Thor: Love and Thunder will feature the return of Natalie Portman as Jane Foster. But more than that, the character will take up the mantle of the Mighty Thor and wield Mjolnir as the Goddess of Thunder.
Taika Waititi, after successfully turning Thor: Ragnarok into an absolute blast, is back once again with all of his quirkiness to make sure that the next installment is just as absurd and original as its predecessor, which is why it’s safe to assume that this reworked version of Jane will be much different from her previous appearances in the MCU.
It’s looking as if the producers have decided to take the story down the same path as the comics as well, as we’ve heard that the character will be battling cancer before becoming worthy of Mjolnir. The actress herself has confirmed this, too, but the way it’ll unfold is still ambiguous. After all, Marvel Studios has taken a lot of liberties with the timeline of its fictional world.
According to a new theory by the folks at ScreenRant, though, the reason that Jane gets cancer and subsequently the God of Thunder’s powers could be her exposure to the Reality Stone during the events of Thor: The Dark World.
After all, the MCU has already established that you can get superpowers from the Infinity Stones. Captain Marvel received hers when she came in contact with the Tessaract, while the Mind Stone gave Vision existence. Besides, we know mortal human beings can’t interact with these elemental powers without repercussions. So, it stands to reason that the Aether also changed Jane when she housed it in her body for a brief period during the second Thor movie.
As ScreenRant explains:
Jane’s story in [The Dark World] includes the Aether aka the Reality Stone flowing inside of her for days. She becomes increasingly sick during this time but appears to be better once Malekith takes it out of her. This could change, though, with the Aether potentially infecting Jane’s DNA and being the root of her getting cancer.
In addition to the Aether becoming an explanation for Jane getting cancer, the power of an Infinity Stone can do much more. The MCU has already established Infinity Stones can create superheroes. Captain Marvel got her powers from a Tesseract explosion, Vision had the Mind Stone embedded in his forehead, and Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver had their powers unlocked by an Infinity Stone. Since the Aether’s main power is the ability to change reality, the idea that it could alter Jane’s genetics is not out of the question. This might not only give Jane cancer but also imbue her with some powers.
Maybe that’s the reason she’ll be able to wield Mjolnir without crumbling beneath its godlike powers? Though as in the comics, Thor: Love and Thunder may have a tragic fate in store for Jane as well, where she’ll have to decide between her own well-being and the toll of using those powers to be a hero.
