A ton of acclaimed actors have been a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe; Avengers: Endgame, like Avengers: Infinity War, boasts a near-record-breaking number of award-winning thespians. One performer you might have forgotten was a part of the MCU? Oscar-winner Natalie Portman. That’s understandable: She hasn’t been in a Marvel film since Thor: The Dark World six years ago. That’s why people are freaking out that Portman swung by the world premiere of the upcoming movie everyone’s going to see this weekend.
HOLY SHIT, IS THAT NATALIE PORTMAN?!!!! #AvengersEndgame pic.twitter.com/95GfG3ZswW
— An Englishman In San Diego (@EnglishmanSDCC) April 23, 2019
As you may recall, in the first two Thor entries, Portman played scientist Jane Foster, the lady friend of Chris Hemsworth’s hammer-wielding Asgardian. Foster was mysteriously AWOL for Avengers: Age of Ultron, as well as Thor: Ragnarok. (Ditto her bestie Darcy Lewis, played by Kat Dennings, though Stellan Skarsgard, as fellow scientist Erik Selvig, at least put in a couple appearances in Ultron.) Thor blurted out some line alluding to a break-up, but the two lovebirds never got a proper goodbye.
Since departing the MCU, Portman has been doing just fine: scoring another Oscar nomination, for Jackie; headlining the forward-thinking sci-fi mind-bender Annihilation; doing her best traumatized pop diva (with a Staten Island accent) in last year’s Vox Lux.
Still, that Portman would grace an MCU affair with her presence was enough to get people remembering Jane Foster — and to speculate if Jane Foster would make a surprise appearance in Avengers: Endgame. Mind you, Portman does not have a credit on the already-a-blockbuster, which hits theaters later this week. But you know how the internet works.
Natalie Portman is at the #AvengersEndgame premiere!? Please tell me they bring Dr. Jane Foster back. pic.twitter.com/2YQcdHphnq
— Kareem Yasin (@thekareem) April 23, 2019
https://twitter.com/T0NYSTHOR/status/1120501311970185217
https://twitter.com/JesabelRaay/status/1120503436083118086
https://twitter.com/Andrea__Marie/status/1120512332516532229
https://twitter.com/ruinedpancakes/status/1120499762019602439
https://twitter.com/tcfangirll/status/1120498495444725760
https://twitter.com/HiddenCashSD/status/1120496222421307397
It's nice to see Natalie Portman in an MCU premiere pic.twitter.com/xJlua9o7P8
— Pedгo 🪩 (@HoliestKaty) April 23, 2019
Natalie Portman showing up to the Avengers Endgame premiere… yeah I had to STAN that one
— jon (@prasejeebus) April 23, 2019
I hope they paid Natalie Portman a billion dollars to be on this carpet!!! pic.twitter.com/5cosXIfQsU
— Sam Herbst (@smhrbst) April 23, 2019
Natalie Portman is here!! Can we get a Boelyn girl reunion with Scarlett?! #AvengersEndgame #EndgamePremiere pic.twitter.com/kkcD7aVduO
— 🫐🪸💕 (@evansson_) April 23, 2019
https://twitter.com/femalehsr/status/1120501707522433027