Marvel has revealed that the fourth Thor movie—Thor: Love and Thunder—will have actress Natalie Portman taking up the role of Thor. The announcement was made as part of Marvel's ongoing San Diego Comic Con panel.
Portman had appeared as astrophysicist Jane Foster in 2011's Thor and 2013's Thor: The Dark World. Directed by Taika Waititi, the flick is expected to release in November 2021. At the Comic Con, in the presence of Chris Hemsworth(Thor) and Tessa Thompson(Valkyrie), Portman went on stage and accepted Thor's legendary hammer from Waititi. Sharing a picture of the same on Instagram, Portman wrote: "So thrilled to share the news with you today at #sdcc2019 that I'll be returning to the @marvel #mcu as female Thor," she wrote alongside a photo of her accepting the hammer. "(Remember this as the before picture for when I get jacked). (sic)"
Though further details of the plot have not been revealed, Waititi clarified that the gender shift for Thor has comes from his wide readings of the Thor comic, and said that Portman's character will be called Mighty Thor. In the existing comic book, Thor loses his abilities and Jane Foster wields his powers and the hammer.
Hemsworth's character was last seen in the Avengers: Endgame, in which he left his role as ruler of Asgard and joined the Guardians of the Galaxy team.
