Natalie Portman is stepping back into the MCU in a big way with her return as Jane Foster in THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER. Portman won't just be the damsel in distress or armpiece for Chris Hemsworth's Thor in this installment. The actress will be picking up the Thor mantle herself and while specific plot details have been pretty limited, Portman seemingly confirmed a storyline involving her character that many fans already speculated.
While speaking with "Yahoo", Portman basically revealed that director Taika Waititi is adapting "The Mighty Thor" comics run which finds Jane Foster battling cancer and taking on the mantle of Thor at the same time:
“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 there 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.”
Waititi alluded to the fact that he was adapting this story but he also cautioned that things could change as they did on THOR: RAGNAROK which evolved even deep in production and post-production as Waititi adjusted the storyline for what would end up being one of the most popular MCU films to date. The cancer storyline might be a heavy one to adapt for a superhero film but Waititi has shown a knack for balancing over the top humor and the incredibly earnest moments in his films, with JOJO RABBIT being a prime example. This also sounds like a story that will properly utilize Portman's talents since she was essentially wasted in the first two THOR films she participated in.
A firm filming start-date for THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER hasn’t yet been completely confirmed, but word is that it will likely be in the first half of 2021. A lot of the Marvel schedule has been shuffled around due to the global pandemic but shooting schedules should be on track as long as they're following safety protocols wherever they plan on film. As of now, THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER, which also stars Tessa Thompson and Christian Bale, will be released in theaters on February 11, 2022.
What are YOUR thoughts on Waititi adapting this particular storyline for the film?