Thor: Love and Thunder Will Explain Thor and Jane's Breakup

"She didn't dump me, you know. I dumped her. It was a mutual dumping." So says Thor (Chris Hemsworth) of his off-screen split with Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) in Thor: Ragnarok, explaining Portman's absence after roles in 2011's Thor and 2013's Thor: The Dark World. Eight years, seven months, and six days post-breakup, exes Thor of Asgard and Jane of Midgard will feel the love in Thor: Love and Thunder — but this time, the mortal Jane is wielding Mjolnir as the new Mighty Thor. Interviewed by Total Film, Hemsworth confirmed Love and Thunder will answer questions about the supposedly mutual dumping:

"We had a lot of fun exploring that, and answering a lot of the unanswered questions from the second film [onwards], when they parted ways," the Avengers star teased. "That was left pretty open, and up for interpretation, as far as: who dumped who? What actually happened there? Did they keep in contact? What were their feelings about how that all ended? We had some good times diving into all of that."

Jane's sudden return — and her newfound possession of the powers of Thor — happens as the god of thunder, back in god bod shape, decides to retire after Avengers: Endgame. But when cosmic villain Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) vows the extinction of the gods, Thor joins forces with The Mighty Thor, King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), and Korg (Taika Waititi) to combat the threat. 

Related Story: Taika Waititi Says Thor: Love and Thunder Is "About Love, With Superheroes and Outer Space"

"It's been about eight years," co-writer and director Taika Waititi told Empire Magazine of the Thor-Jane reunion. "She's had a whole other life, and then the love of your life comes back on the scene, and is now dressed like you. It's a real mindf—k for Thor."

Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson, Christian Bale, Taika Waititi, Jeff Goldblum, and Chris Pratt, Marvel Studios' Thor: Love and Thunder opens exclusively in theaters July 8.