The San Diego Comic-Con was full of some pretty huge announcements but if you’re a Marvel fan you’re definitely still reeling from this. Natalie Portman will be next female Thor announced by the raising of Mjölnir. So it turns out Jane Foster was worthy after all and she’ll be in the upcoming movie Thor: Love and Thunder. Best news of all Taika Waititi is back to direct.

The film will pull directly from Jason Aaron’s comic The Mighty Thor, which introduces readers to female Thor. Considering Thor was on his way to party with the Guardians of the Galaxy at the end of Avengers: Endgame, there are some plot holes that’ll need to be filled before it all makes sense. But in the meantime let’s give you some background from the comic book side.

Back To Jane Foster

Okay, so it’s been a while since we’ve seen Jane so let’s just brush you up on her comic book history. Jane Foster was created back in 1962 as a character that fell in love with Thor (Journey Into Mystery #84). As you can expect daddy was none too happy with this development and punished Thor. He even gave Jane a chance when Thor brought her back to Asgard, granting her immortality and other God-like powers. Unfortunately, she managed to cock it up by showing fear in the face of danger and got her powers stripped. Oops.

Well, life continues for her she gets exiled to a pocket dimension at one point, develops breast cancer, becomes a doctor. You know normal life stuff. But through it, all Jane has always been a part of Thor’s life and one of his great loves.

Female Thor Origins

Thor Vol. 4 #1 is a 2014 comic book crossover storyline entitled Original Sin. In the comic Thor loses his ability to wield his hammer Mjölnir after Nick Fury whispers something mysterious in his ear. Weird flex but okay.

After the events of Original Sin, Frost Giants begin to invade Earth and a new Goddess of Thunder arrives to save the day. For the first seven issues, her identity was a mystery. OG Thor was a bit salty about the whole thing but eventually gave in once he saw how amazing female Thor was in action. Female Thor, otherwise known as Mighty Thor.

As usual, daddy dearest was none too happy. Odin sent his brother Cul Borson, the God of Fear to retrieve the hammer from female Thor. Equipped with the Destroyer’s armour, Cul came after her but was blocked by OG Thor, now going by the name of Odinson (son of Odin). Odinson calls upon Freyja and an army of kickass women to backup the Mighty Thor against Cul. Do a hear an empowering Destiny’s Child song coming up?

Jane Foster’s Thor Powers

“Whosoever hold this hammer, if she be worthy, shall possess the power of… Thor.” When Jane lifted Mjölnir she acquired all of Thor‘s superhero powers. The power of flight, manipulating electricity as well as interdimensional transportation. Jane’s new identity as female Thor also greatly transformed her physical appearance; every time she lifted the hammer. Mjölnir not only increased her strength but gifted her with some Viking good looks in the form of a helmet, armour and long blonde hair. Basically the female equivalent to Thor‘s iconic look.

The End Of Female Thor

Before she became Mighty Thor, Jane was diagnosed with breast cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy treatment. Unfortunately for Jane, each time she transformed into Thor, there were adverse effects to her health. During the transformation process, the hammer purged all toxins from her body, including the radiation treatment for her cancer. So much so that Jane’s conditioned worsened and the cancer spread throughout her body.

She was advised by Doctor Strange to stop transforming into Thor, but you know a girl’s gotta protect the world. The next time Asgard was in danger Jane transformed into Thor, bravely sacrificing herself to stop the attack. It was here that Odinson eventually learned of Jane’s identity as female Thor. Odin was able to revive Jane and by this point, Odinson was able to wield his ole hammer again. So Jane was able to focus on her health and let Odinson take on the mantle of Thor once more.

Jane’s cancer later went into remission, and she eventually became a Valkyrie.

So there you have it a history of Mighty Thor. We’re still not too sure how this story will play into the MCU arc in Thor: Love and Thunder. But suffice to say we can’t wait to see it!

Thor: Love and Thunder will be out in theatres on the 5th of November 2021.