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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a behemoth film property, one that is constantly expanding. The wait for Phase Four has been longer than expected, but there are some highly anticipated projects coming to theaters, including Taika Waititi's Thor: Love and Thunder. Moviegoers are eager to see the Ragnarok director return to the MCU, especially since the movie will also include the return of Natalie Portman's Jane Foster. But did the Oscar winning actress just accidentally reveal a spoiler for the blockbuster?
Natalie Portman's Jane Foster was a major presence throughout the first two Thor movies, but was noticeably absent for Phase Three including Thor: Ragnarok. Fans are eager to see her return to the shared universe, especially because she'll be transforming into Mighty Thor throughout its runtime. Moviegoers have been curious about how closely the movie will be following this comic book plot line, and Portman seemingly confirmed one major plot point during a recent interview. As she said,
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.
Well, that seems pretty cut and dry. Fans have been wondering if Jane Foster's battle with cancer would also be making its way into Thor: Love and Thunder. While Taika Waititi never officially confirmed said plot line to be in his upcoming Marvel blockbuster, Natalie Portman's comments seem to indicate that the upcoming movie will be a rather faithful adaptation of the Mighty Thor comics.
Natalie Portman's comments to Fatherly are sure to blow the collective mind of the Marvel fandom. It seemed that the 39 year-old actress had retired from her Marvel role, so her inclusion in Thor: Love and Thunder extremely exciting-- especially as Jane will finally get into the action as Mighty Thor. And the confirmation of Jane's cancer plot line is sure to give Portman plenty of A+ material to work with in the highly anticipated blockbuster.
Marvel fans can re-watch Natalie Portman's time in the MCU on Disney+. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.
In the Mighty Thor comics, Thor is deemed unworthy of wielding mjolnir. Jane Foster eventually takes on the legendary weapon and transforms into the hero, but there's a price. She's simultaneously battling cancer, and the transformation rids her body of chemotherapy treatments. So each time she becomes Mighty Thor, she actually worsens her health once going back to the Jane.
It should be interesting to see exactly how Taika Waititi approached this difficult subject matter. Cancer has affected countless people across the world, and it's a surprisingly real-world issue for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But Waititi has shown his ability to tackle painful subject matter, while also providing laughs and heart along the way. Just look at his Oscar winning work on Jojo Rabbit.
Thor: Love and Thunder is currently expected to arrive in theaters February 11th, 2022. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next movie experience.
