Natalie Portman Says She Didn’t Know She Was Going to Play Thor

The future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will explore the legacy of superheroes who helped create the money-printing franchise, with characters like Captain America, Hawkeye, and Black Widow extending their legacies to the next generation. That’s also the case for Thor, as the next film in his franchise will adapt the popular Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman comic The Mighty Thor in which Jane Foster becomes the new God of Thunder in Thor: Love and Thunder. And according to returning actress Natalie Portman, she had no idea that this was part of the plan.

Portman recently appeared on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon to discuss her new role with Marvel Studios, revealing that she was shocked that she would become the new Thor.

“I did not know. I mean I was aware that there was a storyline, but I didn’t know that they were actually planning on doing that in the movies,” Portman said.

She also said that the big reveal at San Diego Comic-Con was “nerve-wracking” and that the hammer she lifted in Hall H was surprisingly heavy.

“I didn’t get to practice ahead of time, so I picked it up and it was kind of heavy!”

Portman returns to the franchise alongside stars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, who were all confirmed to be reprising their original roles of Thor Odinson and Valkyrie respectively. Now that Thor is wielding his axe, we’ll likely see a new development with Mjolnir and find out that Jane Foster has become Worthy of brandishing the hammer.

Portman previously spoke with Entertainment Tonight about her absence in Thor: Ragnarok, explaining that there was simple explanation as to why she wasn’t included in the third film.

“They came to me. Obviously I wasn’t written into the third Thor because of where it took place. It wasn’t really on Earth and my character was on Earth,” Portman explained. “And then they came to me with the fourth idea and said, you know, ‘We have this idea, that was a storyline in some of the comics, where Jane becomes Lady Thor.’ And I was like, this is very exciting. And also of course with Taika, and I love Tessa [Thompson] and Chris [Hemsworth] so much. So it’s exciting to get to work with them again. And yeah, I’m very excited to wield the hammer.”

We’ll see how the Marvel Cinematic Universe reacts to Jane Foster’s debut as a superhero when Thor: Love and Thunder premieres in theaters on November 5, 2021.