The scientist who found a god in the desert
Jane is an astrophysicist chasing strange atmospheric events in New Mexico when her team literally drives into a man who fell from the sky. That man is Thor, freshly banished from Asgard, and their meeting in Thor is the start of the MCU's first big cross-world romance. Jane is curious, stubborn and a bit chaotic, a researcher who would rather risk her career than ignore something that does not fit her models.
Her work matters to the story too. She is studying the Einstein-Rosen bridges that connect the Nine Realms, which makes her one of the few humans who understands what Thor's world actually is.
Her films in order
- Thor (film, recommended)
- Thor: The Dark World (film, recommended)
- Avengers: Endgame (film, essential): a brief moment during the time-travel heist
- What If...? (series, optional): an alternate-universe animated appearance
- Thor: Love and Thunder (film, optional)
There is a long gap between the second and third films. Apart from that brief Endgame moment, Jane is absent from the Avengers team-ups in the middle, so Love and Thunder fills in what she was doing while she was offscreen.
Big moments, without spoiling them
The Dark World pulls Jane much deeper into Thor's world. While investigating a gravity anomaly in London she comes into contact with the Aether, an ancient force the Dark Elves want back, and Thor brings her to Asgard to save her. It is her first look at his home, and she meets his family under the worst possible circumstances.
Love and Thunder is a very different chapter. Jane is facing a serious illness, and somehow the shattered hammer Mjolnir answers her call, turning her into the Mighty Thor. The film treats this as both a thrill and a cost, and it gives Portman the most physical, emotional material she has had in the role.
Who she is connected to
Thor is the center of her story, first as a romantic interest and later as a former partner she has to work beside. Darcy Lewis, her sarcastic intern, provides much of the comedy in the first two films and later turns up in WandaVision. Heimdall watches over her from Asgard and plays a small but warm part in her story, while Sif is one of the Asgardian warriors who treats her with suspicion at first.
Natalie Portman as Jane
Natalie Portman plays Jane in every appearance. In the early films she brings a nervy, funny energy that keeps Jane from being a simple love interest, and in Love and Thunder she gets to swing a hammer and carry real drama at once. Outside Marvel, Portman is known for Black Swan, Leon: The Professional and her role as Padme Amidala in the Star Wars prequels, plus V for Vendetta.
Which order to watch
Start with Thor. It introduces Jane, her team and the science that connects her to Asgard, and it is part of the essential Phase One run. The Dark World comes next; it is one of the weaker MCU films, but it is Jane's biggest early story. Treat Love and Thunder as optional overall, though it is a must if you care about her, since it is the payoff for everything before. Find the rest of the Asgard crew in our character directory.