Thor 4 leaks confirm a major MCU fan theory
"Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor."
The latest Thor: Love and Thunder leaks may explain the return of Mjolnir in the film and how Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster becomes The Mighty Thor. It was announced way back in 2019 that Portman’s Jane Foster would be one of many familiar Marvel characters returning for the fourth installment in the Thor franchise — much to the joy and surprise of fans everywhere.
With that announcement came the news that Jane would be transforming into The Mighty Thor in the film, and fans have been busy theorizing ever since about how the Taika Waititi film might give Jane her powers. Fortunately, some new Thor: Love and Thunder leaks may finally provide the answer to that long-standing question.
The leak — Several new batches of set photos from Thor: Love and Thunder dropped online recently revealing new scenes with Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie and Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster. The set photos also include fresh looks at one of the film’s many constructions, which appears to be a shrine at the place where Anthony Hopkins’ Odin passed away in Thor: Ragnarok — and where Mjolnir was broken only moments later by Cate Blanchett’s Hela.
Notably, some of the set photos show Portman’s Jane approaching the tablet where it appears the broken pieces of Mjolnir have been placed. A different video also shows Jane floating above the same set, where she seems to be convulsing with power.
Assuming that’s really what is happening in the latter set video, these leaks seem to confirm what many Marvel fans had begun to theorize about Thor: Love and Thunder — namely, that Jane will become The Mighty Thor by interacting with the pieces of Thor’s broken hammer. That moment, in turn, may result in Mjolnir being reforged just for Jane.
The Mighty Thor (And Her Hammer)
While Mjolnir was destroyed in Thor: Ragnarok (and returned to its proper timeline by Captain America in Avengers: Endgame), Marvel fans have known for a while now that the magic hammer will make an unexpected return in Thor: Love and Thunder. Thanks to Jason Aaron’s The Mighty Thor comics storyline, fans have suspected for some time that Jane’s return in the film would have something to do with it as well.
In the Marvel comics, Jane Foster is given Thor’s powers during her battle with breast cancer when she attempts to lift Mjolnir, which results in her becoming The Mighty Thor. Many Marvel fans had already speculated that Jane’s transformation in Thor: Love and Thunder would happen through similar means and Natalie Portman’s confirmation last year that Jane will get to lift the hammer in the film only further fed into those theories.
Now, it appears that those theories have — for the most part — been proven to be correct.
Natalie Portman and Chris Hemsworth in Thor: The Dark World.
The Inverse Analysis — There’s no telling how Chris Hemsworth’s Thor will react to Mjolnir returning for Jane, but fortunately for him, Stormbreaker has proven to be a more-than-worthy (pun very much intended) replacement.
It’s also currently unclear what the wider ramifications will be from Jane becoming The Mighty Thor. Will her transformation be contained to just Love and Thunder, or will it extend into other films? Either way, here’s to hoping Mjolnir’s return won’t be a short-lived one.
Thor: Love and Thunder will be released in theaters on May 6, 2022.
