The Punch: Marvel, You Did Good By Us

By Neha Bora

“As far as I know, I’m done,” Natalie Portman, the Academy Award Winner, told The Wall Street Journal in 2016 when asked if she would be working with the MCU. She make it clear that her time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was done.

Fans thought that a reconciliation wasn’t in sight when Thor: Ragnarok conveniently wrote her off with Jane Foster, Portman’s character and Thor breaking up off screen.

Three years later, at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con, Taika Waititi, the Thor: Ragnarok director from New Zealand (who, for those who haven’t noticed, also plays the character of ‘Korg’), went down on one knee and presented the might hammer of Thor, to the visibly thrilled Natalie Portman.

Natalie Portman was seen playing Jane Foster in the 2011’s Thor, and 2013’s Thor: The Dark World. The second film in the series, Thor: The Dark World was to be directed by Patty Jenkins, the woman who would give us Wonder Woman in 2017, she was also Portman’s favoured director.

There was however a situation where the script was being rewritten continuously, scenes involving Earth were being heavily cut out. Jenkins wasn’t highly displeased with the inconsistency and decided to bid adeau to the film for good.

This did not sit well with Portman, neither did the fact that her character was significantly reduced and she too wanted to leave the film but was bound by contract to continue. She later decided to not renew her contract and stayed away from all future projects of the MCU.

Taika Waititi, while directing Ragnarok, was also reading Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman’s comic series of Thor when he came across the storyline where Thor becomes unworthy of lifting the Hammer and it falls upon Jane Foster to pick it up and save Asgard.

He immediately arranged a meeting with Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and she is said to have risen to the occasion at once, giving to us the Goddess of Thunder.

It is not a secret that fans expected an actor of Portman’s caliber to be more than the love interest of a hero driven film like Thor. Thor:

The Dark World, was an immense disappointment to all Black Swan fans, but thanks to wonderful comic book artists, an adventrous director and the ever so resilient Natalie Portman, the audience get to see a talented actor reinvent an already iconic superhero.

There is however great speculation as to how the story line would develop. Whether it is going to stay close to the comic books, where Jane Foster is undergoing treatment for breast Cancer when she is required to lift Mjolnir, the enchanted hammer of Thor to protect Asgard and save Earth from an army of Frost Giants.

The twist however is that every time she turns into Thor, the effects of her chemotherapy are cancelled out, making her human form weaker, until the point where any further transformation would kill her.

True to superhero style, she disregards her safety and turns into the Goddess of Thunder to save Asgard from another threat, eventually killing herself.

Also, true to comic book superhero style, she is brought back to life by Odin, who is indebted to her for her services and Jane eventually recovers from Cancer to become a Valkyrie with male Thor taking back his place with Mjlonir.

As of now, in the MCU, Thor has renounced the kingdom of Asgard, leaving Valkyrie as king and the Mjlonir has been destroyed by Hela. All of which mean, there are more than a few differences in the two worlds.

Since the Mjlonir is destroyed where is Jane Foster likely to channel her powers from? Is she going to suffer from cancer and eventually die at the end of the film?

No matter the apprehensions, fans can’t get enough of this new and exciting development from the Comic-Con.

It is a point of note that the MCU is starting to increase representation in the world’s they represent through their films.

Natalie PortmaPortman as the new Thor,Valkyrie announcing that she is actually gay and in search for a queen (which might even beJane Foster, the mighty Thor herself),finally giving Black Widow her own much awaited movie, giving the MCU it’s first asian superhero film with ‘Shen Chi and the Legend Of The Ten Rings’, announcing Mahershala Ali in the upcoming ‘Blade’ are all moves that MCU fans applauded.

We have been enchanted by your vfx, binged on your larger than life superhero characters, given liverage to you when you badly wrote some of our favourite characters, and even forgiven you for killing off Natasha and Vision but now, we truly appreciate you for acknowledging our sensibilities and upping the franchise game.

We are proud of you MCU for giving your devoted fans some inclusive cinema! Filmi Files is your one-stop goal for the best online magazine on the tinsel town and its Stars.