During Comic-Con a few weeks ago, we learned that Taika Waititi's
Thor: Love and Thunder will bring back Natalie Portman as Jane Foster as she suits up as the Marvel Cinematic Universe's new God of Thunder. Shortly after that announcement, the actress took to social media to reveal that she was set to begin training, and we now know that she's also doing her comic book research.
As you can see, writer Jason Aaron spotted one of Portman's Instagram stories in which we see that she's reading four volumes of
The Mighty Thor: "Thunder In Her Veins," "Lords of Midgard," "The Asgard/Shi'ar War," and "The Death of the Mighty Thor."
All of those arcs revolve around the female version of Thor, and this is definitely a great starting point for Portman as she looks to familiarise herself with this version of the character. While a first look at her suited up is probably a long way off, that's going to be a massive reveal and it's entirely possible that Portman will become the new face of the MCU moving forward.
Check out Portman's
Thor: Love and Thunder research material below:
Hit the "View List" button to check out all the actors
confirmed to appear in Marvel's What If? (including Portman!)
Josh Brolin (Thanos)
Thanos died (twice) in
Avengers: Endgame, but the Mad Titan has been around for a while in the MCU so there's nothing to say that his role will be tied to Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
Long before he came to Earth, Thanos terrorised the cosmos, and based on some of the other characters set to appear in this series, there's a very good chance that we'll see him cross paths with some cosmic beings or even the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther), Michael B. Jordan (Killmonger)
These two obviously squared off in
Black Panther, but what if they weren't enemies or Killmonger had survived that final battle?
This reunion opens the door to a lot of very exciting storytelling possibilities, and spending more time in Wakanda is no bad thing. If we're lucky, Ryan Coogler is going to be involved in some capacity despite the fact that he's obviously busy with
Black Panther 2.
Sebastian Stan (Bucky)
Given Bucky's storied history in the MCU, Marvel Studios could explore any number of scenarios with the character. One we think could be particularly interesting is seeing what might have happened if he had remained part of HYDRA.
However, based on some of the other names included in this post, it seems as if we could end up revisiting the hero's time in World War II.
Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk)
As of right now, it doesn't seem as if there are any plans for the Jade Giant in Phase 4 so seeing him in
What If? is going to be a real treat for fans.
There are lots of places his story could diverge from what we know, but it appears as if we can look forward to revisiting his time in Planet Hulk...after all, who wouldn't want to know what would have become of him and the MCU had he remained in The Grandmaster's arena?
Tom Hiddleston (Loki)
The God of Mischief will appear in his own Disney+ series, and that's pretty much a
What If? tale in itself, especially as we recently learned that we'll follow the 2012 version from
Avengers: Endgame.
As for this animated series, though, there are any number of places Loki could make his presence felt and it wouldn't be at all surprising for him to make multiple appearances throughout the show.
Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury)
Another mainstay of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Nick Fury could very easily play a role in any one of these stories and now we know more about his past, that too could easily be explored.
2019 has been a great year for Samuel L. Jackson so it's extremely satisfying to see that he's planning to stick around and continue playing this character, even if it's just in an animated setting.
Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Natalie Portman (Jane Foster)
After that huge
Thor: Love and Thunder announcement, this will be very interesting indeed. As Kevin Feige noted in a recent interview, Jane Foster first became the God of Thunder in a
What If? story, but exploring that before Taika Waititi's movie would be an odd decision.
Instead, we might just revisit the events of
Thor or
Thor: The Dark World to see how differently things could have played out.
Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter)
It's pretty obvious that Hayley Atwell will return as Peggy in the only story that's been confirmed for this series thus far.
While the character has popped up elsewhere in the MCU's timeline throughout "The Infinity Saga," it's difficult to imagine where she could factor into the proceedings outside of a World War II setting. Of course, Marvel could always have some surprises in store for us.
Karen Gillan (Nebula)
Nebula has gone from being a supporting player in the MCU to someone who was pivotal in the last two
Avengers movies. However, given Thanos' involvement in this series, something tells us that this story could delve into their relationship.
After all, just how differently would things have played out had Nebula been his favourite daughter or not become a hero? That's what's going to be fun about this show: finding out how one small change can have massive ripple effects for the wider MCU.
Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye)
It was confirmed during Comic-Con that Jeremy Renner will star in a
Hawkeye TV series on Disney+ in which he trains Kate Bishop. The question is, what could this series explore with the hero?
It's hard to say, but perhaps we'll learn what would have happened if he hadn't joined S.H.I.E.L.D. or remained under Loki's control (a plot point it's hard to imagine Renner wanting to explore again, in all honesty). Marvel may even choose to revisit his time as Ronin or see how his life would have differed if his family had survived Thanos' attack.
Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), Michael Douglas (Hank Pym)
There's no mention of Evangeline Lilly's Wasp (here's hoping Marvel Studios gives her the spotlight somewhere in Phase 4), but the two men who have held the Ant-Man mantle in the MCU will be back for this series.
It would be great fun to explore how differently this relationship could have played out, and bear in mind that an earlier draft of
Ant-Man was going to feature Hank becoming the evil Black Ant.
Neal McDonough (Dum Dum Dugan)
Dum Dum Dugan was a member of The Howling Commandos and with the spotlight set to be put on Peggy Carter as Captain...Britain?, we can probably expect him to team up with her in some capacity along with a few other members of the team.
Either way, this character hasn't received anywhere near as much attention as he should have done in the MCU, so the fact that he's getting the spotlight again is something we should be happy about.
Dominic Cooper (Howard Stark)
Another character who will likely factor into Peggy's transformation into a Super Soldier, Dominic Cooper's Howard Stark has been overlooked in preference of Terrence Slattery's older version in recent years, so his return to the MCU is long overdue.
The question is, what sort of shield is he going to create for Peggy Carter when she suits up?
Sean Gunn (Kraglin)
Sean Gunn plays Rocket on the set of the Marvel movies, but it's obviously Bradley Cooper who provides his voice, so we can expect him to take on the role of Kraglin in this series instead.
It's unlikely that he'll be key to any of these stories, but with the signs pointing to the Ravagers making an appearance (more on that later), we can expect him to play a fun supporting role.
David Dastmalchian (Kurt)
With Paul Rudd set to return as Scott Lang, Kurt showing up definitely makes sense, especially as this story is bound to put a unique twist on that heist. Who knows, perhaps Kurt will be chosen to steal the suit instead?
Either way, what most fans will be keen to find out is whether Luis is also set to appear here!
Stanley Tucci (Dr. Abraham Erskine)
You can't make a Super Soldier without the scientist who came up with the formula, so Dr. Abraham Erskine's return isn't exactly a surprise. However,
What If? could very easily put a new spin on him, especially as we know he once worked for the Red Skull! Would it not be fun to find out what an Erskine loyal to HYDRA might have looked like?
What's really surprising here, though, is that this cast list makes no mention of Chris Evans.
Taika Waititi (Korg)
How much fun will this be? Taika Waititi's Korg quickly became a beloved fan-favourite in the MCU when he was introduced in
Thor: Ragnarok, and chances are we're heading back to Sakaar here.
We don't expect an entire story to revolve around Korg, of course, but don't be surprised if Marvel finds a clever way to reveal just how differently things could have gone for him in an alternate timeline.
Toby Jones (Arnim Zola)
Arnim Zola played a key role in both
Captain America: The First Avenger and Bucky's eventual transformation into The Winter Soldier, while he would later return in the present day as a computer programme.
That leaves Marvel with a lot of different options when it comes to where things go next for him in an alternate timeline of some sort.
Djimon Hounsou (Korath)
Korath's history was fleshed out in
Captain Marvel when we learned that he was once a member of Kree's Starforce. Now, it's hard to say where he could factor into this particular series.
With so many members of the
Guardians of the Galaxy cast returning, though, chances are we'll be getting a new spin on the events of that movie and how it could have otherwise played out.
Jeff Goldblum (The Grandmaster)
If this doesn't confirm that we're returning to The Grandmaster's arena, what does? Now, it just seems like common sense that we'll revisit The Hulk's time there, but with Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston set to reprise their respective roles, it's every bit as likely that we'll just get a whole new spin on
Thor: Ragnarok.
Regardless of how things play out, though, nabbing Jeff Goldblum is a huge win for Marvel Studios!
Michael Rooker (Yondu)
The signs are definitely pointing to us getting to spend some time with The Ravagers, and after his heartbreaking death in
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, seeing more of Yondu is no bad thing.
We could follow a version of this team that didn't pick Star-Lord up from Earth, or perhaps they'll play a supporting role in another story? Either way, more Yondu on our screens is a great use of Disney+!
Chris Sullivan (Taserface)
Who would have guessed that we'd see this guy again?
Taserface may have been the butt of more than a few jokes in
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but he made for an effective secondary antagonist and it will be fun to see how he's used here and whether this alternate reality tale further explores his character and motivations.