It’s raining Marvel content this weekend as a new look at Thor: Love and Thunder has arrived, offering a high definition still of Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster donning the Mighty Thor armor. Thor franchise star Chris Hemsworth is also beside her in his new suit, the fourth film is expected to center over the God of Thunder’s quest for inner peace but not before dealing with Christain Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher.
The new still from Thor 4 teases Foster’s on-screen return after 2013’s Thor: The Dark World. Interestingly, speaking in terms of MCU’s timezone – Thor hasn’t seen his ex-girlfriend for a long time and in fact, the break-up was casually addressed in Thor: Ragnarok. But speaking to Empire, director Taika Waititi assures her return will affect the God of Thunder.
“It’s been about eight years,” Waititi said. “She’s had a whole other life, and then the love of your life comes back on the scene, and is now dressed like you. It’s a real mindfuck for Thor.”
EXCLUSIVE IMAGE ALERT ⚡️
Jane Foster's return in #ThorLoveAndThunder is "a real mindfuck for Thor," says Taika Waititi.
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— Empire Magazine (@empiremagazine) May 7, 2022
It’s unclear how Marvel will address Foster being worthy of wielding Mjolnir though it should be noted that the fourth installment has picked inspiration from Jason Aaron’s The Mighty Thor comic run. Its adaptation was something even Waititi wasn’t aware of till he began working on the story.
“I didn’t know we were going to use the storyline of the Mighty Thor character until we started working out the actual story,” says Waititi of Love And Thunder. “I was writing and it was like, ‘Wouldn’t it be kind of cool to bring Jane back into the storyline?’” In doing so, the director didn’t want to tread familiar ground. “You don’t want Natalie coming back and playing that same character who’s walking around with science equipment. You know, while Thor’s flying around, she’s left on Earth, tapping her foot going, ‘When’s he going to be back?’ That’s boring. You want her to be part of the adventure.”
What’s clear is Foster’s Mjolnir is the shattered hammer that was destroyed by Hela in Ragnarok. It remains to be seen who helped fix Mjolnir though all evidence points to Peter Dinklage’s Eitri the dwarf King from Avengers: Endgame. Thor: Love and Thunder also sees the return of Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Jaimie Alexander as Lady Sif and on the new addition, Russell Crowe as Zeus.
Thor: Love and Thunder arrives on July 8.
