Comic Book Origins: How Jane Foster Earned Her Title As The Mighty Thor

Jane Foster is known as one of Thor’s love interest in Marvel Comics. What most people don’t know is that she did eventually take on the mantle as Female Thor. Jane’s transformation into the Goddess of Thunder will finally be shown in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movie Thor: Love and Thunder. But before seeing MCU’s version, let’s see how she became worthy in the comics

How Did Jane Foster Become Worthy Enough To Wield Mjolnir?

Jane’s first comic book appearance occurred in 1962 with Journey into Mystery #84. She was then a nurse for Dr. Donald Blake. After that Jane found herself stuck in a love triangle with Blake and Thor since she didn’t know that they were the same men. You see, Blake was Thor’s mortal host. Jane then continued her involvement in Thor’s life and his various conflicts. This includes her notable stint as Female Thor or as Taika Waititi says- Mighty Thor.

In Thor Vol. 4 #1, the God of Thunder loses his ability to wield the hammer. The hammer stayed on the Moon as Thor and even Odin couldn’t move it. By the end of the comic book issue, an unidentified female character arrived on the Moon and lifted the hammer. Then the inscription on the Hammer changed to:

It was eventually revealed that, while Thor’s hammer was still on the Moon, it telepathically sought out Jane. She then asked Heimdall to take her to the Hammer’s location. When Jane picked up Mjolnir she instantly transormed and gained Thor’s powers. Jane decided to keep her identify as Female Thor a secret but it drove the original Thor crazy not knowing who took control of the hammer.

What Did Jane Foster As Thor Do After Getting The Hammer?

Female Thor jumped right into the action, getting in the middle of the tension between Malekith the Accursed and the Frost giants. It was during that conflict Thor found his successor and demanded that she return the hammer. He later backed off when he realized Female Thor was worthy enough to handle the responsibilities. He gave his blessing to Female Thor, relinquishing his name and his hammer. From then on, he went by the name Odinson. As for Jane, she fought during the Secret Wars comic book storyline and served as a member of the Avengers too

What Are Her Powers As Female Thor?

When Jane lifted Mjolnir as Female Thor, she acquired all of Thor’s superhero powers. Through the hammer, Female Thor had the power of flight as well as interdimensional transportation. She was additionally able to manipulate electricity and weather. Jane’s new identity as Female Thor also greatly transformed her appearance. Everytime she lifted the hammer, Mjolnir increased her strength and gifted her a helmet with long blonde hair. She also got a costume that stood as a female equivalent to Thor’s iconic look.

But not all abilities were positive. Before Thor became unworthy, Jane got diagnosed with breast cancer. Instead of going the magical therapy route she took a chance with chemotherapy. But each time she transformed into Female Thor, there were adverse affects to her health. It became so bad that there came a time that when transforming into Female Thor could kill her.

But Jane paid no need to that and transformed a final time when the fate of the Asgardians was in danger. She bravely sacrificed Mjolnir and herself to stop the attack. Odinson finally learned of female Thor’s identity and was heartbroken to learn it was Jane. He and Odin took Jane’s lifeless body to safety and managed to revive her. Odinson was able to wield the hammer again and Jane convinced him to continue as Thor. She on the other hand continued her chemotherapy.

Natalie Portman is all set to become Female Thor in Thor: Love and Thunder as she will be reprising her role as Jane Foster. Thor: Love and Thunder was announced by Marvel studios head Kevin Feige at San Diego Comic Con 2019.

Click on the video below to know the full story of Jane Foster as Female Thor:

(Source: screenrant.com and theguardian.com)