Summary

Natalie Portman is open to returning as Jane Foster in the MCU.
Portman had a great time filming
Thor: Love and Thunder
and enjoyed working with Taika Waititi and Chris Hemsworth.
Chris Hemsworth is also open to returning as Thor in the MCU, wanting to keep the character unpredictable for audiences.

Natalie Portman says she is open to returning as Jane Foster in the MCU. Portman first appeared alongside Chris Hemsworth in 2011’s Thor, directed by Kenneth Brannaugh. Since then, Portman has reprised the role three more times in the MCU, appearing in Thor: The Dark World, Avengers: Endgame, and Thor: Love and Thunder. Portman recently spoke to Total Film for their Deadpool & Wolverine cover story, and discussed working on Thor: Love and Thunder, revealing whether she wants to return to the MCU in the future.

The actress didn’t confirm whether any form of return had been planned, but she is leaving the door open to the possibility of making an MCU comeback in the future. Portman said:

“Oh, I have no idea. I mean, no one’s asked me to. So I don’t know. But sure, that was super-fun.”

Thor: Love and Thunder The sequel to Thor: Ragnarok and the fourth movie in the Thor saga. Directed by Taika Waitit. The cast includes Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Chris Pratt, and Karen Gillan.Release Date July 8, 2022 Runtime 2hr 13min

Fans were surprised to see Natalie Portman return for the fourth time in Thor: Love and Thunder as the actress reportedly held a grudge with Marvel Studios for years following Thor: The Dark World – the reason why the character was written out of Thor: Ragnarök. Following The Dark World’s release, Portman said she was done with the MCU. But production on Thor: Love and Thunder appears to be a different beast, and the actress said she loved working on the movie. Portman said:

“Yeah, it was so fun. I had such a great time making it. I loved working with Taika [Waititi], and Chris [Hemsworth] is just the greatest, and so is Tessa [Thompson]. I was just laughing all day, every day. There’s only my highest love for that experience – and not to mention Australia, which is just the most glorious country.”

Will Chris Hemsworth’s Thor Return to the MCU?

Ahead of the release of Thor: Love and Thunder (the character’s fourth solo outing) in 2022, many fans assumed it would be Hemsworth’s last time playing the character. However, the film’s ending left the door wide open for Thor to return in the MCU’s future. Partly due to Love and Thunder’s poor reception from fans and critics, Thor 5 has not officially been announced by Marvel Studios, meaning Thor’s next appearance in the MCU is currently uncertain. Fans are expecting Thor to appear in the next two Avengers movies, with the first being Avengers: Secret Wars (releasing in 2027). No official cast lists have yet been released for either movie.

Chris Hemsworth has previously stated that he’s open to returning as Thor in the MCU. In 2023, Hemsworth said he’ll consider retiring the character’s signature hammer when audiences are done watching Thor on-screen. Hemsworth said:

“I don’t want to continue to do it until people are so exhausted that they roll their eyes when they see me come on the screen as that character. If an audience wants to see it, and if there’s something that we believe is exciting and fun, then great. I’ve loved being able to reinvent that character a few times. I don’t have the answer yet, but I would love to try and [figure out] how we can do that again and keep it a little unpredictable.”

Related Thor Star Chris Hemsworth is Bothered by ‘Harsh’ MCU Criticism from Big Directors: ‘Those Guys Had Films That Didn’t Work Too’ Thor actor Chris Hemsworth has come out fighting on behalf of the MCU, saying that Marvel movies have saved the box office not harmed it.

Deadpool & Wolverine is the next MCU movie releasing in cinemas, and the only MCU film coming out this year. Starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman as the iconic comic book characters, the new film, directed by Shawn Levy, will bring both ‘heroes’ to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the first time.

Deadpool & Wolverine
releases in theaters on July 11, 2025, and you can check out the latest trailer below. Natalie Portman, meanwhile, is set to star in the Apple TV+ series
Lady in the Lake
, based on the acclaimed novel by Laura Lippman. The first trailer was recently released online,
which you can watch here
.