifted Thor’s iconic hammer and confirmed that she’ll be playing the God of Thunder in the next movie.
Fans of the comics may have an idea where this story is going. And indeed, speaking to Fatherly about her upcoming children’s book Natalie Portman’s Fables, the actor confirmed that Love and Thunder is based on Jason Aaron’s popular Mighty Thor run, where Jane Foster becomes Lady Thor while battling cancer.
We can’t be sure exactly how much the movie will take from Mighty Thor, since there’s a lot of material. But the signs are good. Consider that Waititi used the Planet Hulk comics as inspiration for Thor: Ragnarok, and that turned into one of the best MCU movies to date. Could Love and Thunder get a similar reception?
“I can’t tell you that much,” said Portman. “I’m really excited.” At the moment, she’s in Australia preparing to begin filming. “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."
In Mighty Thor, Jane Foster is battling cancer and undergoes constant treatment. At the same time, Thor becomes unworthy, and Foster decides to pick up his hammer, Mjolnir, turning her into Lady Thor. However, she quickly learns that each time she transforms into Lady Thor she loses the benefits of her treatment, and realizes that turning into Lady Thor too much will eventually kill her.
In the MCU, we last saw Thor shipping out with the Guardians of the Galaxy, so it does look like there’s a space to fill. It’s a great plot I think will translate really well to the big screen. But we’ll be waiting a while to see for sure. Thor: Love and Thunder is currently set to release February 11, 2022.
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