Certainly, no one would have expected Natalie Portman to take up the mantle of Thor when Marvel first conceptualized the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But after finishing three phases of films and television series, with the fourth one being completed at this point in time, there are really a lot of stories and possibilities that can be explored by the studio. Of course, the idea of Portman's Jane Foster becoming the Goddess of Thunder is definitely one move worth diving into.

The question remains too whether Portman's Thor can be better than the version Chris Hemsworth has been playing for years. We take a look below at several reasons why the newest wielder of Mjolnir can be a whole lot better than its previous owner.

Natalie Portman's Thor can wield Mjolnir better

While Thor is known to be the primary owner of Mjolnir, it doesn't mean he's the only one to wield it over the years. In the comics, we've got characters like Thunderstrike and Beta Ray Bill, two heroes who got the chance to use the legendary hammer. Meanwhile, Steve Rogers and Vision are two other characters who were worthy enough to lift Mjolnir over in the MCU.

Although there has been quite a number of people who have lifted the hammer, only Jane Foster did it better than all of them, Thor included. Both the comic and MCU versions of Portman's character have unlocked the hammer's secretes, which has led to incredible abilities being displayed.

One example was recently seen in the latest Thor: Love and Thunder trailer. As several gold-clad guards were attacking her Goddess of Thunder, she used the fragments of a reforged Mjolnir to strike her attackers individually. In a way, this ability is similar to how the comic version uses the hammer, making both iterations of Jane Foster the masterful wielder than the original Thor.

She dabbled in intergalactic politics

Although details have been scarce about a particular scene in the trailer, one in which we see Jane Foster sitting with Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie, there's a pretty good chance this is a gathering of different god-like beings in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For one, this is the part where Russell Crowe's Zeus makes his appearance, and a promotional image released previously confirmed the presence of Bast, the same goddess who empowered different Black Panthers throughout the past centuries.

If this is indeed a council of gods in the MCU, Jane Foster will truly belong there, if given the chance. In the comics, Thor offered her former lover an opportunity to represent all of Midgard in the Galactic Congress as its senator. The said organization is composed of representatives from the Nine Realms, and their actions serve to influence these worlds.

Needless to say, Jane accepted the offer and did a great job advocating for Earth. Along with her impressive time as Thor in the source material, it can be said that she was the better politician than the original God of Thunder.

Jane Foster had abilities before and after becoming the Mighty Thor

Back in the 60s, Jane Foster was mainly known as Thor's love interest and mostly a damsel in distress for the hero. Even if that's the case, Odin imbued her with the ability to fly and had her accomplish a series of tasks that would make Foster worthy of being with Thor and ascending to Asgard. Needless to say, Odin rigged the whole thing so Jane would fail and prevent a human from being with his son.

Although Odin erased Foster's memories of that ordeal and took back her abilities, that wasn't the last time she would gain powers. After her stint as a Goddess of Thunder, Marvel Comics decided to maximize the character by turning Foster into a Valkyrie, a Norse mythological warrior who escorts the worthy to the heavenly realm of Valhalla.

Even without Mjolnir in her hand, Foster played her new role as a Valkyrie perfectly. Of course, this happened right after overcoming the most challenging phase of her life, a battle that proves Foster is beyond Thor in one important aspect.

The Goddess of Thunder's biggest handicap makes her stronger

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The comic version of Jane Foster underwent a long time of being seen as a minor character. This set her up for the biggest shake-up of her career as Jason Aaron, the writer of Thor during the early 2010s, decided to make her undergo treatment for cancer. This development paved the way for Foster to discover Mjolnir and become worthy to wield it after Thor lost the right to lift the legendary hammer.

Even after becoming Thor, Jane Foster still had to deal with her ailment. It was discovered that becoming the Goddess of Thunder momentarily alleviated the effects of cancer and the medication she was taking at that time, including chemotherapy.

The thing is, without that medication, the tumor still grew inside Foster, even when she was Thor. This led to the stipulation that if she transformed into the Goddess of Thunder one more time instead of focusing on her hospitalization, she would die. Being the hero that she is, Foster became Thor and saved the Asgardian gods from a terrible threat, giving up her life in the process.

While this was what happened in the comics, there have been rumors that Natalie Portman's Jane Foster will be stricken with cancer in Thor: Love and Thunder too. In any case, this detail alone proves that Foster is one tough gal who's willing to go the extra mile against a disease that's all too relatable.

In around a month or so, the whole world will get to see Portman's Jane Foster in all her thunderous glory on screen. When that happens, people will finally get to see why she deserves the mantle of Thor in more ways than one.