Thor: What Went Wrong With Natalie Portman's Jane Foster

Thor set up Natalie Portman's Jane Foster as an important part of the franchise, but she disappeared from the MCU after the sequel. What went wrong?

Natalie Portman portrayed Jane Foster in the first two Thor films before disappearing from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so what ultimately went wrong with the character? Fans were excited when the Oscar-winning actress was cast in the role, but by the time she quietly exited the MCU, no one seemed to care. Although Jane showed promise in Thor, her potential was never realized in its sequel, Thor: The Dark World. Despite the character’s lukewarm reception, there are plans for Portman to make her triumphant return in Thor: Love and Thunder, not just as Jane Foster, but as the Goddess of Thunder herself.

Introduced in Journey to Mystery #84 in 1962, Jane Foster started out as a nurse who worked beside Thor in his mortal form as Dr. Donald Blake. She later became a doctor as well. The two had an off-again-on-again romance in the comics for decades, but eventually, Jane became far more than a love interest. After Thor was deemed unworthy to wield Mjolnir, it was Jane who took up the mantle - though it was quite some time before her identity was revealed. Jane's heroic transformation occurs as she is undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Sadly, her newfound powers purge the chemotherapy from her system every time she becomes Thor, leaving her weaker in the aftermath. This was a vital part of the character’s journey in the comics, but Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi is unsure if Jane's cancer story will make it into the finished film.

So why didn’t things work out with Jane Foster to begin with? Portman’s astrophysicist was set to play an integral role in the Thor films, but vanished after a disappointing appearance in Thor: The Dark World. Waititi proved with Thor: Ragnarok that he could reinvigorate the God of Thunder’s flagging franchise, so there is definitely hope for Jane’s future in the MCU, but Thor: Love and Thunder will have to avoid many past mistakes.

The Thor Movies Didn't Give Portman Enough To Do As Jane

Natalie Portman is an undeniably fantastic actress. She proved this with her incredible debut in Léon: The Professional and has continued to do so ever since with unforgettable parts in films such as Closer, V for Vendetta, Black Swan, and Jackie. All that said, no matter how good she may be, Portman still wasn’t done any favors by the scripts she was given for the Marvel movies. These issues weren’t quite so glaring in Thor when the astrophysicist appeared to be written as more than a mere love interest for the titular hero. Despite her constantly swooning over Thor, she was fascinated by more than just his godly appearance. He was proof of something she’d been working towards her entire career.

While Thor: The Dark World did its best to incorporate Jane into the story, ultimately, she was sidelined. After about ten minutes of screen time, she absorbed the film’s McGuffin, the aether, which incapacitated her, drastically hindering her arc for the rest of the movie. Jane may have become emblematic of the film’s larger issues, but she didn't actually cause them. The movie is regarded by most as one of the MCU’s worst entries and is certainly the weakest of the Thor franchise. Although Portman was underserved by Thor, the film wasn't a bad starting point for Jane, but the sequel didn't give Portman enough to do, nor did it render her in a way that was especially interesting, effectively wasting an actress as talented as Natalie Portman.

Thor & Jane Foster's Romance Didn't Work In The MCU

Thor and Jane Foster

While the initial attraction between Thor and Jane Foster was clear in Thor, the bond between them was never really developed enough to make for a particularly exciting reunion in Thor: The Dark World. They enjoyed their time together and all, but liking someone over the course of a few days isn’t generally enough to overcome the reality of dimensional barriers. Perhaps if Thor and Jane had spent time together between films or if the character had more than the barest of mentions in The Avengers, fans would’ve had an easier time buying into this relationship. Though the God of Thunder had a lot on his plate between the events of Thor and Thor: The Dark World, at least a mention of an offscreen reunion would have further developed the relationship. The MCU’s tie-in comics also failed to add much depth to the situation.

The script wasn’t the only roadblock for this couple. When it comes to cinematic portrayals of romance, the way the characters are written often isn’t the deciding factor on whether or not a love story will be compelling. The relationship between Thor and Jane wasn’t fleshed out, and though both Hemsworth and Portman are immensely talented, there simply wasn’t enough chemistry between the actors to elevate the material. Perhaps if there had been more sparks flying on screen, audiences would’ve actually cared about their post-credits reunion in Thor: The Dark World - which Portman wasn’t even actually present for - or the revelation that their relationship had ended in Thor: Ragnarok.

Jane Foster Represents The Thor Movies' Bigger Earth-Set Problems

Thor did a far better job adapting the God of Thunder than Thor: The Dark World. The parts of the film that work best are the scenes set in Asgard or other fantastical locations, such as Jotunheim. These extraordinary realms truly came to life in Kenneth Branagh’s hands, and the director deftly balanced that magic alongside Thor's fish-out-water comedy on Earth. Even with that in mind, a group of scientists on Earth can hardly compete with the Shakespearean drama of Asgard. Unfortunately, Alan Taylor struggled in the sequel to make either realm engaging, though the scenes on Earth were particularly bland. Although Jane Foster became the face of the Thor franchise’s issues on Earth, she was never really the core of the problem.

Much of Thor: Ragnarok’s success hinged on throwing the blueprint of the previous Thor films out the window. For the most part, this meant leaving Earth behind, which left no real place for Jane or any of her friends - though Kat Dennings’ Darcy Lewis will soon return to the MCU in WandaVision. The Thor comics have proven that some of the God of Thunder’s most amazing adventures can unfold on Earth, so the fact that this was not reflected in the films can hardly be blamed on Jane Foster.

Jane Foster's MCU Exit Showed How Little Anyone Cared

Natalie Portman as Jane Foster in Thor The Dark World and Mighty Thor

By the time Jane Foster effectively vanished from the MCU, no one really seemed to care. Thor explained her disappearance with a throwaway line about their breakup Thor: Ragnarok, but seemed generally unmoved by her absence. Patty Jenkins coming onboard for Thor: The Dark World had made the actress much more excited about filming the sequel, but Portman's feelings toward the Marvel movies soured significantly in the wake of Jenkins' departure from the film. As far as many fans were concerned, Jane hadn’t proven vital to Thor’s story and if anything, had become more of a detriment to it. Even her brief Avengers: Endgame appearance was created using repurposed footage from Thor: The Dark World. Thankfully, this doesn’t have to sum up Jane’s legacy in the MCU.

Marvel wouldn’t have brought Portman back into the fold if Waititi didn’t have some intriguing plans for her. Aside from that, it seems unlikely that the actress would agree to come back unless she was given a substantially better role in Thor: Love and Thunder. Although the comics have served as little more than inspiration for the majority of MCU films, Jane’s comic run as the hero is quite solid. For her part, Portman read The Mighty Thor in preparation for her upcoming appearance.

Waititi has already injected fresh blood into the Thor franchise, so there’s no reason to think he wouldn’t be able to do the same with Jane. While little can be done about the lack of chemistry between Hemsworth and Portman, giving Jane her own storyline will go a long way in providing a strong argument for the character's return. Taking into account the strong source material, Portman's considerable talent, and Waititi’s track record, there is little need to worry whether or not the next Thor film will make things right for Jane Foster.