Jane Foster was once just a damsel in distress within the Marvel Comic book Universe. She was the romantic interest of Thor Odinson, got into lots of troubles, and was always saved by the God of Thunder at the end of the day. Then we got to see the Mighty Thor saga where Jane Foster lifted the hammer of Thor and became the new Norse God of Thunder. When Thor was trying to find his purpose in life and had been deemed unworthy by Mjolnir, it was Jane Foster who took up that role and kept the banner high. As Thor, she has been very well received. The fans love this new iteration of Thor and many a times, she has proven herself to be worth her salt. Sometimes, she does stuff that make her a hundred times better than the Original Thor could ever be. Presenting – 10 Times Jane Foster proved she was worthier than Thor!
1. She has fought alien Gods
By alien, we actually mean Gods of Aliens. The Shi’ar Empire is a huge interstellar monarchy ruled by the all-powerful Vulcan, an omega level mutant with the ability to manipulate energy. The Shi’ar may have the most sophisticated technology ever created but they do believe in their Gods. The Shi’ar Gods are unlike Earth based Gods. These Gods tend to think that they are the most supreme creations and everything has to stay beneath them. When Jane Foster became Thor, they came to realize that she posed a threat to their beliefs. They put her through all kinds of tests to ensure she fails. But Jane managed to shine through every time before her allies came in and defeated the Shi’ar Gods for good.
2. She gave up her power
Power corrupts and Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Even Thor is not exempt from this rule. When he became a pompous, angry brat, Odin had to cast him down to Earth so that he learns humility. Even then, Thor believes that the only way he could ever be of value is by wielding his hammer that grants him his powers. Jane Foster does not have those inhibitions. Even when she knew that giving up the power of Thor would most certainly mean she will die when she was fighting the Mangog, she did it anyways for the greater good. That is just how she is. Bet Thor could never do that.
3. Every time she changes, she dies slowly
To become the Goddess of Thunder, Jane Foster has to come into physical contact with the hammer. When Donald Blake became Thor every time he grabbed the weapon, his frail body was turned into an Asgardian version that came preloaded with amazing physical attributes along with a healing factor that was at least a dozen times better than an average human being’s. The same applies for Jane Foster. The fact is – before Foster took up the mantle, she had just come out of a battle with cancer. Changing into Thor means that all toxins inside your body are washed away due to the healing factor. Chemotherapy – the process that saved Foster, is basically using toxins to fight carcinogens. Every time she changes, her chemotherapy is undone little by little, pushing her into cancer again.
4. Her General Awareness of Things is far better than Thor’s
When she first became a superhero, she had trouble adapting to leading a double life. But she managed to pull herself through. Jane Foster was still the most humane superhero during her first days as the superhero of Thunder and Lightning. She managed to sense that the heroes of Earth had failed to accomplish a task and the planet was in terrible danger. Without even knowing the full extent of her abilities, she decided to get into battle. She fought Frost Giants, Fire Giants and Dark Elves, during her first days as Thor. Fighting these traditional Thor based super villains was the perfect initiation ceremony for Jane Foster Thor.
5. She is more compassionate
All his life, Thor has fought to protect the nine realms that fall under Asgardian jurisdiction. That has been his job his whole life. But the universe is a huge place and there are not enough good guys to cover everything. Jane Foster changed that. When she became Thor, she decided that there are other places that could also use some help. Had it been the Original Thor, he may or may not have paid heed to Malekith’s threat of destroying realms out of Asgard’s 9 realms. Jane Foster is a different person. She attacked and stopped Malekith even though technically she did not need to do it.
6. She has held the hammer many times
It is not like Jane Foster is picking up the hammer for the first time. There have been older, now forgotten storylines that also show Foster to be worthy enough of Thor. It was in Original Sin that Nick Fury whispered something into Thor’s ears and he became instantly unworthy, unable to handle the deep’ dark secrets that he now possessed. Then a mysterious woman picks up the hammer that later turns out to be Foster. In an entirely different What If story arc, published in 1978, Jane Foster picked up the hammer in another Goddess of Thunder arc. So as you can see, she is fairly proficient at doing this.
7. She is smarter
Not to put it on the face of Thor fans, but Jane Foster is actually a PhD in multiple fields of science. She is one of the world’s leading authorities on extra-dimensional sciences and particle physics (something the movies mention). Thor Odinson is an innate warrior that does not have the brains to match up to his own brawns. Jane Foster got both. She has used her ability to out think her opponents and use the hammer of Thor in ways that not even Thor Odinson could have dreamt of.
8. Her feats of Strength are not just of the Physical Kind
Sometimes, it is not how hard you hit but how hard you get hit. A true hero knows the difference and is proficient in both the domains. Jane Foster was one such hero. While fighting several villains, Foster realizes that one villain has the codes to stop something terrible form happening and killing a lot of innocent lives. Jane Foster then decides to take the killing blow meant for this villain herself, letting the guy live so that the others could survive. But her day did not end there. She also went on to stop several floating islands from falling to their deaths. She proved that even after being wounded and injured, she is still the hero we all need and deserve.
9. She will defy authority if needed
Thor has traditionally been a male dominated position. The name itself gives it up. So when Odin got the news that a woman has become the new Thor, the sexist bastard was not at all pleased. Every time he had a chance, Odin would try and oppose Foster, restricting her movement. Jane has come into verbal arguments with the All-Father multiple times, winning almost every one of them. As Thor, she has even fought Odin on occasions. The fact that Thor, who has never tried to defy Odin Borson, is now a mantle that belongs to a woman, who managed to do just that all the while juggling the familial tensions that come along with it, speaks wonders of Jane Foster.
10. She has fought the Mangog (and defeated it)
The Mangog is basically the greatest threat that Asgard has ever faced. If Surtur is supposed to bring the end of days as in Ragnarok to restart the cycle, then Mangog is the one that intends to break the cycle. Mangog is actually the negative energy of billions of beings that fell to Odin’s conquests. This sentient monster has the power equivalent to the entire Asgardian army and every time it comes back (it cannot be killed), Odin and Thor have to pool literally all their resources together to push it back. Jane Foster as Thor also fought the Mangog but managed to do the unthinkable – she defeated Mangog for good, and he will probably never return.
