Thor: Love and Thunder showcased the return of Natalie Portman's Jane Foster in an explosive way. The MCU's resident astrophysicist transformed into the Mighty Thor in the film by becoming worthy of Mjolnir, but there's a catch. The film revealed that Foster has been suffering from cancer, and wielding Mjolnir only made it worse.
Mighty Thor was a force to be reckoned with in Love and Thunder, helping Chris Hemsworth's God of Thunder in his battle against Gorr the God Butcher. Ultimately, the new Thor managed to defeat Gorr, but Jane also met her demise at the end.
However, Thor 4's post-credits scene revealed that Jane could have a potential future in the MCU when it was revealed that she had entered Valhalla. Now, Portman has shed some light on her future after Love and Thunder.
Natalie Portman Could Return to the MCU Soon
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Jane Foster actress Natalie Portman talked about her MCU future after Thor: Love and Thunder.
The MCU veteran first admitted that she was excited to make a movie that her son, Aleph, likes:
“I loved that they had it as like a Thor, you know? Thor is a concept, not necessarily a singular person and I’m excited to make a movie that my son likes.”
During the interview, Portman revealed that her son wants her to keep doing Marvel movies, a surefire motivator for the actress' potential MCU return:
“He was like, ’Can you keep doing Marvel movies?' He loves Doctor Strange a lot. And Thor of course.”
This isn't the first time that Natalie Portman addressed her MCU future. In a previous interview with the Los Angeles Times, the Thor: Love and Thunder actress revealed that she's "open to anything" after returning as Jane Foster in the sequel:
“I am open to anything. It’s such a cool character and I feel like anything is possible.”
Portman also explained that the post-credits scene featuring her character in Valhalla suggests that "anything is possible" now for her future:
“It certainly feels like anything is possible, although I have no insight into the answer to that.”
Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi also pointed out that Chris Hemsworth's Thor is still the definitive God of Thunder in the MCU following the death of Jane Foster:
“I think a lot of fans are gonna potentially assume, ‘Oh, OK, this is the passing on of the torch’... I’m not privy to any plans Marvel has for the future, but I don’t think that’s the case.”
How Jane Foster Returns (Theory)
Natalie Portman's son Aleph could be the key to making the actress return for more Marvel movies after Thor: Love and Thunder. Although the actress was already open to making a comeback as Jane Foster, the desire of her son to see her return could essentially cement her bright MCU future.
Many would agree that Jane's death in Thor 4 is a fitting ending to the character in the movie. Still, the post-credits scene at the end hints that Jane's story in the MCU as a whole is far from over, and the comics could indicate where she will go next.
In Marvel Comics, Odin and Thor combined their powers to bring Jane to life despite her making it to the gates of Valhalla. After her resurrection, Jane became the new Valkryie, ushering the souls of the dead to their eternal reward in Valhalla.
It's possible that the same narrative trajectory will happen to the MCU's Jane if Marvel decides to push through with Portman's comeback. This would allow the character to flourish once more while still being a hero that Portman's son will be proud of.
Another possible route is the Multiverse where Portman could portray an alternate version of Jane Foster who is still Mighty Thor but without the tragic effects of cancer.
Thor: Love and Thunder is now playing in theaters worldwide.
