Is Jane Foster Really Worthy Or Did Thor Lie To Her?

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Thor: Love and Thunder.

Jane Foster wields Mjölnir in Thor: Love and Thunder, yet the question remains as to whether she is really worthy of the weapon, or if Thor lied. Marvel Studios continues Thor's narrative in the post-Infinity Saga MCU with this fourth installment of the Avenger's eponymous series. In Thor: Love and Thunder, however, he shares the God of Thunder persona with his ex-girlfriend, Jane, who returns to the franchise for the first time since the events of his first sequel, Thor: The Dark World.

With Natalie Portman reprising the role, Jane Foster now resurfaces in the MCU in Thor: Love and Thunder after several years of absence. The previous installment of the series, Thor: Ragnarok, revealed that Jane and Thor broke up, though why they split was not revealed. Thor: Love and Thunder finally offers an explanation as to what went wrong between the couple and reunites the characters. Instead of simply being a love interest, however, this time Jane has her own superhero identity as Mighty Thor after she seemingly becomes worthy of Mjölnir.

As Mighty Thor, Jane Foster wields Mjölnir, which repaired itself after coming into contact with her. The hammer was previously destroyed by Hela (Cate Blanchett) in Thor: Ragnarok. Yet Thor: Love and Thunder doesn't get into specifics about how exactly it repaired itself or why it chooses its latest owner, leaving room for doubts regarding Jane's true worthiness.

How Mjolnir Chooses Jane Foster In Thor: Love & Thunder

Thor Love and Thunder Trailer jane foster mighty thor natalie portman

Inspired by Jason Aaron's Mighty Thor comic run, Thor: Love and Thunder features Jane battling cancer. During these trying times, Mjölnir calls to her, resulting in her visiting New Asgard, where the shards of the broken hammer are being kept. Jane's proximity seemingly wakes up Mjölnir. It isn't explicitly stated, but the hammer senses Jane's desperation and suffering. After all, she had spent a considerable amount of time with it when she was dating Thor. Mjölnir reaches out and gives her a new sense of purpose.

By the time Gorr the God Butcher attacks Asgard, she is already Mighty Thor. Thor: Love and Thunder doesn't show her heroic transformation, but based on Valkyrie's comments, it sounds like Jane has already been operating as Mighty Thor for quite a while before her reunion with Thor. Chances are that Asgardians provided her with guidance as she navigated her new role as a superhero.

Thor: Love & Thunder Complicates What Being Worthy Of Mjolnir Means

Thor and Jane in front of pink light in Love and Thunder

Part of establishing what really led to Thor and Jane’s MCU break-up is showing how their relationship slowly deteriorated. Thor: Love and Thunder flashbacks reveal the pair at their happiest. At one point, Thor asked Mjölnir to always protect Jane, and the hammer somehow responded when its emblem glowed, as if making a pact with its original wielder. This is likely what motivates Mjölnir to reach out to Jane while she is battling cancer. The hammer may have sensed her suffering, and bestowing her the powers of Thor is its way of helping her in her time of need. While it couldn't cure her cancer, making her Mighty Thor empowers her in more ways than one.

This, however, complicates the rules of worthiness to wield Mjölnir which has been based on someone's moral standing. Thor needed to go through the events of the original Thor movie to be able to lift the weapon again after Odin (Anthony Hopkins) deemed him unworthy. It was only after he learned humility and genuine heroism during his first foray on Earth that he was able to wield the hammer again. In Thor: Love and Thunder, however, it seems Mighty Thor's ability to wield Mjölnir is because of its oath to Thor primarily because it offers limited details as to how Jane is able to pick it up.

Was Jane Foster Really Worthy Of Mjolnir In Love & Thunder?

Thor: Love and Thunder Jane Foster as Mighty Thor and Mjolnir

As an upstanding citizen who contributed a lot to the advancement of science, not to mention having a strong moral compass, Jane Foster had all the markings of someone who deserved to wield the power of Thor. It's also worth noting that she was integral to some of Thor's earliest adventures in the MCU, proving that she was a vessel of good in the world even when she didn't have her own superpowers.

In any case, even if the hammer only called to her because of its original oath to the Asgardian prince, Jane proved time and again in Thor: Love and Thunder that she was worthy of Mjölnir as she committed herself to stop Gorr the God Butcher. In the end, she didn't think twice about sacrificing her own life if it meant that she could do everything to bring home the kidnapped Asgardian kids and put a stop to the villain's nefarious plans.