Surrounding Natalie Portman and Thor Ragnarok, here’s some facts, information, and research, so people can stop saying Natalie chose not to come back:
Kevin Feige first announced Natalie wouldn’t return in May 2016, stating on the Empire Film podcast there were “many reasons, many of which are in the film, so you will see that.” Of course we now know that in fact is an exaggeration, as Jane Foster’s character is explained away in two sentences about how she dumped him, to which Thor says it was a “mutual dumping.”
Now, let’s go straight from the source. Natalie Portman said in August 2016 (in an interview that’s been very incorrectly headlined in the media to make it seem like Natalie is choosing to be done): “As far as I know, I’m done,” she told the newspaper. “I mean, I don’t know if maybe one day they’ll ask for an Avengers 7 or whatever, I have no idea. But as far as I know, I’m done, but it was a great thing to be a part of.”
Kevin Feige apparently felt the lead female character needed to be “Thor’s equal” which is funny because I’m pretty sure considering Jane weak contradicts the point of the first Thor: “We wanted Thor to encounter somebody that was near his equal and that his relationship with Jane may have evolved in unexpected ways in between The Dark World and Ragnarok and we wanted to pit him against a character who was much more his equal and in many ways his superior.”
Director Taika Waititi later stated: “[With Valkyrie] I wanted to make sure we weren’t making a female character that was boring and pretty. What I wanted was someone who was going to play the opposite and be even more of the ‘guy’ character than the guys.”
And of course, all of this started because there were rumors that Natalie Portman was reluctant to return for the Dark World once Marvel fired the director she wanted to make the film (Patty Jenkins, who went on to make the #1 superhero origin film of all time). Natalie Portman addressed this in a Marie Clare interview in 2013: The sequel was developed amid reports that Portman was reluctant to make a second go of it. “No,” she says flatly. “Chris is, like, one of the greatest people in Hollywood. He’s the kind of actor who’s so charismatic, he must be tired when he goes home.” You could also presume if Natalie was unhappy with Marvel, she got over it like any professional adult would, considering this would’ve happened before the Dark World filmed, a movie which ended with Thor giving up the chance to be King of Asgard to go and be with Jane. Reshoots were filmed to add the after credits make out session, all of which could’ve been changed if Portman was so difficult to work with. And let’s not forget the Age of Ultron reference which painted Jane in equal relation to Thor as Pepper to Tony, leaving audiences with the presumption they were together, though Jane wasn’t currently in New York. Speaking of which, during the Dark World press tour, when asked if she’d been asked for Avengers 2 yet, she stated: “No, no. Tell them. Tell the Marvel guys.” When asked if she would be game? “Sure, I love these movies.”
I’ll end by adding that I would agree with the common consensus that Thor: The Dark World wasn’t as good as its predecessor, but I think that blame has been unfairly placed on Natalie Portman. I saw Thor: Ragnarok and enjoyed myself, but I don’t think Thor and Jane needed to be broken up, so that a relationship built over two movies (which had really just begun by the end of the Dark World) went nowhere. You could’ve had Jane sit this one out, and bring her back later for more closure. Portman is contracted for a third film, stating during Comic-Con in 2010 when asked (13:15 mark) that she is not in the Avengers, but will be in future Thor films when/if they are made. If only.
STOP SMEARING NATALIE PORTMAN. Long live Dr. Jane Foster!
Marvel doesn’t understand how to write “normal” women. Full stop.
They can write a meaningful storyline for a tree though.