Spoiler Warning: Thor: Love and Thunder
Thor: Love and Thunder was likely the funniest installment in the God of Thunder’s solo MCU films. It is possible that the film, directed by Taika Waititi, who also directed the film’s equally raucous predecessor, Thor: Ragnarok, was the funniest overall film in the history of the MCU. However, Love and Thunder isn’t all screaming goats and orgiastic Olympians. Thor: Love and Thunder may be as macabre as it is hilarious.
The film’s primary villain, Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), is a terrifying pale specter who wields an incredibly powerful black blade. Additionally, the film is filled with pain, and there are almost no characters who escape losing loved ones.
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Though reviews for the recently released film are somewhat mixed, there is one element of Thor: Love and Thunder that is above reproach: the incredible performance of Natalie Portman in her return to the role of Jane Foster, Thor’s love interest and a world-renowned scientist. The film’s beginning sees a cancer-stricken Jane Foster stubbornly attempting to craft a cure for her own illness. Shortly thereafter, spurned by research into Nordic mythology, Portman’s Foster pays a visit to the remnants of Thor’s hammer Mjolnir, which bonds to the sick scientist and grants her the powers of the God of Thunder.
Unfortunately, Foster’s newfound superpowers do little to quell her illness, and at the end of Thor: Love and Thunder, she tragically passes away. However, it is possible that not all is lost. Here is how Jane Foster could return in future MCU projects.
Jane Foster in the Multiverse of Mighty Norsemen
Marvel Studios
The multiverse has become part and parcel with the current phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The most prominent example of this phenomenon was the recently released Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which featured alternate reality alter egos of many Marvel characters and cameos from Marvel staples that have yet to appear in an Avengers franchise film. The multiverse is theoretically infinite.
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Obviously, this opens up a whole host of potential issues, but it also serves as a convenient plot device for bringing back deceased characters in MCU projects. Jane Foster now counts herself among the legions of fan-favorite Marvel characters who have passed away, and it’s possible that the multiverse (guided by the delicate hands of Marvel creatives) could reintroduce audiences to the character.
Additionally, Thor: Love and Thunder introduced audiences to Omnipotence City, a megalopolis suspended in the clouds that is called home by the universe’s most powerful deities. Though the gods were more focused on orgies than doing anything of value for the universe, the possibilities of introducing such a massive collection of all-powerful beings to the MCU are limitless. Who knows how many of the deities in Omnipotence City have the capability to raise the dead? Given the right motivation, any number of gods and goddesses could bring Jane Foster back to life.
Jane’s Entry Into Valhalla Could Be a Way Back
The last post-credits scene in Thor: Love and Thunder give hope to the countless Marvel film fans who were heartbroken over the death of Jane Foster. In the scene, we see Jane Foster walking into Valhalla, a plane of the afterlife in Norse mythology that is reserved for warriors who died in battle. Upon entry, she is greeted by Heimdall (Idris Elba), the former guardian of the cosmic bridge to Asgard who perished in the events of Thor: Ragnarok.
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It’s possible that Valhalla is accessible through the same channels as the larger multiverse. As such, the potential for a future MCU project to explore this mythological afterlife, and to bring back all the powerful warriors who now call it home (which could even include Marvel staples who died in battle that are entirely unrelated to Thor solo films, like Iron Man), will likely be too tempting a proposition for Marvel creatives to ignore.
Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster was likely the best part of Thor: Love and Thunder. The character, who in previous films relied solely on her intellect to compete with the cosmic entities and superheroes that fill out the MCU’s roster, was finally given a brawn to match her brains. It was incredibly difficult to see Natalie Portman’s beloved character pass at the conclusion of the film. However, the Marvel fanatics who stuck around through the credits could find solace in the character’s brief on-screen return.
It’s unclear what future Jane Foster will have in the MCU. However, given the rapidly expanding multiverse traversing capabilities of various Marvel characters, it could be that a simple wave of a powerful being’s hands could bring her back in an instant.
