Natalie Portman is returning to the Thor franchise for the first time in eight years, but she’s going to look very different this time.

As many Marvel fans are currently enthralled by the appearance of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, it’s Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer and what it all means for Doctor Strange in The Madness Multiverse, it’s been a while since we’ve heard anything new about the other film, which has already finished filming and is due to arrive next year. This is Thor: Love and Thunder. With the Guardians of the Galaxy set to appear in the film, and the once unimaginable Natalie Portman returning as Jane Foster, the fourth solo film from the God of Thunder promises to be a smash hit. And not just for the audience: Natalie Portman has had to train hard to get in shape for her return to Marvel, as she revealed in a recent interview.

The Oscar-winning actress spoke to Vanity Fair about her upcoming appearance, her first since 2013’s Thor: Dark World. “It was a lot of fun,” Natalie said. “I worked with a trainer, Naomi Pendergast, for four months before filming and then through filming. We did a lot of weight training, and in between, I consumed a lot of protein shakes. It was heavyweight training like I’d never done before. Of course, it was never my goal to get fat. It was very physical, so there was a lot of both skill and strength work.” He later added, “It helped you get into character and changed my movement. You walk; differently you feel different. I mean, it’s so fierce, I feel strong for the first time in my life.”

It’s been an open secret for a while that Portman would return to the franchise, once again as Chris Hemsworth‘s opponent, and the story suggests he’ll transform into the mighty Thor, just like Jason Aaron in his comic book arc. Although you’d think the writer who came up with the concept would only have a clue what it would look like on screen, Aaron said when asked by a fan on social media about it. All my confidence is in Taika“.

Taika Waititi managed to bring Thor back from the brink in Ragnarok, reimagining the Norse god and banishing the ghosts of Thor: Dark World, which many MCU fans still consider the franchise’s least favourite film. For that reason alone, it seems like this Thor movie couldn’t be in better hands, but if you need more reason to get excited, remember that Love and Thunder have almost as many recurring characters as an Avengers movie. Guardians of the Galaxy’s Chris Pratt, Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista and Karen Gillan will all make appearances, as will Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie. Christian Bale will make his MCU debut as the villain Gorr, the Divine Butcher, also from Jason Aaron’s comic book. Thor: Love and Thunder arrive in cinemas on 6 May 2022.

Source: MovieWeb