Jane Foster: Who is the Goddess of Thunder?

Whosoever Holds This Hammer, if She Be Worthy, Shall Possess the Power of Thor

Jane Foster: “I suppose there was a time where I was starry-eyed and love-struck and the thought of being Mrs. Thor seemed like the greatest dream ever. But then I grew up. Into a doctor. A mother who lost her kid. A woman with a lump in her breast that tried to kill her. A goddess of thunder. An Avenger. A Valkyrie. I don’t dream much anymore. I don’t have to. I’m too busy living.”

Avengers Vol. 8 #56

Monsters rampage through a city. Creatures of every shape and size are indiscriminately attacking everyone. A sickly woman gripping a cane stares at her reflection. She can stop the monsters and save the city, but she knows what it will cost. Can she really go through with it? Monsters howl, children cry, and her eyes harden. There was never a choice. She slams the cane into the ground, and the heavens roar.

In a flash of lightning, the woman is transformed. New strength fills her once gaunt body. Golden hair sprouts from her bald head. Her clothes become armor as the cane reveals its true form, a warhammer. A goddess stands where a woman was moments before. She flies towards the chaos. Jane Foster will suffer later, but for now, the world needs The Mighty Thor.

Jane Foster is one of Marvel’s most overlooked heroes. She saved lives for years as a doctor before becoming the new Thor. So who is she? How did she gain her powers? How can she be Thor when Thor is Thor? Let’s find out.

Sparks Fly: Jane Foster’s Backstory

Jane: “You’re…”
Loki: “I’m Loki. You may have heard of-”
Jane: [slaps him] “That was for New York!”
Loki: “I like her.”

Thor: the Dark World

Jane Foster debuted in Journey Into Mystery #84 in 1962. She was created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Larry Lieber. Her last name was Nelsen for a few issues before the writers decided on Foster.

Jane Foster was a nurse working for Dr. Donald Blake. Her life changed when she met and fell for the Norse god Thor. Unbeknownst to Jane, Dr. Blake was Thor’s alter ego and both sides were in love with her. The two-person love triangle danced around each other until Thor came clean.

Jane and Thor got together, but his father Odin forbade their relationship because she was a weak mortal. He gave Jane a rigged challenge, promising to make her a god and let them marry if she succeeded. She was attacked by a monster and called for Thor to save her, losing the challenge. Odin erased Thor and Jane’s memories of each other and sent her back to Earth.

She fell in love with another doctor named Kincaid, unaware that he was a construct created by Odin. The two married and had a son. Over time, Jane’s memories returned and she grew to hate Odin. When Thor returned to Earth, she divorced her husband and lost custody of their son. Kincaid and the boy would later die in a car accident.

Lightning Strikes Twice: Jane Foster’s History

Thor: “Always act on your impulses, Sam Wilson. Life’s candle burns too briefly to not live in the moment. Avengers! Until our paths cross again!”

All-New, All-Different Avengers #4

The blows kept coming for Jane Foster when she learned that she had developed breast cancer. A ray of hope arrived when Thor became unworthy of wielding his enchanted hammer Mjolnir. The hammer summoned Jane, who Mjolnir deemed worthy of its power. Jane became the new Thor, sometimes called The Mighty Thor to differentiate when Thor Odinson is also present.

Mighty Thor reveled in her new powers and joined The Avengers. She used the transformation and her heroics to escape from her drab life, despite the transformation increasing the cancer’s spread. The Falcon realized that Thor had already accepted she was going to die and tried to convince her to get help, with mixed success.

Thor was eventually convinced to give up Mjolnir, and chemotherapy sent her cancer into remission. She became Thor one last time in the event War of the Realms, using a version of Mjolnir from another universe. That Mjolnir was destroyed, but reforged itself into a new weapon called Undrjarn, which enabled Jane to become a new hero called Valkyrie.

Chooser of the Slain: Jane Foster’s Powers and Personality

Jane: “I tend to the living as a doctor. I minister to the dead in the morgue. And I fight for them both as The Valkyrie.”

Jane Foster: Valkyrie #5

Dr. Jane Foster is one of Marvel’s most skilled doctors. She began as a nurse before (ironically) specializing as an oncologist. As Thor, she had all of the god’s powers, including super strength, speed, durability, flight, weather control, and immunity to poison. That last one was a curse in disguise because it counteracted Jane’s chemotherapy drugs.

Jane didn’t have Thor’s full powers that remained tied to him, but still became a heavy hitter. She also was much more precise with Mjolnir, able to perform tricks that Thor can’t. This weapon training came in handy when she gained Underjarn the All-Weapon, which can manifest any tool or weapon she needs.

Valkyrie’s new powers allow her to teleport, see Death’s physical form as well as someone’s imminent death, and to speak with the dead. Jane Foster also has a Pegasus named Mr. Horse that carries her into battle. For some reason, Mr. Horse can talk with a thick Yorkshire accent. There’s a Mister Ed joke somewhere in there for you to make in your free time.

Jane is kindly, assertive, and down-to-earth. She was hedonistic while Thor to escape her personal tragedies, but eventually came to terms with them. Jane is wary around magic because of how it has impacted her life, even forbidding Thor from finding a magical cure for her cancer because she wanted to fight it on her terms.

The Actors Who Play Jane Foster

Vita Linder – The Marvel Super Heroes
Kari Whalgren – The Avengers: United They Stand
Erica Lindbeck – Avengers Assemble
Natalie Portman – Thor, Thor: The Dark World, What If?, Thor: Love and Thunder

Didya Get All That?

A hero to the living and the dead.

Image: (L-R): Natalie Portman as Mighty Thor and Chris Hemsworth as Thor in Marvel Studios’ THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER. Photo by Jasin Boland. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.

Jared Bounacos

Jared Bounacos has written for Movie Rewind since 2016.