There’s been a lot of fan speculation about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe after the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4, as the original Avengers cast members are expected to start cycling out of the franchise, with some new stars taking prominence in the MCU.
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Thanks to Marvel Comics, the Avengers characters don’t need to disappear from the franchise, as the comic book source material has made it just as easy for characters like Iron Man, Captain America and Thor to pass their mantles on to new inheritors. To that point, Thor: Ragnarok star Karl Urban thinks that the mantle of Thor should be passed from Chris Hemsworth to a female star, as has been the case in recent years of Marvel Comics.
Urban said as much in a recent interview with with MFR, during Thor: Ragnarok’s press junket: “I think it’s time – I think it’s well overdue, absolutely. I’d like to see that movie, why not.”
In the comics, the mantle of Thor was passed on to a cancer-stricken Jane Foster, after Thor lost the ability to wield Mjolnir. The female Thor kept her true identity a secret from Marvel Comics readers at first, but has since become a fan-favorite character, despite the inevitable complaints from some fans about the gender switch.
With Marvel Studios clearly diversifying their cinematic universe right now, it seems almost inevitable that we’ll see the female Thor onscreen at some point. The question is whether or not the character will still be Jane Foster, as Natalie Portman has been none too subtle about her ambivalence with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Catch Thor: Ragnarok in theaters on November 3, 2017.
