Thor: Love and Thunder will bring back Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster in a unique manner, as the character prepares to turn into the Mighty Thor. The award-winning actress made her MCU debut as the eponymous Asgardian’s love interest in 2011’s Thor, and her role continued in 2013’s Thor: The Dark World. Thor and Jane split up following the events of the first two films, but no additional information regarding the terrible situation were revealed.
Jane’s return in Love and Thunder is anticipated to handle the aftermath of their split via flashbacks, with previews implying that the duo would have uncomfortable but emotional moments throughout the film. While it is uncertain if Thor and Jane will reconcile, some fans have hypothesized that they may ultimately reconcile and be romantically connected once again.
Now, the director of Love and Thunder has addressed Portman’s comeback and how different this incarnation will be in the film.
Taika Waititi Discusses Natalie Portman’s MCU Return in Thor 4
Thor: Thunder and Love Director Taika Waititi and main actor Chris Hemsworth spoke with Fandango All Access about Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster’s return in the next MCU sequel.
When asked about bringing Portman into the “Taika-Verse,” Hemsworth first said it was “awesome” because Thor and Jane are “both in very different places than when we last saw them.” As a consequence, Waititi and the creative team are free to “do anything we wanted” in resolving the topic of how the couple split up.
Waititi weighed in, joking that they were filling in the spaces while “inadvertently creating additional blanks:”
“That was amazing because the characters are both in very different places than when we last saw them,” Hemsworth says. In terms of what actually happened, it was also very open-ended. Did they split up, who left whom, and so forth… And I think we all had to go back and watch the second film at some point and wonder, ‘How did they split up?’ So we had creative freedom to do anything we wanted in that regard, and then we had a lot of fun filling in the spaces and…”
Waititi: “And filling in the gaps… Filling up the gaps and then creating additional blanks.”
“And raising even more questions and confusion,” Hemsworth says.
Portman stated in a separate interview that it was “very enjoyable” to “fill in the spaces” between Thor and Jane and “create the elements of their connection we hadn’t seen.”
Meanwhile, Waititi explained how he persuaded Portman to return for a “more interesting” part in Thor 4, criticizing how Jane was written as “maybe not the most thrilling version of the female character” in both Thor and The Dark World. This provided the Oscar winner “a little more liberty to be bold and exciting” in Love and Thunder: The Golden Circle.
“When I got to her place, she handed me a drink of water… I believe that what we achieved with Ragnarok made these movies more interesting to other performers, such as Christian [Bale], who watched it and said, ‘I want to do something fun,’ and came here, wanting to be a part of this. And Natalie, and… I believe she was only checking to ensure… I’m not sure how to put it, but… her role in those first few films is perhaps not the most exciting version of the female character that we desire from these films… I simply had to tell her that I wanted to modify that persona, much as we changed Thor’s character for Ragnarok, and give her a little more permission to be daring and entertaining because Natalie is a very hilarious person. And sometimes… such kinds of things can’t happen… I’m not sure, they’re not the major emphasis when it comes to creating characters and, you know, in films.”
After Thor 4, Natalie Portman’s MCU Future Looks Bright
Thor: Ragnarok reimagined Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder by displaying his humorous side, and based on director Taika Waititi’s remarks, Love and Thunder will do the same for Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster. This is consistent with Waititi’s previous statements about bringing out the “goofy” side of the award-winning actress rather than “going about with scientific equipment.”
Thor 4 marketing has already teased the award-winning actress’s humorous side, with one trailer highlighting her amusing interaction with Hemsworth. Waititi’s use of Portman’s quirky comedy in the film will be intriguing to see, particularly given the actress’ background.
Given the fact that Waititi already managed to allow Hemsworth to expand his range during Ragnarok, Portman’s willingness combined with the director’s dedication to maximizing the character is already a perfect combination to achieve success in Love and Thunder.
Mighty Jane’s transformation Thor also provides the character greater freedom, owing to the fact that being a hero instills a new kind of confidence. This would enable Jane to embrace her more humorous side, and seeing it alongside Thor’s style of humor would provide several narrative chances.
