Since last October, the mantle of Thor (along with mighty hammer Mjolnir) has been held by a female in Marvel Comics. (Maybe that’s what the Norse God of Thunder, as portrayed by Chris Hemsworth, really flew off to contemplate during Avengers: Age of Ultron.)
The change has been a popular one for Marvel, with comic books featuring the new version of Thor actually outselling the most recent issues featuring his familiar male incarnation. Part of the appeal with this character and her storyline was the mystery of the new Thor’s identity. Who was that under the helmet?
When Thor issue No. 8 hits comic book stands and digital platforms this Wednesday (May 13), writer Jason Aaron and artist Russell Dauterman will finally reveal who the woman swinging the big, mystical hammer is. If you don’t want to know who she is, preferring to read the story when it’s published this week, consider this a spoiler alert.
As reported by the New York Times‘ George Gene Gustines, the new Thor is Dr. Jane Foster, the previous Thunder God’s former girlfriend. In the comic books, Foster is a physician who falls in love with Thor’s civilian identity, Dr. Donald Blake. In the movies (where Blake is not a part of the Thor mythology), the character is a world-renowned astrophysicist portrayed by Natalie Portman.
“Jane Foster has been part of the Thor comics and the Thor mythology from almost the very beginning,” Aaron told Gustines. “The very act of picking up this hammer, of becoming Thor, is killing her. Where we go from here is the real story.”
Portman didn’t appear in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and her role in 2013’s Thor: The Dark World is rumored to be the last time she’ll play the character. There’s no word if Portman will be part of Marvel’s third Thor film, Thor: Ragnarok. But if it was possible that becoming Thor and wielding Mjolnir was in her future (which it probably isn’t), maybe Portman could be persuaded to return.
