While Marvel Studios is hard at work promoting their upcoming projects and restarting filming on a handful of others , the Phase 4 slate is bigger than any in MCU history and is creating a ton of ground to cover. With at least 16 projects planned between now and 2022 , most of these TV shows and movies are still in the earliest stages of preproduction before shooting eventually starts.
This is the case with one of the later films planned out at this point in time: Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder . Not only is it the first time any solo hero has had a fourth solo film, it is set to bring an exciting new story along with a cast member that hasn’t been seen in the MCU for quite some time: Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster.
The film is still a few months from beginning its production, but Portman has given a couple teases already on what she will bring in her return to the Thor franchise. She's now added on this by confirming an important part of Jane Foster’s story that fans have been hoping would come to fruition in her next appearance...
NEWS
Thor: Love and Thunder star Natalie Portman recently sat down with Yahoo to discuss her new children’s book and major moments of her career. During this chat, she was asked if she could give away any plot twists or details on her next appearance in the MCU.
Portman responded with this little tidbit of information:
I can’t tell you that much. I’m really excited. 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.
WHAT THIS MEANS
This is quite the exciting bit of news concerning the plot of Thor: Love and Thunder , which was confirmed to have Jane Foster wielding Mjolnir upon its announcement at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con. Portman had previously spoken about putting in the physical work in preparation to play a superhero for the first time, but her comment about Jane’s comic storyline could be a huge tease of what’s about to come.
Jane becomes worthy to wield the mighty hammer Mjolnir in the comics after she is stricken with breast cancer, leading her to become The Mighty Thor herself . This is also an incredibly tough situation for her due to the fact that when she wielded the hammer, all of her cancer treatment was completely wiped clean even though being Thor completely healed her.
It’s going to be interesting seeing exactly how Marvel Studios works out these details in Jane’s story considering she hasn’t been seen in a leading role since 2013’s Thor: The Dark World . However, Portman’s specific mention that 1.) Foster is "going through cancer treatment" and 2.) Foster is "a superhero on the side" doesn’t seem like something that the filmmakers would simply ignore considering they’re already having her wield Mjolnir. No matter what, she’s going to be a big part of this next movie upon her return to the MCU.
Thor: Love and Thunder is set to begin shooting early in 2021, although recent photos could indicate that date coming sooner . The film is set for release on February 11, 2022.
