Back in July during the San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel Studios announced that Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster would not only be returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but in the guise of the Mighty Thor, in 2021’s Thor: Love and Thunder.
The news was somewhat surprising, as Portman was left out of the cast of Thor: Ragnarok when it was announced back in 2016, with the Oscar-winner subsequently stating that she believed she was “done” with Marvel. However, despite speculation over her absence, the actress has now revealed a rather simple explanation for why Jane wasn’t part of Ragnarok:
“Obviously, I wasn’t written into it because of where it took place,” Portman told Entertainment Tonight. “It wasn’t really on Earth, and my character is on Earth.”
She then went on to discuss how her upcoming return came about, adding that: “[Marvel] 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’. I love Tessa and Chris so much, so it’s exciting to work with them again.”
SEE ALSO: Kevin Feige explains why Natalie Portman is returning for Thor: Love and Thunder
Thor: Love and Thunder is set for release on November 5th 2021, with Taika Waititi directing Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Natalie Portman (Jane Foster) and Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie), as well as reprising his own role as Korg.