Could Scarlet Witch be the key to Jane Foster's God of Thunder transformation in Thor: Love & Thunder. Marvel's Phase 4 might've been put on hiatus due to the current pandemic, but the new crop of MCU projects still promise much excitement. In 2019's Avengers: Endgame, the gang harness the Quantum Realm to travel through time, opening up the Marvel movies to the wonderful world of the multiverse. With Kang The Conqueror heavily rumored for Ant-Man 3, and Benedict Cumberbatch set for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Kevin Feige is evidently looking to take full advantage of these new, multi-dimensional opportunities.
Another MCU offering with potentially major links to the multiverse is WandaVision. Starring Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch and Paul Bettany's revived Vision, the WandaVision trailer sets up a mind-bending alternate reality that could redefine the entire perception of the MCU. No one exactly knows what's going on in the WandaVision trailer, but the quirky sitcom style and Vision's unexplained return prove that Scarlet Witch's series is no straightforward superhero action caper.
Speaking of which, Chris Hemsworth's Thor is getting his fourth solo outing in 2022 with Thor: Love & Thunder. Once again directed by Taika Waititi, Thor: Love & Thunder features the returning Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, who will inherit her Asgardian ex-boyfriend's powers and become Lady Thor, mirroring her famous Mighty Thor arc in the Marvel comic books. While Scarlet Witch is confirmed to appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, her presence hasn't been linked to Thor: Love & Thunder, but Olsen's character could prove vital in the highly-anticipated transformation of Jane Foster.
Jane Foster's Mighty Thor comic story is an extremely bittersweet affair. When Thor Odinson learns a sinful secret and becomes unworthy of his powers, a cancer-stricken Jane picks up Mjolnir and is deemed a worthy successor to the hammer's abilities. Tragically, the act of transforming counteracts Jane's chemotherapy treatment, meaning her power comes at an extremely high price, and the Mighty Thor ends her reign with a noble, albeit temporary, sacrifice. Obviously, Jane's cancer is an extremely delicate subject requiring the utmost sensitivity and nuance, and while the MCU is certainly capable of such storytelling, to handle Jane's illness within among the action, humor and Chris Hemsworth topless scenes would be a near-impossible balancing act. Jane's comic storyline would deserve its own spotlight. Furthermore, Taika Waititi was brought back to the MCU after scoring positive reviews for his wackier, comedic Thor: Ragnarok. Cancer doesn't naturally fit within that remit.
Following the Marvel comics precisely in Thor: Love & Thunder would also be tricky from a practical perspective. Given everything Thor went through in Avengers: Endgame, to render him unworthy in Thor: Love & Thunder would be a step backwards in his character development. And where Jane gains her powers from Mjolnir in the comic books, Thor in the MCU is wielding Stormbreaker, which doesn't possess the same fickle law of worthiness as the Asgardian's hammer. However Jane's story develops in Thor: Love & Thunder, it can't be as simple as Thor losing his powers and Jane picking up his hammer.
Although Natalie Portman is confirmed as returning in Thor: Love & Thunder, her character isn't necessarily the same Jane Foster MCU fans are used to. Without Mjolnir making Thor unworthy, there's no obvious way for Jane to transform within the MCU's continuity. Making life even trickier for Thor: Love & Thunder, Jane has been suspiciously absent throughout most of Chris Hemsworth's arc, only appearing in the initial two Thor solo movies. Throwaway lines of dialogue explained where Jane was in The Avengers, and it later transpired that the couple had broken up off-screen, so by the time of Avengers: Endgame, the audience have no emotional investment in Thor and Jane as lovers, with their relationship experiencing no development since 2013's much-maligned Thor: The Dark World. To bring Jane back to the MCU after 7 years and transform her into the next Thor would, therefore, require some narrative juggling, but Waititi can avoid this by parachuting in a brand new version of Jane from the multiverse.
In 2011's original Thor movie, the title character becomes unworthy and is stranded on Earth before being discovered by Jane Foster and her scientist pals. Of course, Jane ultimately helps Thor regain his worthiness, but in an alternate reality, perhaps Natalie Portman's character lifted Mjolnir herself, and Thor Odinson remained trapped on Earth as Donald Blake, never joining the Avengers, never fighting Hela, and most importantly, never moving in with Darryl. Meanwhile, Jane would've become the God of Thunder - the Thor of her parallel universe.
Introducing this alternate Jane Foster in Thor: Love & Thunder would eliminate a host of potential pitfalls. Foster would already be experienced with her powers, negating the need for an origin story or a tedious feeling-out process. The awkward, largely off-screen romantic history between Thor and Jane wouldn't need to be addressed because this is an entirely new version of the character. And, finally, Jane's Lady Thor would have her own version of Mjolnir with which to transform, meaning the hammer's destruction in the MCU wouldn't be a problem.
Seemingly, then, an alternate Jane Foster would be both more exciting and more fitting than the established MCU version of character, but how does Alt-Jane transfer from one realm to the next? The MCU has established several potential routes between universes, the Quantum Realm being the most obvious method. However, Spider-Man: Far From Home teased that the time-travelling antics of Avengers: Endgame wore down the barriers between universes, making it easier for characters to traverse between each world. While Mysterio's Elementals proved to be a falsehood, the (pretend) science is theoretically sound. Stopping Thanos may indeed have weakened the walls between universes, meaning one final, magical push is all that's needed to crack open the gates of the multiverse for good. Enter Scarlet Witch.
While fans reacted positively to the WandaVision trailer, no one could exactly decipher what on Earth was going on. At the very least, it can be said that the Disney+ series includes a magical alternate world, most likely generated by Wanda herself to avoid the reality of Vision's demise. Some are speculating that WandaVision might take place in Marvel's Dream Dimension - a world where, as the name suggests, the thoughts of people in the real world manifest. This would explain how Wanda's wish for Vision's resurrection can be granted. Stricken by grief, Wanda uses her mysterious red magic to somehow access a world that will allow her a reunion with Vision, effectively connecting the prime Marvel universe to the Dream Dimension. Naturally, this can't come without considerable side effects and a sizable cost, otherwise every witch would be doing it.
Opening a path to the Dream Dimension gives Lady Thor two potential paths into the main MCU. Firstly, the new Jane Foster could be an unintentional creation of Scarlet Witch's dream world. The original Jane deeply desired a relationship with Thor, but their vastly different cultures and backgrounds made romance impossible. It's likely that Jane often wished she too was Asgardian - someone who could settle down with Thor problem free. If OG Jane came into contact with Wanda (perhaps the Avengers request her scientific expertise), her wish could be made reality, creating an entirely fresh, Asgardian version of Natalie Portman's character with the powers and abilities of Thor. This would also explain why Thor's Darcy has a role in WandaVision.
On the other hand, Wanda's meddling with the Dream Dimension could have even graver consequences, ripping open a hole in the multiverse that anyone can walk through. This could lead directly into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, as well as explain the film's title, with the sorcerer rushing to fix Wanda's mistake and fight whatever Nightmares have already came through the breach. By opening the multiverse in WandaVision, Wanda might pave the way for characters such as the X-Men and Kang to appear - anyone who doesn't necessarily fit into the MCU's continuity as it stands. Jane Foster as Thor could be another multiverse addition to the MCU. The alternate character who picked up Thor's hammer in a parallel 2011 might be sent to investigate a mysterious portal in her world, and accidentally stumble into the MCU in Thor: Love & Thunder, teaming up with the familiar version of Chris Hemsworth's Thor who never lost his abilities.
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October 01, 2020 at 04:55AM
