Did 'Avengers: Endgame' Quietly Reveal the Next Thor? - Hollywood Reporter

Though Chris Hemsworth's Odinson decided he no longer wanted the mantle and joined the Guardians of the Galaxy, could a new Thor be on the horizon?

[This story contains spoilers for Avengers: Endgame]

Avengers: Endgame gave audiences a Thor like they've never seen before. Chris Hemsworth's God of Thunder was broken and depressed following his failure to kill Thanos (Josh Brolin) in Avengers: Infinity War. He spent Endgame on a journey of self-discovery that saw him reconnect in the past with his mother who offered him some profound advice. "Everyone fails at who they're supposed to be, Thor. The measure of a person, of a hero, is how well they succeed at being who they are."

By the time that the film ended, he seemed to have taken his mother's words to heart and joined the (As)Guardians of the Galaxy for some intergalactic adventures, but not before entrusting Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) as the new ruler of Asgard. It seems like perhaps she could be in line to be the new Thor, there was also another woman whose Endgame appearance hints she could be in line for the mantle as well.

Though Thor Odinson is the most famous hero to wear the mantle, in the comics there have been others who've taken on the name of Thor. There was an arc that began in 2014's Original Sin series from Jason Aaron and Mike Deodato Jr. which saw the blonde haired hero suddenly find himself unworthy to wield Mjolnir, the hammer which traditionally gives him his powers. Soon after, an enigmatic woman was able to pick up the mighty mythical weapon and become the powerful god-like hero known as Thor. It was later revealed that this figure was none other than Jane Foster, Thor's former partner who was played by Natalie Portman in Thor (2011) and Thor: The Dark World (2013).

This wasn't actually the first time that Foster had taken on the role, as a 1978 issue of Marvel's alternate reality What If? series imagined what would've happened if Jane had been one the one to find the magic hammer. Aaron and Deodato. expanded on that with a story which saw the real Jane Foster going through chemotherapy whilst living a double life as the masked hero with the hammer giving her the powers to fight despite her illness. It was a huge reveal that stunned fans and eventually saw Jane take on the role of Thor in her own series, The Mighty Thor, as well as joining the Avengers.

Though Odinson eventually returned to his birthright, it was a powerful period that set up an exciting future for one of the MCU's brightest. The character who was portrayed in the MCU by Portman was a key part of Thor and it's sequel, Thor: The Dark World, but was apparently unhappy with the studio's decision to split with the sequel's original director, Patty Jenkins, and didn't return for Thor: Ragnarok. With all of Avenger's time travel, though, fans got to see Foster once again in Endgame as Thor and Rocket (Bradley Cooper and Sean Gunn) navigated the gilded halls of Asgard looking for one of the Infinity Stones.

Portman's appearance in the film and at the Endgame premiere did get fans wondering if Jane might be taking on a larger role in the future of the MCU. I suspect that Valkyrie is more likely to take over for Thor should he need a replacement. Tessa Thompson's avenging angel was the breakout character of 2017's Thor: Ragnarok. Though her Endgame screentime was minimal, she did get to fly on a pegasus and gain a new royal title.

So what is the likelihood of Valkyrie picking up Mjolnir? The hammer's whereabouts are currently unknown after Captain America disappeared back into the past with it, but when it eventually rears its head again, there is actually comic book precedent for Valkyrie wielding Mjolnir and taking on the name of Thor. During a 2009 series called Ultimatum, the X-Men's most fearsome foe Magneto gained control of Thor's hammer and tried to take over the world. After a battle to reclaim the Asgardian weapon, an alternate universe version of Valkyrie managed to beat the villain. In the continuation of the story, New Ultimates, it was revealed that she was in fact now Thor and was wielding the hammer that she took from Magneto.

Could Thompson's version follow suit? For now, she's busy protecting and building the realm of New Asgard. But when the New Avengers come-a-calling in need of an Asgardian to help the save the world from the next inevitable threat, don't be surprised if Valkyrie is there, perhaps with Mjolnir in hand.