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The Marvel Cinematic Universe has become a behemoth in the entertainment world over the last decade and change of filmmaking. Fans are eager to dive back into the franchise in Phase Four, and there are a ton of highly anticipated projects coming down the line. Chief among them is Taika Waititi's Thor: Love and Thunder, which is currently in pre-production in Australia. Chris Hemsworth recently shared a shirtless photo of himself getting into superhero shape, and Natalie Portman's response is A+.
After stepping away from the MCU for Phase Three, Natalie Portman is returning to her role as Jane Foster in Thor: Love and Thunder. Fans are eager to see her transform into Mighty Thor, with the Oscar-winning actress previously lamenting the fitness regimen required for the role. Portman was recently asked about her co-star Chris Hemsworth's latest viral shirtless post, to which she said:
He's looking good. It's a lot of pressure. I'm gonna look like his little grandma next to him.
Same, though. Chris Hemsworth is known for his superhero physique, with action roles like Extraction requiring a ton of difficult stunt work and fight choreography. Thor's personality is as big as his biceps, so Hemsworth is usually often swoll when filming installments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Meanwhile, Natalie Portman is all of us in the situation, as it's likely easy to feel dwarfed by the 6'3 actor.
Natalie Portman's joke about Chris Hemsworth comes from her recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. The accomplished actor was able to speak in vaguest terms about being in pre-production for Thor: Love and Thunder in Sydney. Eventually the subject turned to Chris Hemsworth's latest viral photo that made its rounds as he prepares to once again play the OG Avenger. As a reminder, you can see that post below.
When you're co-star is looking this ripped, you can't blame Natalie Portman for feeling like a "little grandma" next to him. While Portman has continued to work as an actress, that level of fitness hasn't been required of her roles. But Thor: Love and Thunder will no doubt start endless comparisons, as her character becomes Mighty Thor and finally gets in on the superhero action herself.
Natalie Portman's tenure in the MCU is available on Disney+. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.
While Natalie Portman's character Jane Foster harkens back to Phase One and the original Thor movie, she was noticeably absent from the last slate of movies. Taika Waititi brought new life to the franchise with Thor: Ragnarok, before the filmmaker went on to win an Oscar for his work on Jojo Rabbit. Waititi was able to convince Portman to return to the role for Love and Thunder, with the intention of making Jane into a full-blown superhero in the process.
Fans are eager to see the Mighty Thor story adapted for film, and it sounds like it'll be fairly accurate to the source material. In Thor: Love and Thunder Jane will indeed be granted the powers of the God of Thunder, each transformation comes with a cost. Because the character will also be battling cancer, and (in the comics) each time she becomes Mighty Thor her much needed chemotherapy treatments are purged from her body.
Thor: Love and Thunder is currently expected to arrive in theaters February 11th, 2022. In the meantime, check out our 2021 release list to plan your trips to the movies next year.
