Natalie Portman definitely won’t show up in Thor: Ragnarok, but have we really seen the last of Jane Foster? Well, that’s a bit more in doubt.
We really thought we’d seen the end of this saga. Back in August, Natalie Portman said that she thinks she’s done with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After things really went downhill in Star Wars: Episode III, can you really blame her for wanting to get out of another franchise before things get worse for her character? However, things seem to have changed. In a new interview with Deadline (with a hat tip to CBR), she said something a bit less committal than “I’m done”.
Instead, she told Pete Hammond that she’d like to “figure it out” at some point in the near future.
Now, it’s best to be clear here. Portman never officially confirmed that she’s completely done. In fact, Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige has long since explained why not having Jane Foster in Thor: Ragnarok makes perfect sense. To make a long story short, Thor: Ragnarok is more of a space movie. Jane’s apparently had enough of a trip after Thor: The Dark World took her to Asgard.
Right now, we can’t speculate on how the third Thor film will affect his ability to return to Earth to see his astrophysicist lady love. However, as the universe gets bigger and bigger, it’s harder to incorporate human characters like Jane. Seriously, look how long this reported casting call for Avengers: Infinity War is. If she did show up in Infinity War, it would be for thirty seconds, tops. That’d be the likeliest place to slot her back in, just looking at the list of upcoming movies.
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Alas, we’ll have to move Natalie Portman back into the “maybe” column in the grand list of Marvel Cinematic Universe actors. She’s currently on the big screen in Jackie. Thor: Ragnarok flies into theaters on Nov. 3.