Natalie Portman debuted in the MCU as Jane Foster in the first Thor film, released in 2011. The actress would return for Thor: The Dark World in 2013 but she has been absent for almost a decade from the cinematic universe. She has provided some voiceover work for the character and she did make a brief appearance in Avengers: Endgame, using footage from Thor: The Dark World but Thor: Love And Thunder marks Portman’s return in a very big way. After seemingly being unhappy with her character’s direction in her first two appearances, along with Patty Jenkins being let go from Thor: The Dark World, it looked like Portman would be done with Marvel but director Taika Waitii reveals exactly how he convinced the actress to return in the latest sequel.
During a chat with Fandango, Waititi said he met with Portman and persuaded her to come back for Thor: Love And Thunder, and it all came down to the actress being able to have fun. She saw how Waititi changed things tonally with Thor: Ragnarok and the direction appealed to her because it was clear they’d be doing something very different compared to her first two appearances:
“I went to her house and she gave me a glass of water… I think that what we did with Ragnarok was, it made these movies appealing to other actors as well, like Christian [Bale] really he saw that and he was like, “I want to do something fun,” and came here, wanted to be part of this thing. And Natalie too and… I think that she was just wanting to make sure that… I don’t even know how to say this, but… her character in those first few films, it’s probably not the most exciting version of the female character that we want from these films… I had to just talk to her about the fact that I wanted to change that character, just like we’d changed Thor’s character for Ragnarok and to give her a bit more license to be adventurous and fun because Natalie’s a really funny person. And sometimes… those sorts of things cannot… I don’t know, they’re not the main focus when they come up with characters and you know in films.”
I always figured that Portman needed something more enticing to return. There is nothing wrong with her depiction of Jane Foster in those first two films but it is a bit of a thankless role and Portman is more than capable of bringing something even more if the material is on her level. Taking on the mantle of The Mighty Thor in this latest installment probably didn’t hurt matters.
Per the movie’s official synopsis, “The film finds Thor (Chris Hemsworth) on a journey unlike anything he’s ever faced – a quest for inner peace. But his retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Taika Waititi), and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who – to Thor’s surprise – inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor. Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late.”
Are YOU happy to see Natalie Portman return in Thor: Love And Thunder?