There have been many big-ticket names that have come and gone in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Natalie Portman is certainly at the top of that list. Portman has been working in the entertainment industry since she made her acting debut in 1994’s Leon: The Professional, with her career barely slowing down since. Portman may have started out as an indie film darling, but her work quickly became some of the best in Hollywood. She’s won multiple prestigious awards, including an Oscar for her work in Black Swan (2010), Golden Globes, and various critics’ awards.

Portman would be one of the biggest names selected to star in one of the earliest films of the MCU, Thor in 2011. She originated the role of Jane Foster who, in the comics, was a medical professional and love interest for Thor, before eventually becoming a hero in her own right. However, in the film, Jane was an astrophysicist who comes across the God of Thunder while conducting research in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Foster would return for the sequel, Thor: The Dark World, in 2013, but then disappeared from the MCU shortly thereafter.

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Portman has never directly addressed the reasons for her initial departure from the MCU, though sources have indicated it was essentially due to creative differences during the production of Thor: Dark World. She had initially signed on because Patty Jenkins had originally been slated to helm the sequel, and Jenkins was a director Portman had wanted to work with. Additionally, Jane had fallen prey to the “damsel in distress” trope in the MCU sequel, which seemed to rub Portman the wrong way. So, what could make her return to the MCU in this year’s Thor: Love and Thunder? Here are the reasons why.

Her Devotion to the Character

     Marvel Studios

There’s no way around it: Portman is an A-list actress who pours everything she has into each and every character she embodies. While she initially signed on to Thor because she wanted to do a big-budget film and work with Kenneth Branagh, who was the director of the film, Portman developed a close connection to her MCU counterpart. In preparing for the role, Portman not only delved into the Jane’s comic book history, but, per Slash Film, also read multiple biographies of women scientists, like Rosalind Franklin, in order to “build” Jane’s personality. The gravity of playing a woman scientist in an MCU movie, and having that character be a bit of a role model for younger girls, was one of the driving forces that kept Portman coming back to the role.

Her Son Loves Marvel

The MCU’s vast array of films and television series have become a hit with fans of all ages, particularly children who are growing up with these live-action heroes. These dedicated fans consume everything from comic books to action figures, just as much as adult fans. Portman’s son apparently is a part of the fandom, which contributed to her return in Thor: Love and Thunder. However, she doesn’t seem to be her child’s favorite hero just yet. Speaking to Bear Grylls while filming an episode of Running Wild With Bear Grylls: The Challenge (via ET) Portman revealed just who her son goes bananas for in the MCU. “He loves Doctor Strange a lot. And Thor, of course,” she stated. It seems as long as her son is a fan, Portman has no problem continuing her work in the MCU.

Taika Waititi Wanted to Do a Fresh Take on the Character

     Marvel Studios / Disney

Thor: The Dark World wasn’t as big of an MCU hit as everyone thought it was going to be, so Marvel Studios brought in Taika Waititi to helm the next sequel, Thor: Ragnarok, to change up their approach to the character and his franchise. Waititi’s colorful creativity and ability to weave light-hearted moments throughout an action-driven film shone through and helped make Thor: Ragnarok one of the best-reviewed MCU films. Following the film’s success, he was brought back for yet another ambitious sequel, and bringing Portman back into the fold was on the top of his priorities for the new film.

Jane had already been well-established as a respected scientist, so, with Thor: Love and Thunder, Waititi wanted to explore another side to the character by pulling inspiration from the character’s storyline from the comics in which she becomes a superhero herself. During a time when Thor wasn’t deemed worthy of wielding Mjolnir in Marvel Comics, Jane was chosen to be the new God of Thunder. She embraced becoming a superhero in her own right, even joining the Avengers at one point, though assuming the Thor mantle wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Jane had been diagnosed with breast cancer, and every time she turned into her alter ego, all the chemo and medication in her body used to right the disease would be burnt away. This duality of Jane’s character was adapted into the film, giving Portman a lot more material to work with this time around.

The Physicality Was a Challenge to Her

     Walt Disney Studios

Unfortunately, in Hollywood, actresses are often pressed upon to lose weight for a certain role. While this mindset is slowly becoming extinct, Portman has stated that it was refreshing to have to gain weight in order to step into the shoes of Mighty Thor. In an interview with Variety, she said, “On ‘Black Swan,’ I was asked to get as small as possible. Here, I was asked to get as big as possible. That’s an amazing challenge — and also state of mind as a woman.”

While it isn’t unusual for women to be cast in the roles of superheroes, it is fairly uncommon for them to be asked to bulk up just as much as their male co-stars. In order to do so, Portman worked with a trainer for ten months before shooting the film, in order to focus on her physique, particularly her shoulders and arms. She talked about how big of a change it was to be a much larger version of herself. “To have this reaction and be seen as big, you realize, ‘Oh, this must be so different, to walk through the world like this. When you’re small — and also, I think, because I started as a kid — a lot of times I feel young or little or, like, a pat-on-the-head kind of person. And I present myself that way, too, because of that.”

The Women-Heavy Cast

Portman has always used her platform to bring awareness to equality and diversity, both inside and outside of Hollywood. She has advocated for pay equity, diversifying crews, and even co-founded the Angel City Football Club, a women’s soccer team based in Los Angeles. So, it helped to have not one, but two, other women superheroes flighting alongside her in Thor: Love and Thunder. Both Tessa Thompson and Jaimie Alexander reprised their roles as Valkyrie and Lady Sif, respectively. The three women actually trained for their roles together as well. The film also sees the (albeit brief) return of Kat Dennings’ Darcy Lewis, Jane’s best friend and colleague. “I haven’t had particularly bad workplace experiences, but I was usually the only female around. It’s just imbalanced. So it’s nice to feel the awareness of it. There doesn’t have to be the girl in the movie. There can be many women who have many different personalities and many different desires,” Portman told Variety.