'Thor: Love and Thunder' could explain why Jane broke up with Thor using a key storyline from the comics
There’s a new Thor in town and she’s ... well, a she. When ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ rolls into theaters in November 2021, audiences will get to see Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) pick up the hammer of Thor, the goddess of thunder, for the first time.
Speaking at the San Diego Comic-Con 2019, director Taika Waititi revealed that the fourth ‘Thor’ movie will be adapting Jason Aaron’s acclaimed comic book series ‘The Mighty Thor’. Waititi said: "That storyline is incredible, is full emotion, love and thunder, and introduces for the first time, female Thor."
Jane has been absent from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) for quite a while now. The last time we saw her in an MCU film was in ‘Thor: The Dark World’ all the way back in 2013. After that, we know she was considered for a Nobel prize and that she broke up with Thor sometime after ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’.
‘The Mighty Thor’ comic books have some elements that could help explain Jane’s absence and the end of her relationship. In that storyline, Jane suffers from cancer but still takes on the mantle of Thor (after the Odinson ceased to be worthy of Mjolnir) in order to defend the realms from evil.
Unfortunately, every time she transforms into Thor, the effects of her chemotherapy are reversed, bringing her ever closer to death. How does that figure in the MCU, you ask? Well, in her last appearance, Jane was infected with the Aether, one of the Infinity Stones. She didn’t seem to have suffered any ill effects after having the volatile substance extracted from her body, which is surprising considering how devastating the Stones can be when used by a mortal (just ask Tony Stark).
It’s possible that the Aether may have given Jane cancer, which may have been part of the reason why she broke up with Thor. We never really found out why their relationship ended but it is entirely possible that Jane may have dumped her immortal boyfriend as a consequence of being brought face to face with her own mortality.
While that would explain Jane’s absence from the MCU and Thor’s life, Mjolnir was destroyed by Hela (Cate Blanchett) in the third 'Thor' movie so 'Thor: Love and Thunder' will have to find some way to bring it back. Perhaps an alternate universe version of the hammer could be brought into play during ‘Doctor Strange in the Madness of the Multiverse’ or the hammer could be reforged in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’.
Now that time travel and the multiverse are in play in the MCU, literally, anything is possible. Regardless of how Waititi plans to arm his new hero, she will need an enemy to face and ‘The Mighty Thor’ has quite a few to offer. Some of the villains in the series, like Malekith the Accursed and the Roxxon Corporation, have already been introduced in the MCU but our money is on the rampaging beast known as Mangog.
Mangog is a being born of the hatred of a billion beings from a race eradicated by Odin. It is a monstrous creature with strength and power far beyond that of Thor, making it an extremely formidable opponent.
‘Thor: Ragnarok’ revealed the hidden history of genocide upon which Odin built his kingdom, which perfectly sets up Mangog for the upcoming movie. Not only would the creature be an excellent opponent for the female Thor, but it also works perfectly well with the narrative of colonialism which Waititi has introduced into the ‘Thor’ franchise.
Not to mention, there’s a lot of comedic potential in the raging hate-monster that the movie could tap into. Waititi is sure to bring his own twist to ‘The Mighty Thor’ but just by choosing to adapt that particular storyline, he has already captured our attention. There’s still a long way to go before we get to see our new Thor make her debut and we’ll be counting the days till her arrival.
‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ will arrive in theaters November 5, 2021.