Why Valkyrie Isn’t Becoming Mighty Thor In The MCU

Thor: Love and Thunder will turn Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster into the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Mighty Thor – but why isn’t the title being handed to the new ruler of Asgard, Valkyrie? After being introduced as a drunken bounty hunter on the planet Sakaar in Thor: Ragnarok, Valkyrie eventually teamed up with Thor and Hulk to take back Asgard from Thor’s malevolent sister, Hela. Asgard was ultimately destroyed, but after the events of Avengers: Infinity War the Asgardians built a New Asgard in Tønsberg, Norway.

With Thor sinking into a state of despair after his failure to undo the Snap, Valkyrie was left to handle the day-to-day running of New Asgard. At the end of Avengers: Endgame, Thor decided to depart Earth with the Guardians of the Galaxy, and named Valkyrie as the new Queen of Asgard. With several characters passing the torch ahead of the MCU’s Phase Four, some fans wondered in Valkyrie might succeed Thor as the new God(dess) of Thunder – but at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, Portman made a surprise return to the Hall H stage to reveal that she would be playing Mighty Thor in Thor: Love and Thunder.

Jane Foster hasn’t had a key role in the MCU since Thor: The Dark World, when she briefly became the vessel for the Reality Stone. Her repeated absences in Marvel movies were explained first by Thor not wanting to reach out to her on Earth, and later by Thor saying that they broke up at some point offscreen. Jane returned very briefly in Avengers: Endgame, but that was via recycled footage from The Dark World rather than new footage shot for the film. The behind-the-scenes troubles of Thor: The Dark World (director Patty Jenkins was replaced by Alan Taylor during pre-production) appear to have dimmed Portman’s enthusiasm for the MCU, but the success of Thor: Ragnarok and the promise of becoming Thor herself have brought her back.

While Valkyrie fans might be disappointed that Jane Foster, not Valkyrie, gets the honor of wielding Mjolnir as the first female Thor, this character transformation is lifted straight from the comics. After Thor became unworthy and lost the ability to lift Mjolnir, a new Thor took his place at the end of Thor #1 (2014) – a mysterious woman who was soon revealed to be Jane Foster. Jane was suffering from breast cancer, but was chosen by Mjolnir to be its new champion and was restored to strength whenever she was in her new, mightier form.

The transformation from a frail and sickly woman into the Mighty Thor was a dramatic change for Jane, and even if Thor: Love and Thunder doesn’t include the storyline about Jane developing breast cancer, it will still be quite a step up for the character. In that respect, it makes sense that Valkyrie isn’t becoming the MCU’s new Thor – because she already has a superhero identity. She’s an Asgardian with a full set of superpowers and lethal fighting skills (not to mention a cape), so becoming the Goddess of Thunder wouldn’t be as significant a transformation for her as it is for Jane Foster.

In Thor: Ragnarok, Thor said that when he was a child he admired the Valkyries so much that he wanted to become one of them, so Valkyrie doesn’t really need the “upgrade” of becoming the new Thor in order to rule Asgard. Of course, that’s not to say that she might not pick up the magic hammer at some point in the future of the MCU. After all, Vision, Captain America, and now Jane Foster have all taken their turns to hold Mjolnir.

More: How Thor 4 Can Use The Guardians Of The Galaxy (Without Undoing Endgame)