Thor 4 Theory: Lady Sif Is Thor's Love Interest (Not Jane Foster)

Instead of revisiting Thor’s romance with Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) in Thor: Love and Thunder, Lady Sif (Jamie Alexander) could serve as the Avenger’s love interest. Sif is a key supporting character and ally to the God of Thunder in both Marvel Comics and the MCU, yet she hasn’t made an appearance in several years.

In the first two Thor movies, Thor’s attention was occupied by Jane Foster. Things changed rapidly before the third movie, as Marvel wrote her out of the story in Thor: Ragnarok. However, they're now bringing her back for Thor: Love and Thunder, where she will follow in the footsteps of her comic book counterpart and become “Mighty Thor”. Though Marvel now has a chance to continue the love story of Thor and Jane, another opportunity exists in the form of Lady Sif.

Lady Sif fought beside Thor and the Warriors Three against the Destroyer and the Frost Giants during his first MCU adventure in Thor. She joined him in the battle against Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) and the Dark Elves in Thor: The Dark World, and hasn’t been on the big screen since. The last time she appeared at all was in an Agents of SHIELD season 2 episode where she aided Coulson’s team in a mission that involved the Kree. Due to scheduling conflicts, Alexander wasn’t able to reprise her role as Lady Sif in Thor: Ragnarok, a movie that killed off most of Thor’s Asgardian compatriots. However, she could be back in Thor 4, where she may strike up a romance with the main character.

Thor & Lady Sif's Romance In Marvel Comics

In the comic books, Sif and Thor were in love centuries ago, long before his comic even began in the 1960s. It all started when Thor displayed his heroism by offering his own life to Hela in exchange for Sif’s. However, they were eventually forced apart. After becoming a superhero on Earth and forming a relationship with Jane Foster, Thor seemingly forgot about Sif. Odin, who had always been opposed to his son sharing a romance with a mortal, made Jane pass a test to see if she was worthy of being with Thor. When she failed the test and asked to have her memory taken away, Thor was deeply hurt. That changed when Odin arranged for him to cross paths with Lady Sif again. Their relationship was rekindled, and the two shared a number of adventures together, such as an encounter with Adam Warlock, and battles with villains like Surtur, Ulik, the Wrecking Crew, and more.

When Marvel Comics brought Jane Foster back into Thor’s life, it was revealed that his feelings for her lingered, much to Lady Sif’s disappointment. Regardless of her jealousy, she willingly merged her spirit with Jane’s to save her life. Following her separation from Jane, Sif and Thor resumed their romance, but it came to an unfortunate end when Thor – secretly under the influence of the seductive sorceress Lorelei – attacked Sif. It took time for Sif to realize that Thor wasn’t to blame for what happened.

Thor & Jane's Relationship Is Already Over In The MCU

Similar to the character from the comics, Thor’s arc in the MCU started with him falling in love with Jane Foster, but the MCU has moved beyond that. Though the two seemed to share strong feelings for each other, their romance was ended offscreen with a few lines in Ragnarok that addressed their breakup. Putting an end to their relationship in such a way diminished its importance. For this reason, it would be a mistake for Marvel to go back to it in Thor 4.

Since Marvel has made it clear that the MCU has moved on from the Thor-Jane Foster relationship, it should stick to this decision, rather than putting them back together again. Furthermore, audiences have already seen how their romance would work through two Thor movies. That’s why it would make sense for Marvel to pick a different character if it wants to give him a new love interest. The person who is perhaps the strongest candidate for this role is Lady Sif.

Lady Sif's Potential Return In Thor: Love & Thunder

Because of Jamie Alexander’s commitments to Blindspot, a return in Thor: Ragnarok couldn’t happen, but now that the series is over, the actress is free to play Sif again in the MCU. Plus, Alexander has expressed an interest in returning to the character before. A possible appearance in an unspecified Marvel project was hinted at by Alexander in February 2020. If Sif were to come back, the best options for using her would be Disney+’s Loki show or Thor: Love and Thunder, considering those two projects are the only ones she can be easily associated with. Since the MCU has already disposed of most of Thor’s supporting cast from his first two movies, bringing back a familiar face like Sif could be a good move for the film.

How Thor & Sif's Romance Can Work In Thor 4

Sif wasn’t on Asgard when it was under assault by Hela in Ragnarok, which means she could find her way back in Thor 4 and reunite with what’s left of her Asgardian friends with ease. One popular theory about what Marvel can do with her in the movie is for her to become Valkyrie’s “queen”, but it could be that if Marvel does indeed have plans for her, they may instead entail following through on something that was strongly implied in the first two Thor movies. It was made obvious in Sif’s scenes with Thor that she held long-lasting, unrequited feelings for him. Considering that Thor was in love with Jane, Sif never acted on them.

Sif being secretly jealous of Jane is right in line with the comics. Marvel could continue following the comics by having Thor look to Sif now that his relationship with Jane is over. Thor didn’t have a romantic interest in her before, but his character has evolved and grown so much over the years, that it could be he’ll view Lady Sif in a new light when they meet again. If so, her feelings could finally be returned for the first time. Also, Thor 4 director Taiki Waititi has described his script as "very romantic", so Thor finding love again does seem quite plausible. If Thor: Love and Thunder moves in this direction for the two characters, it could help bring his story to an end. As previously noted, the two getting together in the Silver Age was followed by a series of cosmic adventures. Thor traveling the universe with the woman he loves could be how Marvel ends the franchise on a happy note.

Next: Everything We Know About Thor: Love & Thunder