Natalie Portman: 'Thor' Actress To Star In ‘Possible Female Superhero Movie'? [VIDEO & Details]
Natalie Portman has added fuel to the fire surrounding whether or not a female superhero will be featured in the Marvel Comics Universe sometime soon.
Portman, who stars as astrophysicist Jane Foster in the upcoming Thor: The Dark World, opened up in an interview with SciFiNow.
"There are definitely many strong women [in the MCU]," she said. "But it will be exciting when there is a central female character which I think is coming-I have heard is coming-and, of course, also a central non-white character will also be exciting. Title characters."
Her comments come on top of the speculation that a female superhero could soon arrive to screens in a starring role, and outcry that it hasn't happened yet, according to The Christian-Science Monitor.
The upcoming installments in Marvel's Phase II so far still only appear to feature Scarlett Johansson's The Black Widow, who will be reprising the role in both 2014's Captain America: the Winter Soldier and 2015's Avengers" The Age of Ultron. Rumors have the character not being the first featured solo female star though because of how her character is tied into those two films.
However, Marvel Studio execs haven't kept too quiet on the issue either, addressing the demands for less traditional stars themselves.
Marvel Studios Producer Louis D'Esposito has acknowledged in the past that there is "a drumbeat that is getting louder and louder" for a female superhero star in the Marvel Universe, with rumors that if Joss Whedon's Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. television show does well, that there will be a spin-off type of show based on Peggy Carter, who is Captain America's love interest in those films.
Portman didn't have any comments on whether she would strap on a costume and become a superhero herself, therefore leaving Jane Foster behind, but she did praise Marvel for their respect of women in general.
"But they do definitely have strong female characters in them, and I think it's a testament to the people who run Marvel, their respect, their just normal human respect for women, the way they want to characterize them; you can tell when men talk to you, as just a person or as a 'woman,' she said.
Portman appears in Thor: The Dark World when it hits theaters Nov. 8.
