Everytime I see a post hating on Jane Foster I get SO ANGRY. Sheās genuinely one of my favourite characters in the Marvel Universe. Sheās a genius, bad ass 5'3" scientist and I love her with all my heart. Also, you can pry Fosterson out of my cold, dead hands.
And for all those who are only now talking about how great Jane is- she was always great. You were just a bunch of haters because she didnāt fit the āhero moldā and she used intelligence rather than muscles to get things done. She was just as amazing as Thor, just as smart as Tony Stark, and just as brave as Steve. But because she was a woman and Thorās girlfriend, everyone talked bad about her.
Thatās why Taikia Waititi (whom I normally love) ticked me off so much when he said he basically replaced Jane with Valkyrie- because Thor needed someone āequalā. Jane was ALWAYS Thorās equal. And when you watch the first two Thor movies, itās obvious that Thor himself feels that way. This respect and admiration that he has for her is one of the reasons why their relationship was my favorite out of all the early MCU films. Itās quite sad to me that people are only now starting to appreciate Jane.
So sometime before the events of Ragnarok (I previously thought it was before the Age of Ultron, but it seems I was incorrect) Jane breaks up with Thor. Thor seems to be a little upset in the films but moves on. Jane doesnāt show up again. In-universe, we can easily chalk it up to her just not being able to cope with Thorās constant fighting and disappearances, and all the uncertainty that comes with it.
But imagine this.
Imagine Jane didnāt break up with Thor because the long-distance thing was too difficult (although it was incredibly difficult for them both).
She broke up with him because she found out that she wasnāt completely unscathed from carrying the Infinity Stone.
Not long after the events of TDW, Jane starts feeling a little unwell. She goes to the doctor, and they run some tests.
She finds out she has cancer. Very rare. Very fast. Very high percentage of lethality.
Jane knows if she tells Thor, heāll be devastated and try to do everything he can to save her.
But that will distract him from his duty- protecting Midgard and Asgard.
So she breaks up with him, and tells him that itās because she canāt see this relationship going anywhere. Thor is heartbroken, but accepts her decision with grace because he understands.
Thor leaves. Jane cries.
Jane goes through chemo and treatments alone, or with Darcy. The doctors do everything they can. They slow it down, but nothing can get rid of it. Sheās on borrowed time, and she knows it.
Jane keeps seeing Thor in the news, doing amazing and wonderful things. She misses him, but is happy that heās being the hero he should be. Itās very bittersweet.
The cancer grows. She gets weaker. Jane knows sheās dying.
Then Mjolnir appears before her. She instinctively knows what this means. Sheās afraid, for herself and for Thor because she knows that somehow heās stopped being worthy. She canāt imagine a world without Thor there to protect it.
Someone must wield Mjolnir. There must always be a Thor to protect the world from those who would harm it.
So in other news, Jane Foster, The Last Valkyrie, got a flying horse.
And it talks.
Oh yeah, it kicked Jane right in the back of the head in the first issue. To be fair, he was being controlled by a villain, but itās still an awkward way to meet.
And the name of this horse?
Also, as is usual for the pets of superheroes, Mister Horse has a personality to rival their hero.
In this case, Mister Horse appears to have the personality of a grumpy old man who likes to guilt people.
There is nothing about this development that I donāt love.
I hate when people talk shit about Rochester from Jane Eyre thatās not given accurate context like he gets criticized for things that are either taken out of context or are the actions of a major depressive with very rusty social skills
Like letās start with the big one, the secret wife in the attic thing sounds real bad but at the time mental institutions were invariably awful if he had put her in one of those she would have been abused and neglected until an inevitable death bc it was commonly believed that illness was the fault of patient for sinning in some way instead he put her in his home (at home medical treatment was common especially with the wealthy) with round the clock care and yes sheās locked away but thatās bc sheās a pyromaniac who keeps trying to kill folks also he knows her condition was not her fault and felt it was his duty to care for her since they were both pushed into this situation by theyāre asshole families
Also with Adele he is admittedly emotionally distant and insulting toward her intelligence ( though never directly to her thank god) but he tries to make her happy by spoiling her with constant gifts also the very fact he takes care of her when she is totally not his child is kind bc he absolutely could have dumped her at an orphanage when her mother abondon her
Also with calling Jane plain EVERYONE calls her plain bc the society theyāre living in are all assholes about aesthetics and she doesnāt fit the beauty standards of the time also she full out calls him ugly multiple times and his reaction is just like āu rightā like she actually tells him there is no magic in the world that could ever make him handsome like they are both really into lovingly insulting each other
Like he is a rich man in early 19th England who pays his servants generously, thinks that the rich are not inherently better than the poor, and most significantly in the book treats women as just as intelligent as men. Like Jane Eyre is a poor girl in his employ but he views her as better than him because she is a good person and he views himself as a bad person and a sinner
Like the things he did that are absolutely andknowingly unkind are: insulting Adeleās intelligence, manipulating Jane, and manipulating Blanche
For the first he gets an earful from Jane and he puts forth an effort correct his behavior
For the second he is punished by God (who unquestionably exists in the this story and is like super invested everything Jane is and does bc sheās totally perfect in every way)
Yes, Rochester lied to Jane, violated her consent to a legal marriage, emotionally manipulated her to win her affections unhealthily, and once threatened violence in a state of anguished desperation when she rightfully refused to marry him. Yes, he displays symptoms of Bipolar Disorder/manic depression and NPD, which couldnāt have been properly treated back in the 19th century. However, his disregard for Janeās feelings and consent in his selfish desire to marry her, his deceptions, his threats, and manipulations are never romanticized. Rather, they are consistently framed as wrong and punished. Just because Jane ultimately forgave him, it doesnāt mean that she made excuses for his problematic behaviors, attempted bigamy. deceptions, and bad choices in the narrative.
It is not a terrible thing to forgive people who hurt you or to be with them romantically, so long as they can love you honestly and respectfully.
That being said, Rochesterās a morally gray complex character who is kind to his employees, and capable of a capacity of great love for Jane, remorse, respect, and self-sacrifice that ultimately redeems him. Itās why I also get annoyed by the people who want for Rochester to be this āpure evil abusive villainā who emotionally manipulated Jane to get her to admit her feelings for him and disregarded her consent by attempting to trick her into a bigamous marriage for shits and giggles and to control her because thatās not true either.
Like the OP said, Rochester shows signs of manic depression, heās cowardly, selfish, and lonely in his desperation for love. He showers Jane with gifts, flatters her excessively, deceives her to attempt to enter into a bigamous marriage without her consent, and toys with Janeās feelings to get her to admit that she loves him because he is too deeply and selfishly rooted in his own self-loathing and insecurities. Jane never excuses him or enables him for any of these problematic behaviors or sins in the narrative, but she does make it clear that heās not ultimately using any of these unhealthy tactics to intentionally be evil, control her, or to ultimately make her feel totally worthless to him like Brocklehurst or Ms. Reed. He does genuinely love Jane. Heās just not very good at expressing it healthily. Of course, thatās not an excuse for his mistreatment and deceptions of Jane either, but youāre missing the whole point of his character if you think that Rochester is a moody, emotionally manipulative, arrogant, and deceptive douche just because he likes being that way for its own sake and has absolutely no good in him.
He is a deeply flawed, cowardly, somewhat vulnerably narcissistic manic depressive, blindly selfish, prideful, lonely, and deceitful human being who has been betrayed and learned to cover his deep self-loathing up in the most of unhealthy of ways that Jane consistently calls out in the narrative. None of these problematic behaviors or choices on Rochesterās part are ever excused by Jane in the narrative, but she does ultimately forgive him when he atones for his sins, he learns to love her completely honestly and respectfully as his equal, and she comes into her own financial independence. After she leaves and he canāt find her anywhere, Rochester starts to realize why he behaved disreputably and unworthily of Janeās love, and he regrets it. Without his wealth, without his strength, without his vision, and without one hand, he feels worthless of Janeās love.
I think one major aspect of Rochester that a lot of people overlook is that like Jane, he doesnāt believe that he is worthy of love either. However, unlike her, he spent much of his life poorly dealing with his low self-worth by hiding behind barriers he built up of coldheartedness, deception, pride, wealth, and social status, whereas Jane never hid her insecurities and fears behind any masks or walls, and her love inspired Rochester to ultimately stop doing the same.
Do contemporary feminist critics not understand that 19th century Victorian Britain was an incredibly patriarchal society in which men were rarely ever called out for disregarding the consent of women, manipulating them, and/or objectifying them, and thatās why Jane Eyre is a feminist novel? Itās not a romantic novel of which the ultimate message is āAll good girls want bad boys,ā Rochester does not spend most of the novel being a perfectly healthy or ideal romantic partner that you should aspire to as a woman in your life. Yes, I love his character, yes, Iām glad he ended up redeeming himself in the end and got a happily ever after with Jane in the end because I do think he always truly loved her, even if he struggled to do so bravely, honestly, respectfully, and selflessly for a while there. and Iām a total sap who falls for the whole Beauty and the Beast ālove redeemsā trope every fucking time in fictional stories. However, I still recognize that Mr. Rochester, Mr. Darcy, and all of these other fictional Byronic heroes from fictional Victorian Lit are not contemporarily healthy or realistic partners that I would want in real life living in the 21st century.
Because itās taken out of context when the whole scene is her berating another woman for having a relationship and acting like her love for her husband makes her somehow worse off simply because heās a man, which is bad and toxic. That her talents are more important then the fact sheās happy and that sheās somehow worse despite it being her own choice thus insisting it isnāt her choice at all. The idea that feminism requires women to hate men in order to be strong and independent which isnāt true feminism at all. To put it in terms better understood as villainous feminism: Cruela is a Rad fem and, letās face it, probably a terf.
Choosing to prioritize a healthy and happy relationship over a career is not a bad thing, nor does it lesson a personās value somehow. Healthy and loving relationships are NEVER a bad thing.
Plus, the person saying this wants to skin a bunch of puppies alive for a coat, so I donāt think sheās someone youād want to take life advice from anyway.
A Guide to Reading Jane Fosterās Story as Mighty Thor, and Beyond
OKAY, EVERYONE!!
Iāve noticed that thereās quite a bit of excitement out there for the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder film thatās coming out 2021 (so far awaaaaay...!), and Iām super pumped for it. Which is quite unusual for me, because I got bored of all the superhero films years ago and stopped watching them. But for this one, I am heading right back in.
Anyway, this film appears to be at least somewhat based off of the Mighty Thor comic series in which Jane Foster takes up the mantle of Thor after the first Thor becomes unworthy. If youād like to read the comics before the movie comes out but donāt know where to start, this is the post for you!
First things first, if you read this series you could be getting quite a few spoilers before you go see the movie, so do keep that in mind beforehand. With each issue I put up, Iāll also put the price, and the link to that comic on Marvelās website for easy access.
You can read comics that came before this if youād like to, and there are comics in-between the ones Iām going to list that will allow you to enjoy even more adventures with Mighty Thor. However, those are just for extra fun. The issues on this list deal specifically with Mighty Thor, and in my opinion, you donāt need to read anything else to fall in love with this arc.
A Little Background to the Story...
... Before this comic begins so you have a good idea of whatās happened prior to this. So in the early comics, Thor had been banished to Midgard (Earth) by Odin for his arrogance and selfishness, and his form became that of Dr. Donald Blake, a crippled doctor. His nurse was Jane Foster. The two of them were in love, and when regained his form as Thor, the relationship continued.Ā
Eventually, the two wanted to make things permanent, and Thor asked for Jane to be granted immortality and goddess-hood so they could be together forever. Odin objected, and made Jane go through a test to prove her worthiness. If she succeeded, sheād become a goddess and she and Thor would marry. Jane failed, and was sent back to earth with her memories of Thor erased. Jane eventually fell in love with a human doctor and married him. Thor eventually started dating Sif.
Fast forward many issues later, Jane eventually gets her memories back, she divorces her husband and looses custody of her child. Thor and Sif break up (theyād been very off-and-on and heād seen quite a few other women). Janeās ex-husband and child both die in a tragic car accident, and she discovers she has breast cancer. Thor invites her to Asgard to join the āCongress of Worldsā, which is like the United Nations of the 10 Realms of Yggdrasil. Jane accepts the position, but chooses not to accept magical treatments for her cancer because she believes (with good reason) that all magic comes with a price.
During this time, Thor and Jane have remained very close, good friends, but have not rekindled their old romance. Itās implied at many different points that they both have deeper feelings for each other, but neither of them bring it up.
Thatās really all you need to know at this point to really understand the meat of the story. So now letās dive into the good stuff!Ā
The comics that youāll want to read are in the list below, and in following order:
Thor: Volume I, Goddess of Thunder
Price for digital copyĀ - $8.99
This is where the story truly begins. It starts off with Thor suffering a massive identity crisis as he discovers that he is unworthy to lift Mjƶlnir, sending him into a deep depression. It gets worse when someone ELSE claims the hammer, and becomes Mighty Thor. Naturally, he is not happy at this turn of events.
Thor: Volume II, Who Holds the Hammer?
Price for digital copy - $6.99
A great war is brewing on the horizon thanks to the dangerous pacts between the king of the Dark Elves, Malekith, and other dangerous peoples. Meanwhile, Thor, now calling himself Odinson, tries to learn the identity of Mighty Thor (Iām sure it comes as a great shock to you all that itās not who he thinks it is).
At the end of this issue, the readers learn who this new Goddess of Thunder is.
The Mighty Thor: Volume 1, Thunder in Her Veins
Price for digital copy - $8.99
Mighty Thor faces enemies on three fronts; the bloodthirsty, warmongering King Malekith, who seeks domination over all the realms. All-Father Odin, who sees her as a thief of his sonās birthright. And finally, the cancer, which kills her a little more each time she returns to her mortal form of Jane Foster.
The Mighty Thor: Volume 2, Lords of Midgard
Price for digital copy - $12.99
As if Mighty Thor doesnāt have enough on her plate, now S.H.I.E.L.D. is after Dr. Jane Foster as well. They donāt care for secret identities, and they plan to make her life miserable until she confesses. It couldnāt come at a worse time though, as Mighty Thor must also stop a floating fortress from crashing down onto New York City by saving the incredibly corrupt Roxxon CEO Dario Agger.
The Mighty Thor: Volume 3, Asgard/Shiāar War
Price for digital copy - $12.99
In the midst of the terrible War of the Realms, Mighty Thor is abducted by mysterious deities who wish to pit their powers against the Goddess of Thunder to see who is the most powerful. In order to get back to the war, she must humor these gods and bring the full might of both Thor and MjƶlnirĀ to the table.
The Mighty Thor: Volume 4, The War Thor
Price for digital copy - $8.99
When the War of the Realms claims lives that should never have been touched by battle, the gentle Volstagg is left heartbroken and shattered. In his grief, he takes hold of a hammer made from the rage and fury of a dead universe, and becomes the War Thor. Mighty Thor must stop his righteous rampage before he destroys friends and enemies alike in his battle-rage.
The Mighty Thor: Volume 5, The Death of the Mighty Thor
Price for digital copy - $15.99
The cancer that has been growing within Jane Foster has weakened her to the point of death. Her dearest friends convince her to relinquish Mjƶlnir for the sake of her own life, but it seems the universe is against her. When the terrible Mangog awakes to judge and destroy the gods, Jane must weigh the worth of the deities- including Odinson- against her own life.
With volume 5, Janeās time as Thor is (pretty much) ended. I would imagine that if Taika Waititi wants to pull mainly from the comics, heāll pull mainly from the 7 volumes listed above. But those are not the end of Jane Fosterās adventures by any stretch of the imagination.Ā
If you like the comics above and want to continue Janeās story, I would suggest continuing on to the comics below. TheyĀ detail the conclusion to the War of the Realms, Janeās road to recovery and the role she continues to play, as well as what happens to her afterwards.
So the total arc for War of the Realms is 6 issues long, and currently you have to purchase each issue individually (like I had to) for $4.99. However, you can pre-order the digital collection edition, which has all 6 issues together. It will be released on August 14th 2019, and youāll have immediate access to it. Unless you want each edition individually, Iād suggest going the more economic route and just order the collection.
War of the Realms
Price for digital copyĀ of collection edition- $10.99
After the defeat of the Mangog, the God of Thunder reclaims the name of Thor, and Jane can focus on healing and recovering. But her part is far from over, as the War of the Realms reaches even Midgard, leaving destruction and death in its wake. Freyja names Jane Foster as All-Mother of Asgard as she goes forth to do battle, and Jane must guide both gods and mortals alike in order to survive the onslaught.
While Jane is no longer the main character, she plays a very important part as both All-Mother, and temporarily as Mighty Thor. It also wraps up the war that we get so invested in previously.
Thor, Issue 15
Price for digital copy - $3.99
Odin has passed the title of All-Father onto his son, Thor, who has reclaimedĀ Mjƶlnir and learned the lesson that he needed to in order to keep hold of it. Loki, having slain his father King Laufey the Ice Giant, has now inherited his throne and reconciles with his adopted family.
Meanwhile, the remains of the hammer of War Thor, forged from a dead universe, seems to have attached itself quite permanently to Jane Foster. While she no longer carries the title of Thor, apparently fate has bigger plans for her than practicing medicine.
You can consider Thor #15 the final chapter for the War of the Realms saga, as far as the Thor group is concerned. It has a fantastic transition for what happens next to everyone in War of the Realms: Omega.Ā
War of the Realms: Omega
Price for digital copy - $4.99
Finally, the War of the Realms is over. Malekithās afterlife in Hel promises to be an eternal torment, Loki makes a friend in his new kingdom of Jotunheim, and the Punisher embarks on a new mission. And finally, Janeās new mission is revealed, as she takes up the mantle as the newest, and currently only, Valkyrie.
If you want to continue to read about Jane Foster and her many future adventures, worry not! She now has her own Valkyrie comic book series! Currently only one issue has been released, but thereās four planned so far, and hopefully many (many) more to come!
Valkyrie: Jane Foster, Issue 1
Price for digital copy - $3.99
Jane Foster- former nurse, current doctor, cancer survivor, former Thor, and current Valkyrie. During the War of the Realms, all the Valkyries who should have guided the souls of the honored dead to Valhalla have themselves been slain in battle. With no one to open the doors to the afterlife and guide their souls, Jane Foster takes up the mantle as the only Valkyrie, along with all the challenges that entails.Ā
At her side is the remains of the War Thorās hammer, which has revealed itself to the be the Undrjarn, the All-Weapon. This mystical weapon seems bound to Jane, and only Jane, and has the ability to turn into any weapon or tool she requires at any moment. The only problem is, Jane knows what sheās supposed to do, but isnāt sure of how exactly sheās supposed to do it.Ā
Itās been years since I actually subscribed to any comics. Its been so long since any of them really pulled to me. But you can bet your bottom dollar that I am subscribed to the Valkyrie and Loki series, and if youāre wondering whether or not the other comics are all worth the price...
Iād say they 100% are. They tell a truly beautiful story, and I LOVED IT. I know that itās pricey to get all of them at once (trust me, do I know), but personally, I think itās more than worth it. Each book alone is quite reasonably priced, and it's all so much fun to read. Plus, this entire arc that Iāve just laid out for you has been going on since 2014. And the movie itself isnāt coming out until November 2021. So I say take your time and enjoy yourself. The comics arenāt going anywhere. And hopefully, neither is Jane Foster.
I totally hope Jane and Thor go somewhere though, I mean, MY GOD, theyāre absolutely perfect together at this point, AND THERE IS SO MUCH TENSION. I love them so much. Iāve been totally cemented as an unrepentant Thorster shipper now.Ā
i cannot believe the bullshit of the Jane Foster MCU Situation though.
yāall dumbfucks preach about girls having more role models that donāt need to be action heroes, but literally spent the last eight (8) full years forgetting Jane even exists and ignoring her entirely until she got the hammer.
Jane was āThorās pretty girlfriendā and nothing else to you people, even though sheās a talented astrophysicist that was the one who created the tech that helped them beat Malekith at the end TDW. She literally hosted an entire fucking Infinity Stone for the majority of that movie even though holding onto just one for even a short amount of time made Thanos himself flinch in both Infinity War and Endgame.
yāall can take yourĀ āItās about time!!ā posts and shove it up your ass.
you donāt care about Jane, all you care about is another Badass Lady Stereotype that makes all the ridiculous Men look incompetent just by standing there. fuck off.
I have been saying this for AGES, just because a character canāt punch someone through a damn wall or control lightning or whatever DOES NOT MEAN THEY ARE NOT A STRONG CHARACTER. Jane Foster is a genius and that was her power. She was always a valid heroine, and not all heroes have to have massive battles with arch nemeses to accomplish amazing things. Sometimes theyāre the ones behind the scenes GETTING CRAP DONE so the ones who CAN punch others through walls can utilize weaknesses that people like Jane discovered!
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