At this year's San Diego Comic Con, a big announcement shook the comic book community like a blow from Mjolnir; Natalie Portman will reprise her role as Jane Foster, but when she's worthy of Thor Odinson's hammer and takes up the mantle of Mighty Thor. Thor: Love and Thunder, based on a particular comic run based on a similar premise, will be directed by Taika Waititi, and Chris Hemsworth will return as the God of Thunder opposite his one-time lady love. Comic fans and devotees of Thor were divided about the reveal, with much of the concern directed around the new film's choice of leading lady.

Some were fine with Portman's casting, but felt the character had been gone from the MCU too long to elicit much excitement. Others felt a different actress was needed altogether who would better encompass Mighty Thor's qualities. The comic run has been hailed as one of the best in the Thor franchise, with Jane's sudden possession of Mjolnir eliciting a lot of dramatic moments linked with its usage, perfect for a seasoned veteran like Portman. Despite her young years, she's proven to be more than capable of delivering intensity given the right material, but will that be the case in Thor: Love and Thunder? Here are 5 reasons why she'll blow it out of the park as the new Thor, and 5 reasons why we're concerned she won't.

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10 WHY SHE'LL BE GREAT: SHE'S AN ACCOMPLISHED ACTRESS

From her debut as the protegee of a hitman in The Professional at just twelve years old, to her Academy-Award winning role as a dancer dedicated to the point of madness in Black Swan,  Natalie Portman has proven herself a capable actress of the highest caliber, able to deliver performances full of intensity, passion, and dynamism.

While it's true, her performances in Thor and Thor: The Dark World weren't particularly noteworthy, it wasn't for lack of trying. Similarly, in the Star Wars prequel films, she tried imbuing her dialogue with verve, but it was written by George Lucas in such a lifeless and cumbersome way it's a wonder any actors emerged from the films with their reputations as thespians intact.

9 WHY WE'RE CONCERNED: JANE FOSTER HAS BEEN GONE FROM THE MCU FOR A WHILE

When the first Thor movie came out, the MCU was just reaching its stride. Released a few years after the first Iron Man film that launched the MCU Phase 1, it focused on Thor's appearance on Earth, and his struggle to find human allies to help him protect it from Loki's mischief, and Asgard from the Frost Giants. Jane Foster (Portman) is the astrophysicist that he befriends and later falls in love with.

After the sequel, Thor: The Dark World, Jane went from being a girlfriend to a damsel in distress, possessed by the Aether and needing rescuing by Thor. She didn't even appear in Thor: Ragnorok, and was explained away by a simple "break up". She's been gone from the MCU for over five years, when other capable women like Valykire have been present and fighting.

8 WHY SHE'LL BE GREAT: SHE DOESN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT CHEMISTRY WITH THOR

One of the biggest issues fans had with Jane Foster's portrayal in the first two Thor films was the lack of chemistry between her and the God of Thunder. They felt Portman's performance was lackluster, and that the romance wasn't believable between her personality-less astrophysicist and the charismatic Asgardian.

While it's been confirmed Chris Hemsworth will make an appearance as Thor in the film, he will be "unworthy" Thor, unable to wield Mjolnir (hence why Jane can). Depending on the timeline, he and Jane are still broken up, so establishing chemistry between them won't be the main focal point. Lady Thor will be able to focus on more important things, like saving the world!

7 WHY WE'RE CONCERNED: SHE'S SMALL IN STATURE

While there have been plenty of ways Hollywood has made those thespians that are small of stature enjoy a long career seeming intimidating (Tom Cruise comes to mind), this is an instance where being large and in charge counts. In the comic run Mighty Thor on which Thor: Love and Thunder is partially based, when Jane wields Mjolnir, she gets jacked and sprouts blonde hair.

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Natalie Portman isn't exactly a giantess, and while movie magic can superimpose some mighty muscles on her frame, it's still a small one and may look disproportionate. We're hoping that she gets put through a proper superhero boot camp and emerges on the other side a brawny badass, ready to prove all the haters wrong.

6 WHY SHE'LL BE GREAT: SHE WANTED JANE TO HAVE MORE TO DO SINCE THOR

While the character of Jane Foster was fairly important in Thor, she became less so in the second film. She went from being the person who discovered Thor on Earth and helping him integrate into human society, to being just "Thor's girlfriend". In Avengers: Age of Ultrona few throwaway lines tell us she's off doing science somewhere and Thor doesn't see her much.

It's easy to see why Natalie Portman would have been disgruntled with the character arc she received, especially since she always hoped to have more to do onscreen. Being so committed to shaping the character's complexity, we know that given a proper movie to flex Jane's growth she'll really want to give it her all.

5 WHY WE'RE CONCERNED: FANS WANTED VALKYRIE

After the events of Avengers: Infinity War, Thor removed himself from public life, choosing video games, pizza, and beer over processing his guilt about not being able to stop Thanos. When he's given the opportunity in Avengers: Endgame, he accomplishes the task, but it doesn't bring back the people he cared about or the lives lost. It's a hollow victory, and he feels unworthy.

It's at this time that he hands over the keys to the kingdom to Valkyrie. She'd more than proven herself in Thor: Ragnarok as a skilled fighter and strategist, and was the best choice to lead New Asgard after Thanos destroyed the old one. Fans thought the next logical conclusion was to make her Mighty Thor.

4 WHY SHE'LL BE GREAT: SHE'S DONE PLENTY OF ACTION FILMS

While some people may view Natalie Portman as more of a cerebral actor, only choosing to do independent or arthouse specific films rather than big action movies, the Thor films were not her only foray into action-packed blockbusters. When she played Padme Amidala in the Star Wars prequels she had plenty of opportunities to fire blasters and battle intergalactic evil.

Whether she was in The Professional and handling semi-automatic weapons at 12, or in Jane Got Her Gun and using a pump action shotgun on cattle rustlers, she knows her way around pulse-pounding storytelling. Let's not forget taking on dystopian dictatorships in V for Vendetta and an evil sorcerer in Your Highness.

3 WHY WE'RE CONCERNED: SHE HAS A LOT TO LIVE UP TO

While the run of Mighty Thor several years ago proved divisive among Thor fans, it still ranks as one of the most successful runs of the Thor franchise in the past two decades. The compelling storytelling was some of the richest in the Thor universe, and the artwork was some of the most amazing produced in any comic book series before or since.

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With that being said, much like Brie Larson in Captain Marvel, Natalie Portman has a lot to live up to by taking on the mantle of Mighty Thor. Detractors will be looking forward to seeing her fail, and die-hard fans will be looking to see if she captures the essence of their favorite comic book series. She'll have a lot of pressure and that may make her make mistakes or poor choices with her performance.

2 WHY SHE'LL BE GREAT: SHE WOULDN'T COME BACK UNLESS THE IDEA WAS SOLID

Several years ago, it seemed unlikely that Natalie Portman would be returning to the MCU anytime soon. Only referenced a few times and featured in flashbacks and voice-overs in the recent Avengers films (despite Thor's appearance), it seemed Portman was doing the bare contractually obligated minimum.

That's why we know she wouldn't come back to do a big feature film for the MCU if she didn't love the directing, the script, and the ideas behind it. There must be some incredible aspects to Thor: Love and Thunder to make her want to commit to being its lead, especially given that she knows the hot-and-cold nature of the MCU and Thor fan base.

1 WHY WE'RE CONCERNED: THERE WERE BEHIND THE SCENES CONFLICTS WITH THOR I & II

It's no secret that Natalie Portman wasn't always a happy camper on the set of Thor and Thor: The Dark World. In the first film, she had issues with some of the direction of the scenes and the dialogue, and pushed for her character to have more to do. In Thor: The Dark World, she almost left the film when she found out Patty Jenkins (who would go on to direct Wonder Woman) was leaving and a male director was taking over.

Considering she's given to delaying the filming of an MCU movie, we're concerned that some of the creative differences revolving around the first two Thor films might lead to bumps on the road to the release for the latest chapter. We're hoping that it's smooth sailing for the new Mighty Thor and the entire creative crew.

NEXT: Marvel: 10 Villains Who Could Actually Show Up In Thor: Love And Thunder