Marvel’s film slate is set to make its second splash this summer with the upcoming release of Thor: Love and Thunder. With Chris Hemsworth leading the charge as the titular god of thunder, who’s among the last remaining heroes we were first introduced to in Phase One, plus the much-anticipated performance of Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher, fans are absolutely buzzing about Thor’s latest adventure.
Perhaps the film’s most exciting trailer reveal was the return of Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, Thor’s ex-girlfriend, this time wielding Mjolnir as the Mighty Thor. It’s an exciting return for the character, who we haven’t seen since Thor: The Dark World, and one that gives Thor’s life a very particular brand of whiplash.
We’ve all heard stories about how each MCU superhero newcomer has prepared for their role, so it’s no surprise that Portman pointed out that there are no rules when it comes to embodying such a role, as she revealed in an interview with TotalFilm (via GamesRadar). She went on to describe the opportunity as “exciting.”
It’s exciting to get to be a superhero. And there’s no guidebook that comes along and tells you how to do it.”
She did, however, take note of the physical training she undertook to prepare for the role, which may be the closest to a guidebook these roles get.
I trained for a long time before and during, and I was doing the whole protein shakes [thing]. It really helped prepare me for the level of action that we ended up doing. It was definitely helpful to be strong. To have that weight of the cape all day, you want to have some upper-body strength.
Guidebook or not, Jane Foster looks all set to assist her former lover in two of the most difficult battles of his life — the one with Gorr, and the one with himself.
Thor: Love and Thunder releases in theaters on July 8.