Natalie Portman Is Rejoining Thor & This Time She Wields The Hammer

The Mighty Thor is heading back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe — this time, played by Natalie Portman.

At the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel Studios confirmed Portman will reprise the role of Jane Foster in Thor: Love and Thunder. But that’s not all: true to Jane’s character arc in the comics, Portman will also appear as Thor, Goddess of Thunder.

Portman previously played Jane in Thor and Thor: The Dark World before leaving the series. From Thanos to Ragnarok, quite a bit has happened in the MCU since she has been gone — and now, Jane may very well be the hero we need to save the world (or...the universe?) from the next big threat.

“So thrilled to share the news with you today at #sdcc2019 that I’ll be returning to the @marvel #mcu as female Thor with legends @taikawaititi @tessamaethompson and @chrishemsworth,” Portman wrote on Instagram. She jokingly added, “Remember this as the before picture for when I get jacked.”

At Comic-Con, director Taika Waititi (who helmed the hit Thor: Ragnarok) and stars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson took to the stage to introduce the sequel, openly speculating about Thor and Valkyrie’s next big adventure. After the events of Avengers: Endgame, if you remember, Thor was left a bit worse for wear and headed off with the Guardians of the Galaxy, while Valkyrie continued to rule as the leader of New Asgard.

“I think, first of all...as new king, she needs to find her queen,” Thompson said, teasing Valkyrie as the MCU’s first out LGBTQ+ superhero. “That will be her first order of business. She has some ideas.”

Thompson promised to keep fans posted — and as a woman of her word, she later posted a photo on her Instagram stories of herself and Portman hugging onstage. “Queen hunting,” Thompson wrote.

While the plot specifics for Thor: Love and Thunder were kept under wraps, Waititi said he drew inspiration from The Mighty Thor storyline by Jason Aaron, which introduced a female Thor to the comics. He added that Portman, who made a surprise entrance to triumphantly wield the hammer Mjolnir, was clearly the only option to take up the mantle of the mighty Thor.

The hammer, by the way, is a fickle thing: one must be worthy of it, and a notable scene in Avengers: Age of Ultron proved that not just any hero can wield Mjolnir. For those keeping score at home, the last person besides Thor himself to use the hammer was Captain America, who lived up to Mjolnir’s lofty standards during a pivotal scene in Endgame. Now Jane will join those ranks.

“I always had a little hammer envy,” Portman said at Comic-Con, but there’s no need to any longer — it’s a natural fit.

Thor: Love and Thunder arrives in theaters November 2021.