Thor: Love and Thunder is next on the docket for the MCU, as Marvel Studios puts the finishing touches on its latest theatrical effort. The Taika Waititi-directed sequel stars Chris Hemsworth as the titular God of Thunder as well as Natalie Portman, who will reprise her role as Jane Foster after nearly nine years away from the franchise.
It has been unknown exactly what happened to Thor and Jane between Love and Thunder and Portman's last MCU appearance, Thor: The Dark World. But fans do know that the two lovers did eventually break things off before Thor: Ragnarok, leaving Hemsworth's Asgardian with a broken heart
Now, though, with Jane Foster taking up the title of the Mighty Thor and getting superpowers after a cancer diagnosis, many are left wondering if the former couple will make up and perhaps rekindle that romance. Early indications say that they will, but some new quotes do point to audiences getting to finally see what happened when they broke things off the first time.
Seeing the Thor and Jane Break Up
In the Summer 2022 issue of Disney’s D23 Magazine obtained by The Direct, Thor: Love and Thunder stars Natalie Portman and Chris Hemsworth revealed that the upcoming MCU epic will feature flashback sequences (which have been teased) of Thor and Jane's breakup.
Hemsworth said that working on the film they realized they had "filled in the blanks with what [they'd] thought had happened" but "there actually wasn't a whole lot" of evidence to say what had actually happened:
"There actually wasn't a whole lot of evidence to definitively say, 'This is how they broke up. This is what happened.' It was left open for interpretation, which was great because it allowed us to go on this fun journey; 'What did their relationship look like when they were together? What did it look like when they were breaking up? Why did they break up?' It's some of the funniest stuff in the film."
Portman followed this up by mentioning that "it was really fun" to get to fill in those blanks and "imagine the parts of their relationship we hadn't seen:"
"It was really fun to get to imagine the parts of their relationship we hadn't seen...and the hard parts of a scientist dating an otherworldly Super Hero."
The Jane Foster actress also went into what it was like coming back to the Thor franchise, praising director Taika Waititi for bringing "such a sense of fun" to the set:
"Taika brings such a sense of fun, mischief, and spontaneity to the set. It was a really joyful environment and we embraced the silly."
Another name Portman had nothing but good things to say about was Tessa Thompson (aka Valkyrie). The two had played opposite one another before in Alex Garland's Annihilation, and Portman was quick to say "[she loves] Tessa," noting she was "lucky to have a friend to play with on and off set:"
"We worked together on Annihilation and also quite closely with [the #MeToo Hollywood activist group] Time's Up, and I am always blown away by her brilliance, talent, and generosity. I truly love her and I was very lucky to have a friend to play with on and off set."
A Flashback For the Fans
After Jane and Thor's relationship ended off-screen sometime after Thor: The Dark World, fans quickly made it known just how unsatisfied they were with this explanation. Surely, at the time, Marvel Studios wanted Natalie Portman to come back, but she was not ready. So the easiest thing to do was to write her out for the time being but still have her legacy felt throughout the story. And that is exactly what they did!
Now, time has healed whatever wounds there may have been both in-universe and out, and Portman is ready to come back to the franchise and is doing so with a thunderclap. And with the actress back in the role, why not take a moment on-screen to show audiences how things came to an end years ago? All this is going to do is fill in some blanks for the MCU faithful, while also seemingly providing some of those signature Taika Waititi laughs.
At this point, it is unknown if Foster and Thor will ever get back together. Despite what set photos may have led some to believe, rumors have pointed to Jane and Valkyrie even getting together (which these quotes could be pointing to), so Hemsworth's God of Thunder may be out of luck when it comes to his favorite Astrophysicist.
Thor: Love and Thunder hits theaters worldwide on July 8.
