Jane Foster becoming Thor was going to be part of Marvel Studios' Natalie Portman returning as Jane Foster in Thor 4.

The series is based on the Marvel comic titles of the same branding, which specialized in telling standalone stories that imagined one major twist on a known story or character. The very first story explored what if Spider-Man ed the Fantastic Four, but another early adventure showed Jane Foster lifting Mjolnir and becoming Thor. While this was a one-off story, writer Jason Aaron made this a permanent evolution of the character a few years ago. This idea is being incorporated into Thor: Love and Thunder by writer-director Taika Waititi and is the reason why it won't be an episode of What If.

Related: Jane Foster Can't Become Marvel's Thor The Way Marvel Fans Think

During an interview with DiscussingFilm, What If...? showrunner Ashley Bradley was asked about the inspirations she and the writer's team took in finding the stories for season one. She revealed in her response that they did take cues from a few of the comics, but also that making Jane Foster Thor was one Kevin Feige blocked. Following the initial confusion on Bradley's part, she was told that the reason they could not do this story is because Waititi was using it for Thor 4.

Our first weeks there I very strongly pitched doing The Mighty Thor- Jane Foster Thor. Jane wielding the hammer, I believe first happened in a What If comic. I was very poignantly told that was never going to happen. I got a little angry and thought, “Why, because they don’t want a woman holding the hammer?”. I was very politely told, “No we’re doing it”. I was like what? “We’re doing it in the movies. You can’t do it.” I was like, seriously? They responded with, “Please don’t tell anyone. We’re with you on it, it’s an amazing idea. Taika Waititi wants to write it”. At that point, you just go “Then Taika Waiti can write it”!

Since the premise of the What If series is to explore storylines that won't otherwise be done in the MCU, it is understandable why this exact approach was blocked by Marvel. The good news is that fans will still get to see Jane Foster lift Mjolnir in 2021 thanks to Thor: Love and Thunder's release date. Furthermore, this doesn't mean that Natalie Portman's Jane Foster won't have a role in What If. She was among the handful of cast initially announced to be part of the series, so Jane will be involved one way or another.

Regardless of the role she plays, it is clear that several different groups within Marvel Studios wanted to bring Jane Foster Thor to the screen in some way, so her lifting the hammer was going to happen one way or another. While some fans may have wanted to see this storyline play out across animation, the promise of it coming in live-action instead is all the more exciting. It also hopefully means that Jane Foster's Mighty Thor will be a recurring hero in future MCU storylines. And as long as What If...? is a hit, then maybe future seasons will give Bradley the chance to tell her own "What If" story with Jane Foster Thor.

MORE: MCU Theory: Female Thor Is Jane Foster From Another Timeline

Source: DiscussingFilm

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