'Thor 4' Theory Reveals How 'Endgame' May Connect to Jane's Mighty Thor
'Avengers: Endgame' might have everything to do with Jane becoming Mighty Thor.
The excitement surrounding Marvel’s official announcement for Thor: Love and Thunder at San Diego Comic Con this past Saturday was elevated by the confirmation that Natalie Portman would be returning to the Thor franchise. Not only will we be seeing her as Dr. Jane Foster, but she’ll be suiting up and transitioning into Mighty Thor.
After her absence in Thor: Ragnarok, Portman made a brief cameo appearance in Avengers: Endgame. The question remains as to how she’ll acquire Thor’s powers and a new theory posits that Jane becoming Mighty Thor has everything to do with the time-traveling Captain America.
Jane was able to maintain the aether without dying in 'Thor: The Dark World'
Thor: Love and Thunder will also reunite Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson as Thor and Valkyrie, respectively, and will take place after the events of Endgame.
With Jane assuming Thor’s powers, it’s safe to say that Thor 4 will be Hemsworth’s last time in the role, paving the way for Jane to lead the films into the next phase of the MCU.
But how will Jane become the God of Thunder? After all, she isn’t an Asgardian, and there’s been nothing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to indicate whether Thor’s powers can be transferred.
That’s where Avengers: Endgame’s time travel plot comes in: Redditor u/lms143 theorizes that when Captain America sets off to return the Infinity Stones, he crosses paths with Jane during the events of Thor: The Dark World.
Long story short, instead of returning the hammer to Thor, she winds up wielding it herself. This idea would make for an interesting segue between the two films, even though it’s unlikely to happen.
However, just because Endgame got away with explaining time travel in a way that presumably would not alter the MCU timeline (Captain America staying in the past remains a bit of a head-scratcher), it doesn’t mean that there aren’t plot holes; time travel is tricky like that. So, who’s to say that this Jane isn’t an alternate version of the characters who has veered off into a parallel timeline? It’s just one possibility.
Jane Foster as Thor in The Mighty Thor comics.
We know that the “aether” in The Dark World greatly affected Jane, but surprisingly it didn’t kill her. The fact that she was able to withstand the aether (revealed later to be the Reality Stone) means that she has the capability to take on tremendous power without immediately dying. Connecting her turn as Mighty Thor to Endgame might just work, especially since Thor’s Mjolnir was destroyed in the current timeline. Sure, Jane could simply wield another hammer, like Stormbreaker, or one made uniquely for her, but it would be pretty cool if Thor 4 could tie back into the aftermath of Captain America’s solo time travel adventure.
Additionally, Love and Thunder is set to take place after Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness, so Jane’s Thor, Endgame’s time travel rules, and the multiverse could somehow converge to make the story work. In the comics, Lady Thor does actually wield Mjolnir, but only after Thor can no longer do it.
It’s hard to come up with any one reason why Thor would no longer be worthy of his hammer, but perhaps it isn’t that he’ll no longer be worthy, but that he’ll voluntarily step down and pass on the mantle to Jane.
Either way, Jane has proven she’s worthy and able to take on such great power regardless of how it happens.
Thor: Love and Thunder hits theaters November 5, 2021.
