Thor Odinson And Mighty Thor Team Up In New Image From Love And Thunder

Variants are all the rage these days in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. First, we met a number of different Lokis on DIsney+. Then, some Spider-Men showed up to rehabilitate some former foes from across the Spider-Verse. And thanks to Sam Raimi's "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," every version of Benedict Cumberbatch's Master of the Mystic Arts thinks they know best.

But if you thought we were done seeing multiples, guess again. While we don't know exactly if she's a variant or not, Natalie Portman returns to the MCU as Dr. Jane Foster in "Thor: Love and Thunder" with a mighty new look courtesy of a makeover from the mystical hammer Mjölnir. True Believers finally got a glimpse of the latest God of Thunder in the first teaser trailer for Taika Waititi's upcoming Phase Four film. Now, it looks like the new hero in town has come face to face with the old guard.

In the upcoming Summer Preview issue of Empire Magazine, True Believers will find a new interview about the next chapter in the Asgardian Avenger's storied theatrical history, complete with a first look at Thor Odinson and the Mighty Thor together. With both Thors fully armored (minus their helmets) and presumably ready to leap into action, who knows what awaits them in this lush greenery? 

While he doesn't exactly get into those specifics, Waititi does share a few details about his highly-anticipated follow-up to "Thor: Ragnarok." For instance, the filmmaker gives us some insight into the mindset of Chris Hemsworth's character upon reconnecting with his former beau nearly a decade after they had last seen each other:

"It's been about eight years. She's had a whole other life, and then the love of your life comes back on the scene, and is now dressed like you. It's a real mindf*** for Thor."

I'd be curious to know if that "about eight years" includes time lost due to Thanos' snap with the Infinity Gauntlet from "Avengers: Infinity War." Depending on what source you consult, Jane was one of the people lost to The Blip. But then again, thanks to the multiverse, all of them could be correct. And speaking of Jane, while some might view this next bit as the director adding fuel to the variant fire, he does get into his approach to bringing Portman's world-renowned scientist back to the big screen.

"I didn't know we were going to use the storyline of the Mighty Thor character until we started working out the actual story. I was writing and it was like, 'Wouldn't it be kind of cool to bring Jane back into the storyline? [And you] don't want Natalie coming back and playing that same character who's walking around with science equipment. You know, while Thor's flying around, she's left on Earth, tapping her foot going, 'When's he going to be back?' That's boring. You want her to be part of the adventure."

It will be great to see Natalie Portman fully back in the mix after a long absence from the MCU, save for a very brief appearance in "Avengers: Endgame." But by the sounds of it, Jane Foster will very much be a part of the adventure moving forward. And you can too when "Thor: Love and Thunder" arrives in theaters on July 8, 2022.