Hmm... there's a lot of emotions flying around here. But anyway, first off I'll say that it's a shame that Jenkins is no longer a part of the sequel, I really believed she had the proper understanding of characterisation that would've made the sequel a powerful film on its own. I've been a huge Branagh fan since even before Thor, but to be honest I don't think he's the right one for a sequel. He's done an amazing job with the first film but for the sequel you really need to have a sort of Ridley Scott-esque approach to the Nine Realms and the very sci-fi savvy world that Marvel's Thor occupies. Branagh is a classicist, his portrayal of the Asgardians was perfect for the first film, but with a sequel where obviously the story continues and there is a strong demand for freshness, I can only think about taking the franchise towards a more science-fictional setting. Several fans suggested del Toro and Peter Jackson, I'm sure they can do a great job, but at this point it seems rather wishful thinking.
They've barely done anything with Thor and Jane, they left it on a cliffhanger and they didn't show Thor doing anything with the Blake identity properly. How is that enough? Other than the Loki aspect nothing else was really done enough for me. Thor was a start, it needs to keep going on the path its begun because for me they are doing everything right. Using Jane and not Sif as lead, perfect. Using Blake as an ID and not a separate person or personality-spectacular. Using Earth for half the movie- ideal. In fact Thor is getting more right than Thor comics have in decades for me and I'm not entirely sure that was JMS' input.
I'm not that familiar with the history of the comics (though getting there, and coming close), but I have to agree with you with at least JMS run. I can see Sif in the lead, however, I can't really imagine the sequel without Jane at all. She was on the verge of something really spectacular at the end of the film - she was on her way to discover the hidden, invisible links uniting the Nine Realms, I'd love to see where that goes. I'm a big fan of Foster so yeah, definitely want to see her more. At the end of the day you can't really expect anyone to be dropped off completely, this was a movie built on character-dynamics.
But yeah, I'd love to see more of Sif as well.
I never knew there was so much Jane love, some people act as if she absolutely HAS to be a main character in every Thor film.
I've been a Thor fan for years and I was never all that crazy about her, Portman did a good job in the role in THOR but not every Thor film has to revolve around "the love interest".
Well, all female characters don't have to occupy the role of the love interest. Jane's got more going for her than just the dumb damsel (was she really in distress at all?) I'm more interested in the character, and yes, to see where Thor's relationship goes.
There's something thematically very resonant about the fact that a Norse God has an Earthly-Female as his companion. As a scientist, Jane is already a little above your average mortal babe - she's somewhat an embodiment of earth herself. And on that note, I keep remembering that Thor's wife in the Norse myths was, in fact, an Earth-Goddess (yes it was Sif but it's a different Sif).
The problems are multi-fold. Why would you drop the biggest name on your cast sheet? Why would you ditch the audience perspective? Why would you half the female cast and/or relegate them ALL to Thor's bed buddies? Why would you take away the variety of characters in the female cast? If all you have left is Sif and bring in Enchantress you have a female cast that is either like men or for the desire of men. Jane and Darcy are unashamedly there for women.
I think its more that now they've started it, they should carry on in that direction. But I will say I do prefer Jane to Sif/Amora mainly because Jane and Thor contrast. Thor is a noticably different character around Jane. He's more well rounded with her, he has his life as Blake, he thinks more, his life isn't fighting/drinking/fracking as it seems to be in Asgard. He's a more worthwhile man. The story between them is also a lot stronger.
I can't really blame people who don't get Jane's character. Marvel are awful with her. She's a great character who never gets a story. People usually don't bother with Stan and Larry's Journey into Mystery which is a bit of genius. It shows a selfless, brave, funny Jane Foster who conveniently was forced to faint whenever Donald had to change into Thor (it was the silver age). The Jurgens run is basically forgotten now but he made the modern Jane. She was central to the first 50 issues with that where Thor was put back in a hospital setting as a mortal and went right back to basics. He played up the old sexual tension between them while using the spectre of (mostly absent) Keith Kincaid and Jake Olson's fiance to stop them acting on anything. JMS did an OK job too, having her give Donald a well deserved slap. All those versions really culminate in The Mighty Avenger which takes bits of all of them and you saw how well that was reviewed.
People will never get on board with Sif if she starts creeping on Thor straight after Jane dies especially if Jane is set up as the love of Thor's life. Also, there is no incentive to kill her. We can talk about lining up with the comics but Jane never dies. I even think using Sif as a love interest at all would be ill advised. Nobody likes the third wheel. And no sane person ditches academy award winner Natalie Portman for Kyle XY's Jaimie Alexander. Not to mention, killing off the person who sees the plot through the audience's eyes is a no go.
Really good post here - at least I think so. Especially by relegating the female cast to Thor's bed-buddies. But on that same note, I'd love to see more of Sif as Thor's betrothed, at least to some extent. That's her character isn't it? On the other hand, I don't want Jane to vanish away either. Damn it!
At least with Foster, Sif, and possibly someone like the Enchantress, you would have a strong female cast. How would you reconcile that by not focusing them as Thor's ogling gals? Yes, a more platonic Sif would work, but then you would be treating her with the same shaded characterisation that we got in the first film. And there's no saying that Alexander can't do a better job if she's given the role.