Love and Thunder’ director teases a huge ‘Thor 5’ spoiler

sometimes you have to admire franchise filmmakers dancing around precious spoilers.

In this case it is Thor: Love and Thunder Director Taika Waititi makes the no-spoiler boogey about the long-term status of Natalie Portman’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Jane Foster – and the new Thor.

If you read Waititi’s words closely, it appears that Portman doesn’t swing the hammer for very long. But that doesn’t mean fans should rule out a future for the goddess of thunder.

What happened? — In conversation with total movie (above GamesRadar), director Taika Waititi hints that the next Thor movie, Thor: Love and Thunderwill follow the story of Jason Aaron Thor Comics except for one detail: Jane Foster’s enduring status as the god of thunder.

“We’re staying pretty close to Jane’s storyline and what happened to Jane,” Waititi told the magazine. “Because it had such an impact on the film. We’re trying to make the best of it.”

One of Jason Aaron’s “best parts”. Thor was in fact the rise of Jane Foster as a superhero in place of Thor Odinson who became “unworthy” and wandered the cosmos for a time. But Waititi says Jane Foster’s role as a superhero isn’t set in stone, at least not in the way fans might assume.

“It’s the idea of ​​someone taking their place. I think a lot of fans will probably go, ‘Oh, OK, that’s the passing of the torch.’ I’m not privy to any plans Marvel has for the future, but I don’t think that’s the case.”

hammer time — Because of the many ways Thor: Love and Thunder takes after the Jason Aaron comics, not to mention the fact that Hemsworth is leaving the franchise afterward love and thunder, Portman was long thought to be taking over for Hemsworth. That could mean starring in a new trilogy of Thor movies and starring in future Avengers sequels.

But now that Waititi is hinting that Marvel’s plans may actually be different, fans shouldn’t expect Portman to fulfill the same commitments that Hemsworth had during his time in the MCU. At least not yet, because many factors speak against Portman as Thor in the long term.

First, there’s the existing friction between Marvel and Portman and the reason the two parties broke up in the first place. Second, there is the question of whether Portman want to carry a multi-million dollar action franchise for a decade.

Around 2011, after Portman sought a break from acting to focus on motherhood, Portman and the studio fell out after Patty Jenkins — a filmmaker Portman employed to direct the second film Thor — deviated from the 2013 direction Thor: The Dark World. The job went to Alan Taylor, who has since expressed dissatisfaction with the final cut. After Portman fulfilled her obligations The Dark WorldShe left the franchise for years. In a 2017 chat with the Wall Street Journal, Portman verbally doubted she would ever return.

Then, in 2019, Portman reappeared onstage at San Diego Comic-Con. With an amused grin, Portman held up Thor’s gavel in front of a sold-out crowd to announce their return. But nobody said how long it will last.

Portman hasn’t said much publicly about her future with Marvel. She’s already an accomplished actress, and CG-heavy movies like Marvel’s are notoriously difficult to make. Don’t believe anyone who says they don’t do these projects for the money.

But there’s a reason Portman came back in the first place. The actress told ET online She returned in 2019, based on the script and extended role of Jane Foster, beyond the human love interest of the male lead. No matter how many Oscars you have, a good screenplay is still a good screenplay.

That Vice versa Analysis – The big picture for Marvel’s Phase 4 was hard to pin down. Without an overarching storyline like Thanos and the Infinity Stones, it’s unclear what will unfold for the MCU over the next few years.

With the future of the MCU itself uncertain, it’s hard to guess what Marvel intends for Jane Foster to become Thor unless it’s picking up where Hemsworth will leave off. Portman could potentially direct a new Thor trilogy if she and Marvel can agree on terms. Or she could play support in one avenger Sequel where she doesn’t have to shoulder the full responsibility of directing an expensive film on her own.

Natalie Portman has the power. It’s up to her to decide what to do with it.

Thor: Love and Thunder opens in cinemas on July 7th.