Aside from a repurposed daily in Avengers: Endgame, Natalie Portman hasn’t been seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for an awfully long time.
In fact, you’d have to think all the way back to The Dark World, probably the weakest entry into the MCU to date, to remember Portman’s last appearance as Jane Foster. That being said, Marvel Studios has, at the very least, kept her character alive via nods in Age of Ultron, Ragnarok and even Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
But with Thor: Love and Thunder now on the way, Portman is set to return to the limelight, as she’ll be reprising her role as Jane for the 2021 blockbuster. Not only that, but she’s destined to become the Mighty Thor as well, just like in the comics. But while speaking on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon a while back, the actress admitted that she was caught a bit off guard when she picked up Thor’s iconic hammer for the first time (at San Diego Comic-Con), not realizing how heavy it was.
It was nerve-racking, like someone’s gonna call me out about something. I didn’t get to practice [the hammer] ahead of time, so I picked it up and it was kind of heavy. It was like, ‘Oooh.’
Presumably, Portman is much more used to the weapon’s weight by now, given that Love and Thunder is gearing up to start its shoot in Australia ahead of a Fall 2021 release. The actress will surely play a big role in the film, too, as director Taika Waititi looks to put the pieces into place for the next chapter of Asgard’s story. After all, the gilded corridors of old Asgard are now gone, leaving all Asgardians to find a new place to live in a quiet fishing village led by Valkyrie.
But circling back to Natalie Portman, and you can witness her make what’s sure to be a triumphant return to the MCU in Thor: Love and Thunder. Look for it to slam into theaters on November 5th, 2021.