Thor: Love And Thunder Theory Explains Why Jane Foster Gets Cancer

Natalie Portman recently let slip that her character will be battling cancer in the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder just like her comic book counterpart. But according to a new theory, Taika Waititi could explore this aspect of Jane Foster’s Goddess of Thunder in a different manner.

The next chapter in the story of Thor will have him face his ultimate challenge as Odinson. In the Marvel comics, the God of Thunder becomes unworthy of Mjolnir, and so loses his powers. The hammer then finds a new owner in Jane, who takes up the mantle of Thor. As we’ve seen, however, Waititi always heads down the unexpected road with his creative decisions. So, it’s still early days to speculate how the film will adapt the story for the big screen.

As Portman herself recently revealed, though, the Mighty Thor will also be dealing with cancer. In the comic books, the character is already battling the disease as a hereditary condition. But in this upcoming flick, the writers may reverse the cause and effect. After all, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor has said on more than one occasion that mortals cannot wield Asgardian weapons.

The new MCU tie-in book, The Wakanda Files, makes this theory even more viable. As Shuri explains in one of her logs about Odinson: “The psychical effects of the weapon on a mere mortal could be catastrophic.” So, could Jane get her illness from wielding the hammer? ScreenRant certainly believes so, as they write:

It’s possible Mjolnir itself will be the cause of Jane Foster’s cancer in the MCU. According to the hammer’s inscription, only one who is deemed worthy – which appears to refer to willingness to sacrifice yourself for others – can wield Mjolnir. To do so is to gain all the power of Thor Odinson himself, as demonstrated by Captain America in a stunning sequence in Avengers: Endgame. But there may well be a cost for any mortal who uses Mjolnir.

I know what you’re thinking, though. If that’s the case, how did Captain America came out of the final battle in Endgame unscathed? Well, you should consider that Steve Rogers underwent a complete physical transformation thanks to the super soldier serum, whereas Jane’s a normal human being.

At any rate, Thor: Love and Thunder‘s director may decide to take the story in a different direction altogether. As such, we’ll just have to wait and see for ourselves when the film finally arrives on February 11th, 2022.