In Thor: Love and Thunder, Natalie Portman will make her long awaited return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Jane Foster. However, we'll be seeing a completely different side of the character, because she's set to transform into the all-new Mighty Thor.
It was at last year's San Diego Comic-Con that Portman hit the stage in Hall H with Mjolnir in hand, and she's been training ever since to ensure that she's in the best shape possible to play the God of Thunder.
Recently, the actress appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live, talking about her time in Australia and the work that's gone into preparing to return to this shared world. Talking about Chris Hemsworth's impressive muscles, Portman admitted that, "it's a lot of pressure" starring alongside the actor, and she worries that, "I'm gonna look like his little grandma next to him."
Thor: Love and Thunder is set to be released in 2022, and the signs are all pointing to it being a game-changer for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially if Jane is sticking around as the new Thor (what that would mean for Hemsworth is hard to say, but in the comic books, the "Unworthy" Thor went off on his own adventures while Jane teamed up with the Avengers).
Check out the full interview below:
What announcements would we like to see from Marvel Studios in their own
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10. Future Plans For Spider-Man
After a brief falling out, Disney and Sony Pictures put their differences to one side and Spider-Man will remain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for at least two more appearances.
The first will be in next year's Spider-Man 3, and the next will see the web-slinger cameo in another Marvel Studios project. However, it would be nothing short of spectacular for plans beyond that to be confirmed; a Spider-Man 4 would be welcome news, especially as it would show a long-term commitment from Disney and Sony when it comes to Peter Parker's big screen future.
Unfortunately, this may hinge on how successful Spider-Man 3 is when it's released next year!
9. Reveal The X-Men...
During last year's San Diego Comic-Con, Kevin Feige made a brief mention of "mutants" and, well, that was it. There were rumblings at the time it will be at least five years before the X-Men join the Marvel Cinematic Universe and, unfortunately, COVID-19, has more than likely delayed that.
At an event like this, it would be incredible if Marvel Studios were to either reveal the title of the reboot - it has to be Uncanny X-Men, surely? - or even the characters fans can expect to see.
Hoping for a cast reveal seems a little too optimistic as the dust needs to settle after flops like Dark Phoenix and The New Mutants before these heroes can be brought back to theaters.
8. ...And The Fantastic Four!
One team we wouldn't be surprised to see hit the stage is the Fantastic Four. Fans have made it clear they want to see John Krasinski in both the director's chair and as Mister Fantastic, and so revealing that's what they're getting would no doubt blow the minds of, well, everyone.
It would be even better if Krasinski were to then introduce the rest of the team (with his real-life wife playing Susan Storm), and for Marvel Studios to make it clear where this version will take us.
With the Fantastic Four comes characters like Doctor Doom, Galactus, and the Silver Surfer, so they're arguably more important to the Marvel Cinematic Universe than even the X-Men franchise.
7. Shed Some More Light On Blade
Going back to last year's Comic-Con, the Marvel Studios panel ended with Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali hitting the stage and being revealed as the new Blade. There was no mention at the time about whether he'll play the character in a movie or TV series, so some clarity would be much appreciated.
If the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going to embrace the supernatural, then it would be awesome to see Blade at the forefront of that, and to know that he's going to be a big part of this world.
Despite those COVID-19 delays, the Phase 4 slate has started taking shape, but there's no sign of this vampire hunting badass. Revealing what comes next for him here would be a huge deal.
6. Some Big Casting Announcements
There are a lot of big movies and TV shows on the way from Marvel Studios, and as great as it was to find out who will be playing She-Hulk last night, a report from Deadline really can't match the sort of fanfare we saw when Brie Larson was brought out on stage and announced as Captain Marvel!
However, with so many gaps in the casts of movies like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder, this would be the perfect opportunity to clear things up.
An event like this would also be a great place for Kevin Feige to introduce us to the young actress playing Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel (which should help put her on the map in a massive way).
5. The Phase 5 Movies
It's hard to even predict which characters could receive the spotlight in Phase 5, especially when Phase 4 is only just now getting started. However, there are definitely plenty of heroes who have yet to make their Marvel Cinematic Universe debut who could be revealed during an event such as this.
Nova immediately springs to mind, as do the characters from Netflix who are all in desperate need to reboots (Daredevil, in particular, could do with a movie that finally does him justice).
Now that Marvel Studios has regained the rights to the Fantastic Four and X-Men franchises, there are plenty of characters from their worlds - Silver Surfer, for example - who could get the big or small screen treatment over the next few years. We'll just have to wait and see who they are.
4. Concept Art And Title Treatments
It's hard to talk too much about the trailers we'd like to see when, as we write this, we're fully anticipating Black Widow to be delayed again! If that happens, then every other upcoming Marvel Studios movie is likely to shift, so who knows when we'll get our first look at the likes of Eternals, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
However, looking beyond that to some of the projects we've already mentioned throughout this feature, Marvel Studios could quite easily share some concept art and title treatments with us.
Those have become a staple of their Comic-Con presentations over the years, and artwork depicting the X-Men or Fantastic Four would generate headlines across the globe (as would a first look at Blade).
3. The Russo Brothers Return
Joe and Anthony Russo are busier now than ever before, but they've made it clear that they want to make a return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe...preferably to direct an adaptation of Secret Wars.
If that were to be announced - even if it's dated for something like 2028 - then the internet may very well be broken. It's the perfect project for the filmmakers, and one they can make a reality now that the X-Men and Fantastic Four are part of the same world as Earth's Mightiest Heroes, The Avengers.
It would be no bad thing to see them take charge of a smaller project, of course, and we would definitely be on board with them taking charge of another Captain America movie with Chris Evans.
2. Bring Ryan Reynolds Out As Deadpool
If there's one question many Marvel fans have right now, it's "Where the f*** is Deadpool?"
Ryan Reynolds is ready to reprise the role and fans are desperate to see more of the Merc with the Mouth on the big screen. We've heard plenty of rumblings that there's something in the works, but it's tricky introducing Deadpool to this shared world before the X-Men even show up!
That's likely a problem Kevin Feige is hard at work trying to solve, but he needs to act fast as time is wasting. Regardless, bringing Reynolds out on stage in full costume would be seriously cool.
1. Avengers 5 Announcement
Avengers: Endgame is officially the biggest movie of all-time, and that makes it all the more surprising that there's no sign of Earth's Mightiest Heroes reassembling at some point during Phase 5.
Clearly, with a new era of heroes being introduced, the plan is to take some time and bring together a new roster made up of fresh faces. That's a great idea, but we'd love to know where things are heading next, even if it's as simple as the Young Avengers being first to assemble.
That seems likely given what we know about what comes next, but there's no way this team should be left on the shelf any longer than they need to be, and an event like this is the place to reveal future plans.