Natalie Portman has explained her notable absence from Thor: Ragnarok, in the lead-up to her return to the Marvel franchise as a female Thor.
The actor plays scientist Jane Foster, in the 2011 Thor and the 2013 Thor: The Dark World, the two first instalments in the franchise dedicated to the God of thunder.
She is, however, absent from Thor: Ragnarok, the third chapter, which stars Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston among others.
While fans have wondered why Portman (and her character Foster) were left out of Ragnarok, Portman says it simply wouldn’t have made sense for her to be included.
“Obviously, I wasn’t written into [Thor: Ragnarok] because of where it took place,” she told ET. “It wasn’t really on Earth, and my character is on Earth.”
Unlike Thor and Loki, Hemsworth and Hiddleston’s characters, Foster is a human who comes from Planet Earth.
Thor and Loki, on the other hand, are gods who come from Asgard, another realm altogether. They do spend some time on Earth in Ragnarok, but Foster isn’t involved.
Her absence is acknowledged when a fan tells Thor in the film she’s “sorry Jane dumped [him]”, to which Thor replies by unconvincingly assuring her it was a “mutual dumping”.
Portman is now preparing to return to the Marvel franchise as Thor, following an announcement in July at San Diego Comic Con.
She will appear as the superhero in Thor: Love and Thunder, a movie that’s being directed by Taika Waititi and is slated to be released in November 2021.
