There was never any chance of Natalie Portman's Jane Foster appearing in Thor: Ragnarok. She made it clear last year that she was done with Marvel for now, saying last year “As far as I know, I’m done. I don’t know if, maybe, one day they’ll ask for an Avengers 7 or whatever. I have no idea! But as far as I know I’m done.” And while she has kept the door open for a return some day, nothing was ever set in motion for her to be in this movie. So what's the storyline explanation for Jane's absence? Simple: she and Thor have broken up and he's off sewing his oats across the universe. Chris Hemsworth tells EW...
"He’s off exploring the universe, still trying to police it and control the mayhem. But he’s certainly enjoying being a drifter, being a solo cowboy out there."
Marvel prez Kevin Feige has a more analytical reason, and it's that they wanted Thor to be paired up with someone he has more in common with, and that's Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie...
"We wanted Thor to encounter somebody that was near his equal and that his relationship with Jane may have evolved in unexpected ways in between The Dark World and Ragnarok and we wanted to pit him against a character who was much more his equal and in many ways his superior. Valkyrie is trying to not embrace any sort of Asgardian heritage that she has. Thor thinks maybe that will create a bond between them and, on the contrary, she wants to forget it all entirely."
I still don't think we've seen the last of Portman in the MCU. Is it bad that I want Jane Foster to reappear as an exhibit in The Collector's menagerie? Thor: Ragnarok opens November 3rd.
