Wait … what??
Credit: Marvel Studios
Natalie Portman’s surprise return as Jane Foster in Thor: Love & Thunder – which will make Jane Foster worthy of Mjolnir and transform her into Thor, as in comic books – follows her absence from the preceding Thor film, Ragnarok. And now, Portman has addressed Foster’s absence from that movie directly, offering an explanation of why she didn’t pop in for a cameo.
“Obviously, I wasn’t written into [Thor: Ragnarok] because of where it took place,” Portman told Entertainment Tonight. “It wasn’t really on Earth, and my character is on Earth.”
Thor: Ragnarok takes place primarily on Asgard and the remote planet Sakaar, with brief bookends on Earth.
As for how Waititi and Marvel Studios got Portman back in the fold, the answer is simple – they promised her a hammer.
“They came to me with the idea and said, ‘We have this idea for you that was a storyline in some of the comics where Jane becomes Lady Thor,’ and I was like, ‘This is very exciting!'” Portman explained. “I’m very excited to wield the hammer.”
Thor: Love & Thunder is scheduled for a November 5, 2021 theatrical release.