As fans are still celebrating Natalie Portman’s return as Jane Foster in the official Thor: Love and Thunder trailer, the Marvel comics are also revisiting her time as the Goddess of Thunder. While Jane was formerly Thor, she now goes by the superhero moniker Valkyrie. Jane Foster, along with Nighthawk, Namor and Echo, have officially joined the Avengers in their fight against Mephisto and his Multiversal Masters of Evil. Mephisto has cemented himself as the central villain in Jason Aaron’s Avengers run, and the latest issue pairs Valkyrie and the Mighty Thor against a trio of Mephisto’s variants from the multiverse.
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WARNING: Spoilers for Avengers #56 follow. Continue reading at your own risk.
Avengers #56 by Jason Aaron, Javier Garrón, David Curiel, and VC’s Cory Petit begins with Jane Foster married to Thor. The couple appear to have a simple life together, with Jane as the faithful housewife and Thor as the heroic Avenger. However, things are not as they seem. Jane’s memories appear to be fuzzy, and she doesn’t recall her time as both The Mighty Thor and Valkyrie. After picking up Mjolnir, Jane realizes the Asgardian hammer is a fake and uses it to strike at her husband. The Thor stand-in begins to melt away, and then Jane is attacked by their three demonic pet pigs. Those pigs turn out to be three versions of Mephisto from the multiverse, who set out to set a “temptation” trap for Jane Foster before ending her life.
Before the Mephistos can attack, another Mjolnir falls from the sky and is joined by a multiversal Mighty Thor, who sensed Jane’s danger and decided to investigate. With her memories restored, Jane transforms into Valkyrie to team up with The Mighty Thor in a thunderous throwdown. The Mephistos recognize when they’re outgunned and vanish into the night. We learn this Mighty Thor has been holding down the mantle ever since the original Thor Odinson died during the War of the Realms on her world. Jane Foster was searching for Ghost Rider (Robbie Reyes) in the nether-realms when she was abducted. Luckily, Mighty Thor’s Mjolnir sensed Jane was in trouble and decided to help out.
The Mighty Thor fills Valkyrie in on the Masters of Evil, the legion of Mephistos and their Council of Red, the God Quarry and the lone Avenger Prime, the prehistoric Avengers and a “genesis point,” and much more. All of these events have transpired in Avengers and Avengers Forever, which Aaron is also writing. A final battle is on the horizon, but for now, Avengers #56 ends with a tease of something more personal. While it appeared Jane’s temptation was at being the loving housewife to Thor, she can’t help but fixate on Mjolnir and being The Mighty Thor again, especially after fighting alongside her variant.
Marvel currently has Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson sharing the Captain America mantle, so there’s no reason why Odinson and Jane Foster can’t both be Thor. Plus, we also have Peter Parker and Miles Morales as Spider-Man, and Clint Barton and Kate Bishop as Hawkeye as other examples. The Jane Foster & The Mighty Thor miniseries features Jane back as Thor fighting alongside the original, so perhaps Marvel is slowly moving in that direction.
Make sure to let us know your thoughts on Avengers, Jane Foster, Mighty Thor, Valkyrie, and Mephisto in the comments!
