‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Star Natalie Portman Played Her First Action Hero at Age 13
For over a decade, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor has been a fan-favorite hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The God of Thunder is now one of the only original Avengers still actively leading new stories in the MCU. But he’s met his match in Thor: Love and Thunder, which sees Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster emerge as Mighty Thor. Though Portman might seem like an unlikely action hero, she starred in her first action movie decades ago.
Natalie Portman is Mighty Thor in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’
When fans first met Jane Foster in 2011’s Thor, she was a scientist who quickly fell for Thor. The two formed an alliance and ultimately a romantic connection. And after they were reunited in Thor: The Dark World, they officially began a relationship. But by the events of Thor: Ragnarok, Jane apparently had dumped Thor, a heartbreak that continued to fester for years.
In Avengers: Endgame, Portman appeared via archival footage. But in Thor: Love and Thunder, she’s back in the MCU for the first time since 2013. After years of no contact, Thor discovers his ex-girlfriend has taken up the mantle of Mighty Thor. She’s even wielding Thor’s beloved Mjölnir, the hammer he lost in Thor: Ragnarok and reclaimed (briefly) in Avengers: Endgame.
The Oscar-winning actor played an action hero way back in 1994
These days, Portman is a highly respected Hollywood star. Outside the MCU, she has starred in hit movies such as the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Garden State, Closer, V for Vendetta, and Jackie. And in 2011, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Black Swan. But her first film proved Portman was worthy of playing a big-screen superhero.
At age 13, Portman starred as an assassin-in-training in director Luc Besson’s action thriller Léon: The Professional. In that film, she plays Mathilda, a young girl who seeks out Jean Reno’s titular hitman after a local crime lord murders her family. In her film debut, Portman proved she had the versatility to be both vulnerable and tough, earning rave reviews and instantly kicking her career into high gear.
What role will Jane Foster’s Mighty Thor play in the MCU?
Now that Portman’s back in the MCU, it’s unclear what kind of role she’ll play going forward. So much of Phase 4 has focused on establishing new versions of existing heroes. Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop, and Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson seem poised to form a new version of the original Avengers line-up as the new Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Captain America, respectively.
So perhaps Portman’s Jane Foster will assume Thor’s membership in the Avengers. Hemsworth’s future in the MCU appears just as uncertain, with some fans speculating Thor: Love and Thunder could be his final appearance. A star of Portman’s level might not want to sign a multi-picture deal, but with Marvel, anything’s possible. So fans will just have to see how the franchise plays out.
