Audiences got their first look at Natalie Portman’s triumphant return as Jane Foster in the first Thor: Love & Thunder teaser trailer released on Monday. Not only will Portman return to play Foster, but also the Mighty Thor, Foster’s new superhero mantle. Fans have been theorizing on Jane’s storyline and how she will become imbued with the power of Thor, and new merch descriptions for the film seem to reveal some of those comic-inspired ideas.
Comicbook.com reports that according to an online listing for new Love & Thunder merch via The Direct, Jane Foster’s cancer storyline from the comics will also be a part of her MCU storyline. In the comics, Jane was diagnosed with cancer and, from then on, was able to wield Mjolnir, Thor’s hammer. Although the hammer was damaged in Thor: Ragnarok, Mighty Thor can be seen holding the pieced-together Mjolnir in the final shot of the teaser.
Description of the new Marvel merch goes as follows:
“Suffering from cancer, astrophysicist and Thor’s ex-girlfriend, Jane Foster, visited New Asgard and her life was changed forever. Mysteriously, the broken pieces of Mjolnir, the hammer of the thunder god, transformed her into the Mighty Thor and gifted her the superpowers of Thor, to battle threats internal and external. Wielding Mjolnir herself, she had become a godly protector and a new hero was born!
With the help of Thor, Valkyrie, and the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Mighty Thor was faced by the powerful Gorr, the God Butcher. With divine powers himself, Gorr was driven to rid the universe of gods wherever he found them. Battling cancer in her human form and Gorr in her godly form, Jane Foster was embroiled in an epic struggle with plenty of love and thunder!”
This is a promising development for the film and is sure to bring a great emotional element to Jane’s return into Thor’s life and her ascension to hero status. Hopefully, this will also make for some great sequences of Thor and Mighty Thor wielding Stormbreaker and Mjolnir together.
Thor: Love & Thunder stars Portman alongside Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, and MCU newcomer Christian Bale. The film is set to release in theaters on July 8.
Check out the first teaser trailer below: