Taika Waititi talks Natalie Portman’s return as the Mighty Thor

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness may be out in theaters right now, but there’s always another Marvel movie on the horizon. The next big one is Thor: Love and Thunder, Marvel’s upcoming summer blockbuster slated to release on July 8.

Despite plenty of returning faces, this is promising to be a Thor movie like none other; it’ll also feature the Guardians of the Galaxy as well as Natalie Portman’s return as Jane Foster, who we haven’t seen since 2013’s Thor: The Dark World.

Like Thor: Ragnarok, Love and Thunder is directed by Taika Waititi. It’s been nearly a decade since Jane was last a major player in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and according to Waititi, it was important to let us know that she’s been up to quite a lot in that time.

Seeing Jane Foster as the Mighty Thor will be “a real mindf***” for Thor

“You don’t want Natalie coming back and playing that same character who’s walking around with science equipment,” Waititi told Empire Magazine. “You know, while Thor’s flying around, she’s left on Earth, tapping her foot going, ‘When’s he going to be back?’ That’s boring. You want her to be part of the adventure. And with the character of Jane, you want a little bit more. Natalie’s really funny in real life. She’s kind of goofy and has got a great sense of humor, and I don’t think that was exploited enough in the first films.”

And indeed, the Jane Foster appearing in this new movie has changed quite a bit since we last saw her, and has superpowers of her own. We got our first glimpse of Portman wielding Mjolnir as the Mighty Thor in the trailer, sending fans into overdrive.

“She’s had a whole other life, and then [the] love of your life comes back on the scene, and is now dressed like you,” Waititi said. “It’s a real mindf**** for Thor. But I can’t promise anything. I think most people will assume that the love story is between Chris and Natalie. I can’t promise that what people think is going to happen in this film will happen.”

Gorr the God Butcher will be “one of the best villains” in the MCU

Portman’s return isn’t the only exciting thing about Thor: Love and Thunder. It’s got a stacked cast, including Russell Crowe as the Greek god Zeus and Christian Bale as the villain Gorr the God Butcher, who will be on a mission to exterminate deities across the MCU. According to Waititi, Gorr is “very formidable.”

“I think personally, he’s probably one of the best villains that Marvel’s had in their films. He’s very layered,” the director told Entertainment Weekly. Considering that we just came off Elizabeth Olsen’s tour de force performance as the Scarlet Witch in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, that’s a pretty bold claim. Could this be the year of standout Marvel villains?

Thor: Love and Thunder is “sort of like a midlife crisis film” 

Between its new villain, the Guardians, and Portman’s return, there are a lot of elements that could make Love and Thunder feel like a fresh take on the adventures of the strongest Avenger. “What I didn’t want to do is just make Ragnarok again, because that’s been done,” Waititi explained. “I needed to do something more interesting for myself to keep the whole thing ignited and to make sure that I’m feeling creatively stimulated. I thought, What’s the least expected thing with this franchise?”

"Ragnarok felt a bit like a party. It was quite festive. This one is still fun, and it’s got moments of being over the top, but thematically, it’s about something a bit deeper than the last film. It’s not a serious film, and it’s not a drama, but we do deal with ideas that I think a lot of humans deal with — universal themes about love and loss and our place in the world. Everyone sort of asks this question in the film: What is your purpose? What is the reason that you’re a hero, and what do you do when you have these powers?"

“It’s sort of like a midlife crisis film, really,” Waititi added. “That’s the question we ask everyone: Are we doing the right thing, and are we doing all we can in the world? I think right now, while the world is still healing from this pandemic, it’s a good question to ask. It’s like, well, are we doing enough to look after each other and to look after ourselves?”

Thor: Love and Thunder is out in theaters on July 8.

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h/t SyFy Wire