The grand transition from comic books to silver screens has allowed tent pole production companies to bring some of their source material’s most instrumental moments to the cinema. In some cases, they’ve built upon the ideas that comics have lent them and elevated the simplest of possibilities into large-scale cinematic events. Indeed, Marvel Studios has been no stranger to subtlety when illustrating Marvel Comics through film and television. Some of the most memorable turning points from the comics have been explored through more extravagant creative liberty. As theMarvel Cinematic Universefinds its groove within its most current phase, post-The Infinity Saga, it means that Marvel Studios is following the risk-taking editorial decisions that the comics previously faced head-on, giving the more niche storylines a change in the spotlight and one notable example is the addition of Jane Foster’s iconic Thor storyline inThor: Love and Thunder.
Updated June 14, 2025: Following recent developments and delays in the MCU, this article has been updated with more material to reflect the current state of the popular franchise.
Thor: Love and Thunderpromised to be more than just a collaboration between Taika Waititi and Marvel Studios. Following his work onThor: Ragnarök,the fourthThorfilm planned to hold a wealth of character crossovers and introduce new plot lines from the comics, with Jane Foster’s transition into becoming the Mighty Thor nestled at the heart ofThor: Love and Thunder. When this was first announced, many fans thought it was a somewhat surprising direction for theThorfranchise to go in, especially sinceNatalie Portman wasn’t inThor: Ragnarok. What’s more, the actress had previously confirmed no desire to return to the franchise. Of course, it’s exciting that MCU’s Jane Foster has returned and followed in her comic book counterpart’s footsteps. However, after the scene depicting Jane Foster’s transformation into the Norse god of thunder was noticeably absent fromThor: Love and Thunder, fans were left with many questions about how exactly does Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster become the Mighty Thor?
Jane’s History as Thor in the Comics
Jane Foster was first introduced in Marvel Comics inJourney Into Mystery#84 in September 1962 and was a member of Thor’s supporting cast as his primary love interest. This was the status quo for the character for years and was the basis for her arrival in the MCU whenNatalie Portman played the characterin 2011’sThor. In 1978 an issue of the comic seriesWhat If…?imagined what would happen if Jane Foster became Thor, which served as the inspiration for the character to become The Mighty Thor in October 2014. When The Mighty Thor first appeared, readers were not privy to who was wielding Thor’s hammer. Her identity was not revealed until May 2015.
In Marvel Comics, Thor Odinson is off battling Gorr the God Butcher while Jane Foster fights a battle of her own: breast cancer. She is offered forms of magical treatments to lessen her suffering, though she ultimately refuses. Jane only accepts chemotherapy, undergoing this draining treatment while she represents Midgard as a member of the Congress of Worlds. Thor struggles to regain his ability to control Mjolnir during combat against Nick Fury, and eventually, the hammer finds itself inhabiting the moon, unsupervised by any being. Mjolnir calls out to Jane telepathically in an attempt to seek her out as its rightful master. Jane is reluctant to admit that she and Mjolnir are bonded, though succumbs to its calls. Heimdall is called on for assistance when Jane decides to retrieve the hammer from the moon, and once she claims Mjolnir as her own, she is bestowed with the power of Thor. After studying Thor for years, Jane teaches herself how to harness her newfound power.
How Does Jane Become Thor In The MCU
There had been whispers about how Jane would take on the moniker of the Mighty Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with many thinking that Waititi’s screenplay would closely follow the foundation laid out by the comics.Christian Bale had been cast as Gorr the God Butcher, a necessary component to a faithful adaptation of Jane becoming the Mighty Thor. However, The God Butcher positioning themselves to pose some sort of threat overThor: Love and Thunderdo not exactly give away the panel-to-screen translation of the comics to Marvel Studios. Because Mjolnir does not directly transfer its powers to those who are deemed worthy of wielding it within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Jane could not instantaneously undergo a thunderous transformation on-screen.
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Theconcept of variants flooding the MCUhad raised questions previously about whether The Mighty Thor may be a variant of Jane from an alternative timeline, and after the ending ofLove and Thunder, it does not seem unlikely that this could explain her return in the future if the character does make another appearance at all. However,Portman’s returnkept the answer much simpler. Jane would still be Jane, and she would not suddenly look like an entirely different person. However, the film did not quite explain her transition like the comics had. As far as the audience could tell from what dialogue was left in the film, Mjolnir called Jane when she visited the broken relic in New Asgard. Because Thor (Chris Hemsworth) had previously asked his beloved hammer to watch over Jane and protect her, Mjolnir came to life to give her the powers of Thor. This serves to protect her by giving her the power of Thor.
Lady Thor vs. The Mighty Thor: Is There a Difference?
The exact terminology of Marvel’s characters has the potential to be buried beneath alias upon an alias, where one character falls under many names across the multitude of the multiverse. After Mjolnir deems Jane worthy of carrying it for herself and bearing Thor’s powers, she is primarily known asthe Mighty Thor. While many have called her Lady Thor, this is a name that both the character within Marvel Comics and the MCU has fought back against. Notably, when Gorr the God Butcher calls her Lady Thor, she fights back and corrects him saying her name is Dr. Jane Foster or The Mighty Thor. The Mighty Thor is a good way to distinguish her from Thor Odinson.
Marvel Studios fans may not always find themselves rummaging through long boxes of comics to prep themselves for the next blockbuster preparing to dominate theaters worldwide. Regardless, the film touches on this matter a bit, offering something of an explanation to its audience. Jane does not transform into a god-like being like Thor himself. While she does get to wield his powers while in her Mighty Thor form, she is not permanently altered. Instead, she returns to her weakened human form once she lets go of the hammer. Jane can only be the super-powered version of herself so long as her human form is strong enough to survive. This is contrasted with Thor, who has godlike strength and durability by nature.
Jane Foster’s Future in the MCU
Thor: Love and Thunderpromised to shuffle a well-established hierarchy and shake up the current standings of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As The Infinity Saga came to a close, the Multiverse Saga has seen a number of torch-passing from character to character throughout projects. The trend of legacies being taken on by others was first triggered by Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) trusting Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) with the Captain America shield at the end ofAvengers: Endgame. From there, he shed the title of the Falcon and assumed the role of Captain America inThe Falcon and the Winter Soldierand will leadCaptain America: Brave New World. Similarly, Kate Bishop is granted permission to call herself “Hawkeye” as the first season of theHawkeyeseries drew to a close, signifying a shift toward her claiming Clint Barton’s (Jeremy Renner) spot as the MCU’s designated archer. Yelena Belova has become the new Black Widow in the place of her sister’s passing, andBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverintroduced Riri Williams, aka Ironheart, into the MCU before her Disney+ series, filling the role left by the passing of Tony Stark’s Iron Man.
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This led many to believe thatThor: Love and Thunderwould see Chris Hemsworth pass the franchise over to Natalie Portman’s Mighty Thor. Yet that didn’t happen. Instead,Thor: Love and Thunderplayed out similarly to the comics where Jane Foster does die of her cancer. Yet the film’s post-credit scene showed that Jane Foster entered Valhalla. This could be read as giving Jane a proper ending or leaving the door open for her character to return from the dead. A version of Jane Foster’s Mighty Thor could appear in the growing Multiverse Saga, includingAvengers: Secret Wars, where she plays a prominent role in the comic storyline. While many fans would love to see the Thor they’ve come to know and love remain in the MCU, it is only fair to assume that Hemsworthwill move onat some point, leaving the real question to be who, if anyone at all, will take up his position in the Avengers.
