NOTE: This article is about the incarnation of Jane Foster from the Marvel Cinematic film series. The mainstream version can be found here: Jane Foster.
“
Well, magic's just science that we don't understand yet.
„
~ Jane to Dr. Selvig.
“
It's all my fault. If I hadn't found the Aether, your mother and brother would still be alive...
„
~ Jane to Thor, feeling guilty for finding the Aether.
Jane is Thor's ally and former love interest, and an American astrophysicist who encountered Thor after he was banished to Earth by Odin. She would encounter Thor once again after she became the host of the Aether, and assisted the demigod in stopping Malekith and the Dark Elves. Jane and Thor's relationship would later end after 2015, and she would later be one of the victims of Thanos' decimation until she was revived by the Hulk in 2023.
She is portrayed by Natalie Portman, who also played Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Novalee Nation in Where the Heart Is, Evey Hammond in V in Vendetta, Nina Sayers in Black Swan, and Lena in Annihilation. Portman would also go on to voice another version of the character in the 2021 Disney+ animated series, What If...?
Not much is known about Jane's past, but her father was a scientist who worked with Dr. Erik Selvig at Culver University, a college she would attend herself. After graduating from Culver, Foster became an astronomer and focused her entire life into researching alongside Dr. Selvig and her intern, Darcy Lewis. Jane also briefly dated a doctor named Donald Blake, but later broke up with him and states that though he was a good doctor, he wasn't a good boyfriend.
Thor
Jane Foster was travelling in a van with her colleague Erik Selvig and her assistant Darcy Lewis, when a mysterious weather event and the subject of Foster's research unexpectedly resulted in a powerful vortex before them. As they struggled to drive through zero-visibility conditions, the van collided with a man who had stumbled out of the dust and into their path. The man, who only announced himself as Thor, was injured again when Darcy tased him, prompting them to take him to hospital.
The following day, Darcy made a surprise discovery when she noticed the figure of a man in one of the photographic images captured from the atmospheric event. While Jane realized that the newcomer might be able to shed some light on the event, Selvig was more skeptical. So began a lengthy disagreement between the two, with Foster theorizing about the possibility of an Einstein-Rosen Bridge, while Selvig insisted that everything Thor had been saying about gods and other worlds was nothing more than delusional talk based on old myths.
Despite Selvig's concerns, Jane's interest in Thor pushed her to find out more, and the trio set off for the hospital to find the stranger. Once they were reunited, the trio and Thor went to a local diner where Jane pressed him for more information, trying to make sense of what he was telling them. It was there that Thor overheard news of his missing hammer, Mjölnir, and set off on his own to retrieve it. Returning home, Jane and her colleagues found S.H.I.E.L.D agents confiscating their equipment.
After commiserating with her colleagues over the loss of their property and telling Darcy to stop going on about her lost IPod, Jane chanced upon Thor again and volunteered to assist him with reacquiring his hammer Mjölnir. This goal proved unsuccessful when Thor, after stealing into the temporary S.H.I.E.L.D. compound that had sprung up around the artifact, found himself unable to lift it and allowed himself to be caught.
Jane enlisted Erik’s help in getting Thor released, which led to a series of events that bonded the expanded group more closely, with Selvig befriending Thor while Foster started to view him as a romantic interest. Their time together was cut short when first, several of Thor's friends from Asgard arrived to take him home, then the Destroyer (a very large battle automaton robot) arrived to stop him from returning to Asgard.
Thor ultimately beat the Destroyer. His willingness to sacrifice himself in the protection of those around him proved his worthiness of Mjölnir, which he regained along with his full power as the God of Thunder. Jane finally saw what he really was for the first time, but with the return of Thor's power came the return of his responsibility to his realm and his people. She was forced to say goodbye as Thor returned to his home, but continued to search for him while acting as a consultant for S.H.I.E.L.D.
The Avengers
Though Jane doesn't appear in The Avengers, she and Darcy were moved to a safe location by S.H.I.E.L.D. to protect her from Loki, who arrived to Earth under the command of Thanos. Thor was thankful for Agent Coulson securing Jane and Darcy, but couldn't meet with her since he needed to stop Loki with Avengers. Jane had no knowledge that he had returned, but would see footage of him fighting during the battle of New York.
Thor: The Dark World
When Jane learned that Dr. Selvig had traveled to London due to anomalies, she decided to travel there to find him with Darcy, but he was nowhere to be found. She then decided to move into her mother's house to continue her research, but was still unable to move on from her past relationship with him. When Darcy spoke of a anomaly, the two investigated and Jane was pulled into the Nine Realms, where she came across the Aether. The substance proceeded to leave it's chamber and latched itself onto her, causing Jane to become terrified and be transported back to Earth. Jane then reunited with Thor, who after seeing that something was wrong when she was protected by the red substance, decide do take her to Asgard.
Meeting Odin, she learned that the Aether was draining Foster's body and would protect its host from harm, such as being fired at by the police or being touched by Asgardian guards. During the sacking of Asgard, Jane was protected by Frigga from the Dark Elves, who was later killed by Algrim. After the death of Frigga, Foster was imprisoned due to the danger of the Aether, but was freed by Sif as she was part of Thor's plan to defeat Malekith. After escaping from Asgard, the Aether was removed from Jane via Loki making a bargain to Malekith, which was secretly a false plan made the trickster. When Loki's true motives were revealed, he was "killed", and Jane witnessed his "death" alongside Thor.
Returning to Earth and reuniting with Darcy and Selvig, Jane participated in helping Thor battle against Malekith during the battle of Greenwich. She would use the Gravimetric Spikes to teleport the Dark Elves from London, and later teleported Malekith away as well, which resulted in his death by Dr. Selvig. Following the events at Greenwich, Jane and Thor reunited and re-started their relationship. Due to her relationship with Thor and studying of the Convergence, Jane became well known and was considered one of the world's most foremost astronomer.
Thor: Ragnarok
While she does not appear in the film, it's revealed that she and Thor broke up, with Odison describing it as a "mutual dumping".
Avengers: Infinity War
Though she doesn't appear in the film, it was later revealed that she was one of countless affected by the decimation, and was killed by Thanos.
Avengers: Endgame
When the Avengers travel back in time to collect the Infinity Stones, in order to undo the Decimation, Thor and Rocket Raccoon travel to Asgard in 2013 to retrieve the Reality Stone from Jane's body. They are successful in getting the stone out of her body before they travel back to the present. After undoing the Decimation and defeating Thanos, Captain America travels through time to return all of the Infinity Stones, allowing Jane to reabsorb the Reality Stone. Jane in the present time was revived by Hulk, but she doesn't appear at Tony Stark's funeral.
Thor: Love and Thunder
TBA
Personality
Jane Foster is a strong and determined woman, with an obstinate will and an independent spirit. She firmly believes that scientists have been invested with the mission of searching the truth and loyally follows this idealism.
She possesses a deep knowledge for her study field, astrophysics, and of her peers. She came the closest to discovering the existence of Asgard by studying the wormhole-like traces left by the use of the Bifrost Bridge.
In the comics, Jane Foster starts as a nurse, not an astrophysicist, but the Studios wanted to update the character. She is enamored with Donald Blake, having broken up with Thor decades ago in the comics.
Chris Hemsworth's wife Elsa Pataky was Portman's stand-in for the post-credits scene in Thor: The Dark World.
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