The boys of the Avengers took a backseat to the women of the franchise at the Avengers: Endgame premiere in Los Angeles last night, where Scarlett Johansson and Brie Larson debuted some apocalyptic, on-brand jewelry and Natalie Portman was, well, there.
Portman played Dr. Jane Foster in Thor and Thor: The Dark World, a role that never quite got a chance to shine in films that many (including us) consider to be in the bottom-tier of Marvel’s output. Her character was never given an official send-off, with Thor simply acknowledging that she sent his intergalactic ass packing in Ragnarok, but, to be fair, it also didn’t sound as if Portman was itching to return to the franchise.
Rumors abound that Portman was upset when producers opted for Alan Taylor over Patty Jenkins as Thor: The Dark World’s director (Jenkins went on to direct Wonder Woman, so, whoops). In 2016, she confirmed that she wouldn’t be returning any time in the near future. “As far as I know, I’m done,” she said. “I don’t know if maybe one day they’ll ask for an Avengers 7 or whatever, I have no idea. But as far as I know, I’m done.”
Her presence at the premiere, of course, isn’t proof that Portman’s in the film, but, since it sounded like she was at least open to the possibility of returning, one could reasonably expect a little awkward banter between she and the God of Thunder as she and Stellan Skarsgård bleep-bloop some science.
Portman wasn’t the only one making a splash at the premiere, though. As we mentioned, Larson and Johansson forecast their own (presumably) pivotal roles in taking down Thanos with jewelry meant to evoke the infinity gauntlet that currently rests on Josh Brolin’s purple-ass hand.
Very cool, but no Avengers premiere would be complete without a visit from tipsy Chris Evans, who claims he “cried like six times” while watching the film. Oh, buddy. We’ll miss you.