With Natalie Portman’s return in Thor: Love and Thunder, many fans are curious about her version of Thor. It’s a bit confusing as her character of Jane Foster seemed unlikely to ever reappear after the events of Thor: The Dark World. It’ll be an interesting reunion as she’ll appear as “The Mighty Thor,” whether temporary or permanent. Things get even more confusing when you consider that Hela destroyed Mjolnir in Thor: Ragnarok. This leaves a lot of questions when considering the method of which Jane will become “The Mighty Thor.” Her options appear to be Mjolnir, Stormbreaker, or an entirely new weapon (as unlikely as that sounds).
Jane Using Mjolnir
During Jane Foster’s tenure as Thor, during Jason Aaron’s run of The Mighty Thor, she wielded Mjolnir after Thor (Odinson) became unworthy. Thanks to the enchantment placed by Odin, it gave her the “power” of Thor. However, Hela destroyed the weapon in Thor: Ragnarok so how could it reappear? The most likely ways are to introduce a multiversal Mjolnir or simply have the characters use the shattered remains of Mjolnir to create a new one.
Introducing a multiverse-based Mjolnir wouldn’t be from Jason Aaron’s run of The Mighty Thor. During that series, the hammer of Ultimate Thor fell to Earth-616 and was utilized by Volstagg after Odinson refused it. This hammer transformed Volstagg into a figure known as the War Thor. He fought Thor (Jane Foster) and lost and later suffered another defeat at the hands of Mangog. Later on, this hammer was heavily damaged by Mangog and Volstagg was unable to transform into the War Thor.
During The War of the Realms event, Jane Foster takes the damaged Mjolnir and is able to reunite the fragments into a temporary replacement for Mjolnir. This lasts just long enough for Jane to help defeat Malekith and save the various realms. After these events, she becomes the new Valkyrie using a new weapon from the fragments of the Ultimate Thor hammer. Since director Taika Waititi has stated Jason Aaron’s run is a huge inspiration, it would be surprising if he didn’t read The War of the Realms and consider certain events from it like Jane Foster using a broken Mjolnir.
Jane Using Stormbreaker
Originally known from Marvel Comics as the weapon of Beta Ray Bill, Stormbreaker was reintroduced to audiences in Avengers: Infinity War. Within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the weapon was forged as a new weapon for Thor. Originally intended to be his weapon once he became King of Asgard, the weapon augments Thor’s natural abilities and provides him access to the Bifrost at will. This is a huge difference to Mjolnir as that weapon, according to Odin, was simply a tool to focus his powers. Jane Foster could technically use Stormbreaker since it lacks a worthiness enchantment although the power may kill her.
During conversations about a weapon like Stormbreaker in Avengers: Infinity War, Thor stated to the Guardians of the Galaxy that none of them were strong enough to hold Stormbreaker. In his words, “Your bodies would crumble as your minds collapsed into madness.” The only possible exception to this claim is when Captain America held Stormbreaker briefly in Avengers: Endgame. The possible explanation for this scene is that Captain America already had the “powers” of Thor at this point because it’s after he uses Mjolnir.
It’s worth noting Stormbreaker in the MCU is visually based upon the hammer used by Ultimate Thor. This weapon later appears in Earth-616 and empowers Volstagg when he became the War Thor. When Jane Foster helps Thor fight Malekith during the final battle of The War of the Realms, she uses a damaged Ultimate Mjolnir so potentially Taika could let this visually inspire him to recreate the scene with Jane Foster and Stormbreaker. This is assuming Stormbreaker never finds its way to Beta Ray Bill within the MCU.
A New Weapon
Another option is that a new weapon is given to Jane altogether, even if it’s the least likely option. Speculation online has mentioned a vibranium Mjolnir, Stark-tech Mjolnir, and other weapons Thor has used in the past such as the battle-axe he used once unworthy. For the possibility of a weapon made of vibranium or by Wakanda it doesn’t make sense because Jane Foster would need a relationship with T’Challa or at least Shuri. A Stark-tech weapon is mostly seen in speculation attempting to connect Thor: Love and Thunder with Thor’s clone Ragnarok from the Civil War comic event.
In my opinion, the introduction of a new weapon would be interesting but just lack logic within the continuity of the MCU. It makes more sense to rebuild Mjolnir from the shattered remains in Norway with help from a character like Valkyrie or a still unknown character. The real question would be how long Jane Foster’s tenure as Thor in the MCU would last.
Which weapon do you think Jane Foster will use in Thor: Love and Thunder? Let us know your thoughts on Jane Foster’s return in the comments!
