Avengers: Infinity War Tie-in Novel Hints at Jane Foster’s Mighty Thor Origin in Love & Thunder

The events of Avengers: Infinity War & Avengers: Endgame set the stage for a bold new era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which we’ll see unfold in the upcoming slate of Phase 4 movies and TV series. One of the most surprising reveals by Marvel Studios is that Natalie Portman‘s Jane Foster will take on the mantle of “The Mighty Thor,” in the upcoming sequel Thor: Love & Thunder.

Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi is making this move of bringing Jane Foster’s Thor into the MCU is a big deal for the franchise – and now, thanks to one of the Avengers: Infinity War tie-in novels, we may have our first hint as to why Jane will be chosen as the worthy carrier of Thor’s hammer!

Screen Rant dug back through Brandon T. Snider’s Infinity War tie-in novel The Cosmic Quest Volume II: Aftermath, and discovered something interesting: The book follows Thor supporting characters Doctor Erik Selvig and Darcy Lewis, as they investigate the cause of The Snap following the Blip event that eliminates half the world’s population. That investigation brings them into contact with Jane Foster again, who reveals that the events of Thor: The Dark World left her changed in a crucial way.

Because Jane was merged with the Reality Stone (aka “The Aether”) in The Dark World, she was one of the only people on Earth to sense the Infinity Stones being used together to cause The Blip, and understand that the stones are the source of the universal calamity. The investigation brings Jane and Selvig together again in Tønsberg, Norway (aka the future site of “New Asgard”) where Jane uses the Waters of Sight to spark a vision revealing to her the truth of the Infinity Guantlet, Thanos Quest, and The Snap.

Now, This tie-in novel wove together threads that now make much more sense after we’ve seen Avengers: Endgame, and know of what’s coming in Thor: Love & Thunder. Jane’s contact with the Reality Stone left her changed into something more than human, and Cosmic Quest Volume II adds the scene of the Waters of Sight vision to further hint at the extent of that change. Jane both sensing The Snap, and being able to use the Water of Sight, suggests that she may have the “Cosmic Awareness” a power her comic book counterpart had, and which is generally reserved for mortals who are viable hosts for major cosmic powers and/or entities. The fact that Jane was distinguished as both having special powers from the Reality Stone, and tapping into Cosmic Awareness seems like a lot of foreshadow to make her transformation into “The Mighty Thor,” a much easier story to tell in Thor: Love & Thunder.

Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame are now available on home video. Upcoming Marvel Studios projects include Black Widow on May 1, 2020, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in fall 2020, The Eternals on November 6, 2020, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on February 12, 2021, WandaVision in spring 2021,Loki in spring 2021, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 7, 2021, What If? In summer 2021, Hawkeye in fall 2021, and Thor: Love and Thunder on November 5, 2021.