One of the most memorable moments in Thor: Love and Thunder will be the first time that Jane Foster transforms into the Mighty Thor. And now, some new set photos might have given us a look at the moment coming about.
Filming is currently taking place in Sydney, Australia, where Natalie Portman was spotted returning as Jane for the first time since Thor: The Dark World (unless you count a cameo in Avengers: Endgame), and the images in question demonstrate the lo-fi methods that form the basics of VFX-heavy sequences.
Usually when a character is required to defy gravity, it’s filmed by the actor being hooked up to an elaborate wire rig, but director Taika Waititi, the epitome of the pragmatic and laidback Kiwi, clearly believes in a more simplistic approach, as two crew members simply lift Portman into the air, with their blue coverings allowing them to be removed from the shot.
Our first look of Natalie Portman reprising her role as Jane Foster aka The Mighty Thor in Thor: Love and Thunder
(via Daily Mail) pic.twitter.com/m1xHj7vkJa
— Thor Updates (@ThorUpdate) March 5, 2021
Jane’s arms held slightly out to the side form part of a typical “observe the power flowing through me” pose often adopted by heroes summoning the superhuman might at their disposal, strongly suggesting that this is the moment when she first becomes the Mighty Thor, as subsequent transformations will probably also come with a costume change.
Of course, one crucial detail is her appearance of being outwardly unaffected by any visible ailment. In the comics, she was dying of cancer when she assumed the power of Mjolnir, her weakened and emaciated state being one of the reasons Thor discounted her as a viable candidate when he was investigating the identity of the masked woman wielding his hammer. However, with nothing to suggest any sickness currently plaguing her, it’s possible that plot line will be excised for Thor: Love and Thunder, with perhaps some other personal issue driving Jane’s shift towards heroism.