After years of being written purely as a Marvel comic book love interest, Jane Foster got her own chance to shine when she took on the title of Thor in 2014, showcasing her heroism and determination.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe version of Jane Foster (portrayed by Natalie Portman) is set to undergo the same journey in the upcoming movie Thor: Love and Thunder, in a story that will hopefully develop her onscreen character to reflect her now-richer comic book history and highlight details only comic book fans know about her.
First Appearances
Jane Foster made her first Marvel Comics appearance all the way back in the Silver Age of Comic Books, in issue #84 of Journey into Mystery, which was released in 1962.
Her debut came only one issue after the first appearance of Thor himself, establishing what would become a decades-long history between the two characters. In her first two appearances, the character was actually named Jane Nelson, but this was quickly changed to the name that fans are familiar with today.
Nurse And Doctor
Jane’s earliest stories saw her in her job as a nurse, working alongside Dr. Donald Blake, who was Thor’s first human alter-ego (without his memories) after he was banished to Earth by Odin.
During these issues Jane developed feelings for both the doctor and Thor, not knowing that the two were in fact the same person. Jane later trained and qualified as a doctor herself, furthering her career and giving her connections to other superheroes like Tony Stark, to whom she later became a consultant physician.
What If ? Storyline
Although Jane Foster properly took up the mantle of Thor in 2014, this was not the first time in comic book history that she’d wielded Mjolnir.
The character’s first on-the-page experience of being a superhero came about during the What If series of the 197os, which explored alternate outcomes to crucial moments of the comics. Issue #10 of What If – published in 1978 – detailed a world where Jane Foster accompanied Donald Blake on the fateful trip that led him to find Mjolnir, leading to Jane claiming the weapon and being judged worthy of the power instead.
Tragic Losses
The regularity of Jane Foster’s appearances in the comics somewhat lessened in later volumes of Thor, though she still continued to have a presence there.
Between appearances, though, the character married Keith Kincaid, and gave birth to their son Jimmy. The couple later got divorced, and Jane lost custody of her son. Tragically, both Keith and Jimmy were later killed in a car accident, an incident which made a dramatic impact on Jane’s life, and one that she’d later reflect on during her time as Thor.
Fighting Multiple Battles
When she became Thor, Jane Foster also became one of Marvel Comics’ most powerful enchanted hammer users, but her newfound powers could not solve everything.
Newly diagnosed with cancer and undergoing chemotherapy, every transformation into Thor purged Jane of any toxins in her body, which regrettably included her chemotherapy medication. Therefore, the longer that Jane continued to act as the hero, the more ineffective her treatment became. All the while, few knew that Jane was Thor’s true identity, and she continued to bravely fight on all fronts.
An Avenger
With Jane Foster returning to the MCU there comes the possibility that she could become a member of the Avengers, as she has been in the comics.
As part of a team that included the Sam Wilson iteration of Captain America and Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan, Jane fought against villains like the Chitauri Warbringer, developing connections with her teammates and engaging in large-scale conflicts like Civil War II, even as her true identity remained a secret to many of those closest to her.
Dynamic With Sam Wilson
Teammates during the All-New All-Different Avengers run, Sam Wilson and Jane Foster shared a surprising kiss in one of the comic’s earliest issues.
With Jane aware that her cancer was spreading, she had a new desire to make the most of every day and this spontaneous moment reflected that attitude. Although the pair’s relationship wasn’t romantic for very long, the two remained great friends, with Sam becoming one of only a few to discover Thor’s true identity, and he later kept Jane company during some of her chemotherapy sessions.
The Thor Corps
In arguably one of the weirdest Thor comic book arcs, taking place during the Secret Wars event, the Thor Corps was formed by Doctor Doom to be his enforcers on Battleworld, a planet Doom created in order to save the Marvel Multiverse, which he then ruled.
The Thor Corps were made up of versions of Thor from many different realities, and Jane Foster infiltrated the team in order to turn them against Doom, who had taken up the title of God Emperor. She was eventually successful and later took part in a battle that ultimately led to the Multiverse’s restoration.
Unique Thor Abilities
Some of the best Thor comic issues of the 2010s came about during Jane Foster’s tenure as the character, exploring how Mjolnir’s powers could change depending on its wielder.
This is shown throughout Jane’s time as Thor, as she not only has all of the abilities of her predecessor but several unique ones as well. Jane shows extremely high levels of finesse in her use of Mjolnir, and as such is able to change the hammer’s direction and speed mid-throw. She has also used the weapon to trap her enemies by spinning it around them at high speed, a trait of the hammer exclusive to Jane’s use of it.
Becoming A Valkyrie
Jane Foster’s time as Thor came to an end after she used her powers to defend Asgard, losing Mjolnir in the process, and she died upon reverting to her human form. As is so often the case in Marvel comics, though, Jane did not stay gone for long.
The original Thor was able to convince Odin of Jane’s greatness and brought her back to life. Able to focus on her chemotherapy, Jane made a full recovery. During the War of the Realms event, Jane became a Valkyrie, wielding Undrajarn the All-Weapon, and started on a new heroic journey.
