MCU: Why Natalie Portman Is Becoming Female Thor
1. The Question Of Thor's Worthiness...
We already have an answer to that thanks to Endgame's end. In it, we see Thor denounce his position as Asgard's king - which he was already neglecting - to go off adventuring with the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Ceremonially stepping away from that role is a big enough reason, but Thor's justification for doing so makes no sense to the journey he's been on. Ever since the first Thor movie, his arc has been about him proving himself worthy to take his place as the ruler and protector of Asgard. He was bred for that position, fundamentally. For him to get to where he was supposed to be and then turn away is a betrayal not only of his own arc but of every sacrifice that was made in the name of him getting there.
For him to turn on Asgard, he betrays the memory of Frigga, of Odin, of Loki, of the Warriors Three... They all died in service of protecting him and his realm. For him to thank them by leaving - even with Valkyrie left in his stead - would be a quick way of confirming himself no longer worthy.
There is also a possibility that Thor is still worthy, of course, and that Jane's wielding of Mjolnir is set apart from Thor's powers. After all, Mjolnir's destruction didn't lead to Thor becoming unworthy and losing his powers for good - he simply moved on to Stormbreaker and was still capable of the same feats. What if we're going to see a film where Thor and Jane are both equally powered thanks to their two separate weapons. We've already seen it in Endgame when Cap was able to wield Mjolnir and call on lightning to attack Thanos, even though Thor was already also active in the battle.
So we may need not worry about Thor becoming unworthy at all. What we do need to worry about, though, is the fact that he's currently off in space with the Guardians of the Galaxy, whose third film is released after Thor: Love & Thunder. Wrapping your head around that one might take a bit more time...
What do you think of Thor: Love & Thunder's big narrative twist? Share your reactions below in the comments thread below.