Jane Foster has soared to incredible heights in the pages of Jason Aaron’s The Mighty Thor, and while her time wielding Mjolnir is impressive in itself, it is her skills as a doctor and surgeon that further prove she is was worthy as a Thor can get.
In Thor: God Of Thunder #12, Jane Foster made her return to the pages of Thor with the heartbreaking news that she was suffering from Breast Cancer. Thor later asks Jane if she would represent Midgard at the Congress of Worlds on Asgard while undergoing her chemotherapy. After the conclusion of Marvel’s Original Sin event, Thor Odisnson is left unworthy to wield his hammer and therefore must give up his role as Thor. Mjolnir is then left unattended on the Moon, where it waits until seeking out Jane Foster. With some help from Heimdall, Jane is transported to the hammer where she is able to lift it and gain the powers of Thor. Shortly after, Jane Foster secretly takes up the mantle of the Goddess Of Thunder defending Asgard from the threat of Malekith the Accursed, battling against Dario Agger, and surviving the end of the multiverse.
Although Jane Foster has achieved great feats on the battlefield, it is her skills as a surgeon that further prove her to be worthy of the name Thor. In Doctor Strange (2015) #18, a team up with the Sorcerer Supreme sees Thor scrubbing in and helping Doctor Strange to remove tumors from a number of patients. These tumors are pieces of a magical entity created by Doctor Strange as a place to deposit all of the negative energy and pain caused by his use of magic. Called Mister Misery and kept in the basement of the Sanctum Sanctorum, Misery is able to escape, finding and possessing several hosts including Doctor Strange’s longtime ally Wong, by embedding itself as a brain tumor in its victims. Together, with Strange explaining to Thor the proper procedure, the two Doctors work to remove the tumors from their patients.
However, once Misery becomes wise to what is happening, the patients begin to take a turn for the worst leaving Thor to act quickly. Using all the speed of a bolt of lightning she begins to operate on several patients at once, moving with such intense speed she melts scalpels as she works to remove the tumors. Once all of the patients have had the pieces of Misery extracted, a colossal and monstrous possessed Wong begins to attack Doctor Strange only to be met with an epic strike from The Mighty Thor.
Jane Foster’s skills as a doctor come as no surprise to long time Marvel Comics fans. Jane began her career as a nurse working alongside the first mortal host of Thor, Dr. Donald Blake. After engaging in an odd love triangle between herself, Thor, and Blake (who she did not realize were the same person), Jane Foster became an enduring support character for the God of Thunder eventually graduating from nurse to doctor and marrying a fellow physician Dr. Keith Kincaid. Foster’s medical skills have also been displayed across many of Marvel’s biggest events including Civil War, where she can be seen in the background of panels attending to wounded heroes including Spider-Man and the Secret Avengers.
MCU fans can look forward to Natalie Portman’s return as Jane Foster in the upcoming sequel Thor: Love and Thunder. The film’s director Taika Waititi has said that he has been heavily influenced by Jason Aaron’s run on Thor Vol. 4 where the acclaimed writer introduced the world to Jane Foster as Thor. In addition, some fans have begun to speculate as to whether or not Portman’s Jane Foster might join Tessa Thompson and become a Valkyrie. Whatever the evolution of the character in the MCU may be, Jane Foster continues to be an exciting character comic book fans continue to rally behind. Whether she is fighting in extraordinary battles, sacrificing herself for the Nine Realms, or saving lives in an operating room, Marvel fans can find a worthy character in Jane Foster - The Mighty Thor.