Thor: Love and Thunder has now been out in theaters long enough for us to break down all that happens by the end – and what it may mean for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While there was plenty of lighthearted comedy and irreverence in Thor 4, there was also some decisive development in terms of who holds the mantle and thunderous powers of Thor. By the end of Thor: Love and Thunder, Marvel Studios also left the door open for a character whose story looked like it was over to make a future return.
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(WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW!)
This is how Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster / Mighty Thor could return in future MCU stories – and do it in the best way possible!
In the final act of Thor: Love and Thunder Jane has a major decision to make: sit out the final battle with Gorr (Christian Bale) at the gateway to Eternity and recover from her cancer; or, take up Mjolnir to fight Gorr, while fatally weakening her mortal form. Jane chooses to fight and she ends up dying in Thor Odinson’s arms, within Eternity’s realm. However, as the Thor: Love and Thunder post-credits scene reveals, because Jane died in battle as Mighty Thor, she is welcomed into the halls of Valhalla by none other than Heimdall (Idris Elba).
How Jane Foster Can Return After Thor: Love & Thunder
In Marvel Comics, the Norse legend of Valhalla is put to use as a heavenly afterlife for the beings of Asgard, with the usual comic book twists thrown in – first and foremost that people never stay permanently dead there.
If you know your Norse mythology, you know Odin sent valkyries to collect the souls of those warriors being welcomed into Valhalla’s halls. If you know your Marvel mythology, you know that in the comics Jane Foster followed up her time as The Mighty Thor by taking up the mantle of Valkyries, after they had fallen. With fans loving the era of comics that inspired Jane’s transformation into Valkyrie, why should the MCU not follow the source material?
Avengers: Endgame set a precedent in the MCU for major calvary saves in epic battles – and the stakes of the current Multiverse Arc in Phase Four could certainly call for a cosmic calvary to arrive at some point. The same holds true for the next Thor movie: Zeus (Russell Crowe) and his son Hercules (Brett Goldstein) want the old gods to take back respect for the Asgardians and/or superheroes, so Thor may need all the backup Asgard can muster if a ‘War of the Gods’ event kicks off.
Whatever the context for it, seeing Jane Foster leading the cosmic calvary as Valkyrie would be a major crowd-rousing moment. It would also be the ultimate embodiment of the empowered female hero Portman has noted she wants to play. It would also be a rousing connection to the arc of Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie, who has lost all of her sisters-in-arms during her MCU storyline. The Valkyries coming back from the dead – led by Jane – would be the sort of happy, heart-swell ending that Valkyrie deserves.
For a deeper cut: Jane Foster’s Mighty Thor could easily be brought back as one of (if not THE leader) of the Thor Corps, in the MCU’s inevitable adaptation of Secret Wars as the climax of this Multiverse Arc.
Thor: Love and Thunder is now in theaters.
