NATALIE PORTMAN IS COMING BACK!!! JANE FOSTER IS BECOMING THOR IN THE MCU!!!

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, OH MY GOSH PEOPLE!!!!  I’m never one to get crazy excited about the San Diego Comic Con announcements (or any con for that matter).  I read about ’em, sure.  I get excited about what’s revealed, of course.  But I’m not one to follow everything live on Twitter or YouTube or anything.  I certainly don’t normally write about reveals and things like that.  But Natalie Portman is returning and Jane Foster is becoming The Mighty Thor in Thor: Love and Thunder and this is a real thing that’s really happening.  And I was just too darn excited so I had to write something!  It is time to celebrate good times, c’mon!  WOOO HOOO!!!

Taika Waititi presents Natalie Portman with Mjölnir during their Hall H panel. / Photo Credit – Marvel,com

With the emotional extravaganza of Avengers: Endgame and it’s light/fun postscript Spider-Man: Far From Home behind us, Kevin Feige took the stage in San Diego Comic Con’s Hall H Saturday night to lay out what lies ahead for Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Yes, sure, there are a lot of exciting things coming down the line but there is NOTHING REMOTELY CLOSE to the unparalleled mega-brilliance Taika Waititi brought when he was introducing Thor: Love and Thunder.  As Marvel recounted on their site summarizing the Hall H news, “It was also revealed that someone from Thor’s story will return to the MCU – Natalie Portman will return for Marvel Studios’ Thor: Love and Thunder, joining stars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson.  Taika Waititi returns as director, and he confirmed that Jane Foster will become the Mighty Thor, goddess of Thunder. Marvel Studios’ Thor: Love and Thunder will arrive in theaters November 5, 2021.”

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!  THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING!!!!!!!  All day I’ve had a smile on my face and a bounce in my step.  I’m beaming!  I am so, so, sooooooooooo freaking excited about this!

The new logo for the film THAT WILL BRING JANE FOSTER’S THOR TO THE BIG SCREEN!!!! AAAAAAHHHHH!!!! / Photo Credit – Marvel.com

The funny thing is I didn’t even realize any of this had happened until Sunday morning.  As the Marvel Hall H presentations were going on Saturday night, Theresa texted me to tell me the title for the fourth Thor film was Thor: Love and Thunder.  Outside of thinking a) it kind of sounds like the title of a fanfic romance novel and b) I’m excited to see what Taika Waititi’s story will be with a title like that, I didn’t think much more of it.  I was too lost in reading (and loving!) Stephen King’s Bag of Bones to care much about SDCC.  Then Sunday morning I woke up to messages from a couple friends asking me what I thought about all the exciting MCU news we got.  So, in the service of being a good friend and a diligent comic geek, I did some googling and read the piece on Marvel.com which gave the recaps.  And then I saw it – something too good to be true but which was actually true.

Natalie Portman is returning.  Jane Foster is becoming Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Natalie Portman is returning.  Jane Foster is becoming Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Natalie Portman is returning.  Jane Foster is becoming Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

NATALIE PORTMAN IS RETURNING AND JANE FOSTER IS BECOMING THOR IN THE MCU!!!!!!

Okay, yeah, so I’m a wee bit excited.  But this news means a lot to me!  (And it’s not just because I wrote a piece in November of 2017 where I totally called this/told Marvel they should have Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster become Thor in the MCU (even though I totally did).)  This news means so much because Jane Foster’s Thor means so much to me.

AMEN.  And this sort of god – the worthiest of all gods – made for the most compelling comic stories I’ve ever read. / Photo Credit – Marvel Comics

All day I kept thinking about my return to reading new comic books back in 2015.  Since I first entered the Marvel Universe in 1986 with Web Of Spider-Man #12 when I was just three-years-old, I’ve read hundreds of comic books, seen hundreds of cartoons based on those stories, and, of course, watched dozens of movies inspired by those comics too.  I’ve created my own stories with action figures and worn my favorite characters emblazoned across my chest on t-shirts for decades.  But I stopped buying and reading new comic books when I turned sixteen and needed that money for gas and things like that.  It was a bittersweet moment and I didn’t know if I’d ever pick up a new comic book again.  But, as I’ve recounted before, two things happened that captivated my attention and made me itch to walk back into my local comic shop.  G. Willow Wilson gave the world a new Ms. Marvel in Kamala Khan.  And Jason Aaron had Jane Foster transform into the Mighty Thor.

Thor was always my favorite superhero growing up, second only to Spider-Man (obviously).  I had dozens and dozens of Thor comics that I lovingly read and reread time and again as a kid.  Hearing that the Odinson had become unworthy to lift Mjölnir was certainly a novel idea.  But hearing that Jane Foster was the one to take up the hammer and the mantle of Thor was something I had to read.  Suddenly a Marvel comic felt fresh, new, and relevant to me in a way they hadn’t for over fifteen years.  Something was happening that I needed to be a part of.  For a while I just read about Jane’s journey as Thor.  But once I crossed the threshold of my local comic shop again – ahhhh, it felt like coming home – the first thing I did was begin to get caught up on The Mighty Thor.  I needed this comic in my life!  I needed to know what this story was all about!

Thinking of Natalie Portman’s Thor alongside Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel is just one of a THOUSAND MILLIONS THINGS that I’m excited about. / Photo Credit – Marvel Comics

In an all-too-rare twist, what I found in the pages of The Mighty Thor far exceeded any expectations I had.  This comic was more brilliant, more moving, more exciting than I ever could have possibly imagined.  As I’ve said before, Russell Dauterman’s art combined with Matthew Wilson’s colors made for the most gorgeous, mystical, and majestic comic book I’ve ever seen.  The characters, the worlds, the adventures – I didn’t know comic art could do this!  And Jason Aaron wrote a story that was equally exciting, intelligent, soul-stirring, and thought-provoking.  As someone who’s seen more family members than I’d like battle cancer and some, thankfully, triumph over it, I found Jane’s own battle with cancer during her time as the Goddess of Thunder particularly poignant.  The whole thing, as I wrote about in my 300^th post, came together to make the single greatest comic book storyline I’ve ever read.

The Mighty Thor / Photo Credit – Marvel Comics

The idea of seeing my favorite comic storyline of all time being adapted for the MCU gives me chills!  Now, obviously, I don’t know how direct an adaptation this will be.  For example, I’m not sure we’ll see Jane battling cancer in the film if for no other reason than it doesn’t seem to fit with the vibe of Thor since Thor: Ragnarök reinvented that corner of the MCU.  Also, I don’t know if they’d put that sort of limit/struggle on a new character or, rather, a new incarnation of a character either.  Honestly, I don’t care.  The MCU has proven more than capable of adapting the decades of comic books they draw from, keeping the authentic heart of the characters and comics they bring to life while doing it in a way that feels organic to their own stories and surprises lifelong fans too.  Plus, the MCU has yet to let me down.  So I’ve nothing but hope, optimism, and wildly raging excitement for Jane’s birth as Thor Goddess of Thunder in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

How could I not be excited?  Taika Waititi is returning!  Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson are returning!  And Natalie Portman – one of my all time favorite actors who I’ve loved since she was Padmé Amidala and who has made some of my all time favorite films like Garden State, Closer, and V for Vendetta to name a few – is bringing my favorite comic book storyline of all time to life.  This is like the best news ever :).

I want to say a few things about Thor Odinson and how the birth of Jane’s Thor may or may not play out BUT that means I will be talking a little bit about Avengers: Endgame and as it still isn’t out to buy, rent, or stream yet I want to go ahead and give the obligatory spoiler warning.  Okay?  Okay.  If you’ve seen the film and/or are okay with spoilers (which you shouldn’t do to yourself!) just read on.  If not and if you want to savor the surprise, skip the paragraph between the two bonus spoiler-protection photos below.  Cool?  So cool.

Remember that thing about Natalie Portman, Chris Hemsworth, and Tessa Thompson all being back for this movie?  Yeah, I know, how could you forget?  Well here’s a picture that SHOWS THEM ALL TOGETHER while also helping GUARD YOU FROM SPOILERS.  So yeah, it’s pretty much a darn versatile image. / Photo Credit – Marvel.com

One of the most impressive things Avengers: Endgame illustrated was how they were capable of AND willing to write-out many of the original generation of Avengers without killing them.  So I’m not really worried that Thor: Love and Thunder will see the end of the Odinson as Jane rises to take up his mantle.  Nor do I expect to see Thor Odinson become “unworthy” because a) a big part of his arc in Avengers: Endgame was learning how he was “still worthy,” b) Mjölnir was destroyed by Hela in Thor: Ragnarök and Stormbreaker doesn’t appear to have a “worthiness” requirement as THANOS used it to try and kill Thor in Endgame, and c) the unworthy/broken God of Thunder doesn’t really seem to fit the light, fun, wild, wacky vibe of Taika Waititi’s work in the MCU thus far.  I think a more likely guess for how this will play out is we’ll see the Odinson give the name and the job to Jane.  Following his meeting with his mother in Avengers: Endgame, Thor begins to put her advice into practice in his life.  Frigga tells Thor he should give up on trying to be who he’s “supposed to be” – something we all fail at – and instead focus on being who he “is.”  Taking that to heart, he appoints Valkyrie ruler of Asgard and leaves with the Guardians of the Galaxy to figure out just who he is and what he wants to do.  In that vein, I can see Jane becoming Thor as the Odinson leaves to find out who he is.  This gives us a less dramatic turn over than we had in Aaron’s run.  It also means Odinson doesn’t have to be a regular presence in the narrative (as he was a regular plot/subplot in the comics, trying to figure out how to be worthy as Thor did her thing and protected the Nine Realms).  Lastly, it lets Chris Hemsworth leave the role while also leaving the door open for him should he ever want to return to the MCU in the future.

Taika Watiti, Natalie Portman, and Chris Hemsworth hang out on stage while Natalie looks clearly nervous that someone may’ve spoiled part of Avengers: Endgame for themselves.  What can I say?  She’s nice like that. / Photo Credit – Marvel.com

Regardless of how it happens, I CANNOT WAIT to see Thor come alive on screen!  Imagine Thor and Valkyrie protecting the people of Asgard and all the Nine Realms together!  Imagine Thor and Captain Marvel standing, side by side, battling alien threats on different worlds.  Imagine (as I first wrote about back in that November 2017 post) Kat Denning reprising her role as Darcy and seeing Darcy and Jane explore the cosmos together, lost in wonder and humor, as Jane learns what it means to be a goddess.  There is SO MUCH exciting potential here!

Everyone likes to talk about “their” version of characters.  Of course we do!  Those are the ones that made the character and their world mean something to us, the ones that left and indelible mark.  For me, ever since meeting her in the comics, I’ve been absolutely sure of one thing.  In my life and in my heart Jane Foster will always be Thor.  I dig the Odinson.  I’ve always loved Eric Masterson.  Beta Rey Bill is cool (and I love that he’s a Guardian of the Galaxy in the comics now).  But Jane Foster is Thor.  Now I get to see her come to life on the big screen too :).  Life doesn’t get much better than this.

I couldn’t have said it better myself, Thor.  WOOOO HOOOO!!! / Photo Credit – Marvel Comics