Natalie Portman Responds To Brie Larson Lifting Mjolnir

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​It takes a mighty hero to tell Captain Marvel to cool it. Natalie Portman, who will reprise her role as Jane Foster in the upcoming ​Thor: Love and Thunder,​ had a few choice words for fellow MCU star Brie Larson after the actress posted an Instagram shot of herself wielding Thor's legendary hammer.

In case you weren't aware, Portman won't simply be returning as the Odinson's love interest in Love and Thunder; she'll be taking up the mantle of Mighty Thor herself, following her character's recent trajectory in the pages of Marvel comics. It appears that, at least for awhile, there will be two Thors and as far as Portman is concerned, there's no room for a third.

Earlier this week, Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame star Larson posted a photo to her Instagram, which appears to have been taken in an office at Marvel Studios. Larson captioned the image:

"Not to be whatever, but… I told you I could lift it."

Larson's caption is a reference to a 2018 interview with Buzzfeed Brasil, during which she was asked whether Captain Marvel could lift Thor's hammer. She responded with an enthusiastic "definitely."

It took her a little while to get around to proving it….

...but never say that the good Captain doesn't put her money where her mouth is. Larson’s post has so far garnered over 1.8 million likes, but sharp-eyed Instagram users noticed that Portman was quick to chime in with a response. Portman wrote:

"Hey muscles, easy with my hammer!!!"

Portman's remark has amassed over 50,000 likes of its own, and the display of good-natured rivalry between two of the MCU's biggest female stars prompted an outpouring of love from fans. Black Panther star Michael B. Jordan also chipped in with a couple of laughing emojis.

The announcement of Portman's return to the Marvel fold was one of the biggest surprises of the studio's San Diego Comic-Con 2019 panel, and it seems like Foster's already getting excited to wield Thor's hammer.

It's always great to see these displays of camaraderie between Marvel's stars, but unfortunately, it seems like it'll be awhile before we see either of them on the big screen again. Thor: Love and Thunder won't hit the big screen until November 5, 2021, and a likely sequel to Captain Marvel wasn't discussed during Marvel's Comic-Con panel. Hopefully, when Mighty Thor meets Captain Marvel for the first time, she'll like the cosmic hero as much as her predecessor did.

Marvel's Phase 4 will be significantly shorter than previous phases, running only through 2021 and consisting of five feature films: Black Widow, The Eternals, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Thor: Love and Thunder. So far, only one Phase 5 film has been officially announced: Blade, which will star Mahershala Ali in the title role. Assuming that Phase 5 will also span a couple of years, it's highly likely that we'll see Larson's Carol Danvers back on the big screen sometime in 2022, or 2023 at the latest.

It's also not clear how large or small a role Portman's Mighty Thor will play in the MCU going forward; perhaps, once series star Chris Hemsworth hangs up the hammer for good, Portman's Foster will carry the franchise a little further. It could also be that some Phase 5 guest appearances are in the cards, possibly even in Avengers 5. Fans are already hoping that the as-yet unannounced movie will be a massive crossover which could feature the likes of the X-Men and Fantastic Four, newly available to the MCU after parent company Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox.

We'll just have to wait to see what the future holds for these two mighty heroes, but in the meantime, we'll just have to make do with some winking Instagram banter. There's probably more where this came from. It turns out that, just like the rest of us, it's tough for even superheroes to resist taking friendly pot-shots at each other on social media.

#NataliePortman #BrieLarson #MCU