We first met Natalie Portman's Jane Foster in 2011's Thor, though the actor was very much relegated to "love interest." While she had a little more to do in 2013's Thor: The Dark World, the character was more damsel in distress than anything else, and it wasn't overly surprising when Portman seemingly decided to walk away from the role.
Now, she's set to return as Jane in Thor: Love and Thunder, though the Odinson's former flame will get a major upgrade when she becomes the Mighty Thor.
Talking in the video below, writer and director Taika Waititi shared his take on how the scientist has previously been portrayed on screen. "I think [Thor: Ragnarok] made these movies appealing to other actors. Christian [Bale] saw that and was like, 'I want to do something fun,' came here, [and] wanted to be part of this thing. And Natalie too."
"I think that she was just wanting to make sure that...I don’t even know how to say this, but her character in those first few films, it’s probably not the most exciting version of the female character that we want from these," the filmmaker continued. "I had to just talk to her about the fact that I wanted to change that character, just like we’d changed Thor’s character for Ragnarok and to give her a bit more license to be adventurous and fun because Natalie’s a really funny person."
Giving Portman a role she could sink her teeth into was clearly enough to convince her that returning to the MCU after nearly a decade was worth it. With Thor: Love and Thunder, she's gone from love interest to a superhero in her own right, and if we are getting that cancer storyline, there's also going to be a lot of dramatic material for the actor to explore.
Yesterday, Marvel Studios released a new set of posters for the Thor: Ragnarok follow-up and Jane was front and centre. Take a closer look at them by clicking here.
Thor: Love and Thunder promises to electrify audiences in theaters on July 8!