The Marvel Cinematic Universe has come a long way since its early days when Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow was the sole female hero and most other women with substantial screen time were relegated to love interests and damsels.
Case in point, Jane Foster (played by Natalie Portman), who was first introduced in 2011's "Thor" and returned two years later for "Thor: The Dark World." She's an accomplished astrophysicist and astronomer but is best known for being Thor's ex-girlfriend. With "Thor: Love and Thunder," Foster's first substantial appearance in nine years (she had a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo in "Avengers: Endgame"), director Taika Waititi hopes to imbue Foster with a fresh sense of agency.
"It was really important to us that we bring Jane back because people would ask what happened to her and where she'd gone," said the director. "It's nice to be able to answer that and bring her back, but in a more meaningful way. She no longer is the girlfriend on the sidelines, Thor's 'chick.' She comes back as her own person, as a strong, powerful woman who is holding the hammer now and is actually a superhero herself."
