Thor Theory: Jane Foster Is Behind Fat Thor’s Love & Thunder Transformation

After becoming Fat Thor in Avengers: Endgame, the God of Thunder will go back to his athletic physique in Thor: Love & Thunder, and the moving force behind that transformation might be none other than Jane Foster. For over a decade, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has introduced a variety of characters (heroes, villains, allies, and enemies), among those Thor, one of the original members of the Avengers and the only one to continue in this universe with a new solo movie following the events of Avengers: Endgame.

Thor’s MCU run hasn’t been smooth, making his debut in 2011 and joining the Avengers the following year, but his second movie, Thor: The Dark World, was a major disappointment and turned him into the most underwhelming hero in this connected universe. Thor went through some necessary changes in Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok, which gave him a personality and sense of humor that were brought to Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, and which were key in extending his stay in the MCU. Thor went through another significant change in Endgame when he fell into a depression and gained a lot of weight, becoming “Fat Thor”, a transformation that has been criticized by many.

Now, Thor is coming back for one more adventure in Thor: Love and Thunder, and even though by the time he left Earth with the Guardians of the Galaxy at the end of Endgame he was still Fat Thor, he will go back to his strong and athletic shape in Thor 4. Of course, details on the transformation are unknown, but with Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) returning to become The Mighty Thor, it’s possible that she’s the reason why Thor gets into shape again.

Thor Is No Longer “Fat Thor” In Love & Thunder

Thor joined the battle against Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, and after building Stormbreaker in Nidavellir, he traveled to Wakanda to fight alongside some of his fellow Avengers and other heroes. Thor came very close to killing Thanos when he stabbed him in the chest with Stormbreaker, but this proved to be a big mistake as that wasn’t enough to overpower the Mad Titan, who still snapped his fingers to wipe out half of life in the universe. Thor got his revenge some time later by cutting off Thanos’ head, but he continued to be overcome by guilt and fell into a deep depression, developing an alcohol problem and gaining a lot of weight. Thor eventually agreed to join the rest of the surviving heroes on the Time Heist and remained as Fat Thor through the rest of Avengers: Endgame.

One of the biggest questions around Thor: Love and Thunder was whether the God of Thunder will continue being Fat Thor in his new solo adventure or if he would get back into shape, and set photos were quick to confirm that Fat Thor has been left behind. Of course, given that at the end of Avengers: Endgame, when he went on a journey through space with the Guardians of the Galaxy, he was still overweight, Thor: Love and Thunder has to address this drastic change and make it part of the story.

Thor’s Transformation Has To Be Part Of Love & Thunder’s Storyline

Fat Thor wasn’t as well-received as the writers of Avengers: Endgame were hoping, and this transformation has been heavily criticized for turning Thor into a joke purely based on his weight while others praised the portrayal of PTSD. Still, whether Fat Thor worked or not, the character’s transformation was so drastic that another big change has to be addressed, more so as the photos released so far show Thor more muscular than ever in Thor: Love and Thunder, and it can’t be simply dropped to have him appear all muscular again. Fat Thor was a transformation that was ultimately part of Thor’s arc, so getting rid of that image would also be part of it, and his transformation back into his previous shape can be part of his healing process but also a result of reuniting with someone who was very special to him for years: Jane Foster.

Theory: Jane Foster’s Thor Causes Fat Thor’s Transformation

As mentioned above, Jane Foster is returning to the MCU in Thor: Love and Thunder. Jane made her debut in Thor and became his love interest, and this continued in Thor: The Dark World, where she was more involved in the story as she was directly affected by the Aether, one of the Infinity Stones. However, Jane Foster disappeared after that and her relationship with Thor was left a mystery, with the God of Thunder referring to her as a “former flame” in Avengers: Endgame. It’s understood, then, that Thor hasn’t seen Jane in years, so reuniting in Thor: Love and Thunder will be a big hit for him, one that could lead him to make some significant changes. Now, even though Thor has come a long way from his days as the arrogant and selfish prince of Asgard, he’s still a God and is surely still vain enough to want to get back to his old physique now that Jane is back.

In addition to that, Jane Foster’s return is exciting as she’s going to become Mighty Thor, as she did in the comics, so that’s another possible motivation for Thor to get rid of the extra weight and get more muscular than he has ever been, as he could see Jane as a better Thor than he is and take it as a challenge – after all, and as seen in his dynamic with Star-Lord, he’s still quite competitive, and it won’t matter if he’s now competing with his former sentimental partner. Jane Foster’s return being Thor’s driving force to get back into shape would not only make his weight loss part of the story but would further link his arc to Jane’s, while also allowing the audience to see a bit of that old Thor who was vain and still (funnily) competitive. A lot of things are set to happen in Thor: Love and Thunder, but his transformation from Fat Thor into his old physique isn’t something that can be ignored.