Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi teases that the movie could adapt Jane Foster's comic book storyline involving breast cancer. Movie fans have become very familiar with Chris Hemsworth's take on the Marvel comics character Thor over the course of three solo movies plus various team-ups, including 2019's epic Avengers: Endgame, but things are set to change when Marvel revisits Thor for a fourth standalone film.

Indeed, the comics already explored an alternate version of Thor when, in 2014, Jane Foster wielded the hammer Mjolnir after Thor became unworthy, herself transforming into The Mighty Thor. The very same gender-swapped Thor twist is in fact now coming to movie screens in Love and Thunder, which sees Natalie Portman returning to reprise the role of Foster alongside Hemsworth as Thor. However, it has not yet been revealed how much of Foster's comic book storyline will be adapted in Love and Thunder. Fans know that, in the comics, Foster develops breast cancer, which adds another level of struggle to her story alongside the challenges of being deemed worthy and becoming Thor.

Related: Other Versions Of Thor That Can Appear In Love & Thunder

Speaking to Variety during a press junket for his satirical film Jojo Rabbit, Love and Thunder director Waititi teased that the breast cancer aspect of Foster's story could indeed make it into the movie. He said:

“I think that’s a really powerful part of the books. I think it’s really cool that she’s fighting this thing and there’s two battles going on. Personally I really love that storyline. But whether it ends up in the film is yet to be seen.”

Marvel Comics New Female Thor Identity

Waititi stressed that stories can change a lot throughout the process of production, and major alterations can even be made during the editing process, so it's far too early to tell if the breast cancer storyline makes the cut. The movie is not scheduled to begin shooting until early next year.

Indeed, bringing the breast cancer angle to Jane Foster's story would make for a compelling addition to Thor: Love and Thunder, as Portman takes on the mantle of The Mighty Thor. It may not have been quite as serious as breast cancer, but Thor himself experienced a physical challenge in Endgame as he became depressed and obese, and the affliction (though it may have been played largely for laughs) actually gave the character a human dimension he lacked previously. It's already been argued that some Marvel characters seem far too powerful, and that lack of human-scaled vulnerability makes them much less interesting to the audience. Putting Foster's breast cancer struggle into Love and Thunder would help give the character that added depth and relatability, and give the Oscar-winning Portman something more to portray beyond the usual familiar Marvel superheroics.

More: There May Be A New Marvel Studios Release Every 2 Weeks In 2021

Source: Variety

Key Release Dates