Taika Waititi Isn't Sure If The Comic's Breast Cancer Storyline Will Make It Into 'Thor: Love & Thunder'

When it was announced that Taika Waititi was returning to direct the fourth ‘Thor’ film, fans were overjoyed. And then, when it was announced that “Thor: Love & Thunder” would feature Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster character becoming Mighty Thor, people were shocked and even more excited. But with that latter announcement comes a lot of questions.

You see, if Waititi and Marvel Studios base ‘Love & Thunder’ on the Mighty Thor storyline that found Foster become the Goddess of Thunder, then there’s this tricky issue of breast cancer that may have to be addressed, as the character in the comics is dealing with a recent diagnosis. But according to Variety, Waititi wants everyone to know that he’s aware of that storyline, but is still unsure about whether or not it’ll make it into the film.

READ MORE: Taika Waititi Isn’t Here For Your “Female Thor” Talk As He Clarifies What Natalie Portman Will Be Known As In ‘Love & Thunder’

“I think that’s a really powerful part of the books,” said Waitit. “I think it’s really cool that she’s fighting this thing and there’s two battles going on. Personally I really love that storyline. But whether it ends up in the film is yet to be seen.”

For those that aren’t familiar with the Marvel Comics storyline that he is referencing, it’s a recent plot that was created by writer Jason Aaron, and it featured Jane Foster, longtime love interest of Thor, becoming the Mighty Thor herself after being deemed worthy and picking up Mjolnir, giving her with the powers of the God of Thunder. However, the driving force behind the story and the main reason why it stands out for comic book fans is the subplot that features Foster struggling with terminal breast cancer.

Over the course of the story, Foster is receiving her scheduled cancer treatments, but every time she uses the hammer and becomes Mighty Thor, the god-like power destroys the chemo and makes it so when she turns back into her ill alter-ego, all the treatment has been erased. In other words, being a hero is slowly killing her.

READ MORE: Natalie Portman Says She’ll Get “Jacked” To Play The New Goddess Of Thunder In ‘Thor 4’

He goes on to explain that the debate about whether or not to include this subplot is less to do with the content of the story, but more to do with how much they want to adapt the plot of the comics that found Jane Foster wield the hammer.

“We’re not sure if we’re going to do a complete lift of that whole storyline,” Waititi explained. “These things change through the shoot and even when we’re editing sometimes. Like, ‘Let’s get rid of that storyline where she’s got breast cancer. We’ll change it to something else, or maybe she’s fine.’”

After reading the comics, there’s no denying that the breast cancer angle of the story is fairly dark, and definitely something that would make for a tonally distinct Taika Waititi film. However, when you have Natalie Portman aboard to play the part, you can’t help but be tempted to really allow her to flex her muscles and bring this storyline to life, as it adds so many layers to the arc of Mighty Thor.

That being said, this is Marvel Studios and we’re not sure the studio would be amped on making a film about a hero dying of breast cancer. It doesn’t really play well with the 10-and-younger crowd.

“Thor: Love & Thunder” arrives in theaters on November 5, 2021.