Natalie Portman is making a big comeback in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the next film Thor: Love And Thunder, the actress, 40, will play Thor. The  new trailer was released today.

Her followers were too stunned to speak after she shared images advertising Thor: Love and Thunder online, showing off her buff physical change.

In the latest publicity stills revealed for Marvel’s upcoming big screen outing, the 40-year-old mother-of-two is seen with ripped arms that could give co-star Chris Hemsworth a run for his money.

In one photo, Portman is seen alongside co-star Tessa Thompson, who appears to be equally buff, but it’s the actress’s transformation that has gotten the most attention – she looks a world away from the actress best known for gamine roles like Jackie Kennedy or the doomed ballerina Nina in Black Swan.

The photograph appeared in Empire Magazine alongside an interview with Taika Waititi, the film’s director and co-writer. Dr. Jane Foster, who hasn’t appeared in a Marvel film since 2013’s Thor: The Dark World, represents a significant change for the hammer-wielding Avenger, according to him.

He said, “It’s been about eight years. She’s had a whole other life, and then the love of your life comes back on the scene, and is now dressed like you. It’s a real mindfuck for Thor.”

The sight of Portman’s new appearance has fans ecstatic:

“I can’t wait to see Natalie Portman steal the show as Mighty Thor! Jane Foster is BACK! 🙌🙌,” a user said. Someone else added, “Good morning to Natalie Portman’s arms and Natalie Portman’s arms only.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, the King & Queen of Asgard. My God Madam Natalie Portman looks great,” wrote another.

“If you think Anakin was a bitch in the prequels for turning evil over his wife, then I implore you to look at pictures of Natalie Portman’s arms in 2022, and then try and tell me you wouldn’t turn to the dark side for that woman,” one person said.

So, how did Natalie get her upper body in shape for this new role? Weights turned out to be crucial.

“It was really fun. I worked with a trainer, Naomi Pendergast, for, I think it was, four months before shooting, and then obviously all the way through filming,” Natalie told Vanity Fair.

“We did a lot of weight training and a lot of protein shakes—heavyweight training that I haven’t ever done before. Of course, I’ve never really aimed to get bulky,” she continued. “It was very physical, so it was a lot of both agility work and also strength work.”

Natalie also stated that she felt “strong for the first time in my life” as a result of the training.

However, not everyone is a fan: in an op-ed for Gawker, writer Fran Hoepfner bemoaned the fact that Portman was one of several well-known actors drawn into the Marvel universe.

She commented, “It’s impossible to believe that what people want from Portman… is for her to be jacked.”

“Enough time has passed under the tedious reign of Disney’s superhero movies that we know legitimately great and versatile actors are wasted, smoothed out and plumped up, for less than 10 minutes of screen time.”