Natalie Portman: ‘A Female Superhero Film Is Coming’

Thor: The Dark World star Natalie Portman said she’s heard talk that a female superhero film could be hitting theaters soon.

Portman told SciFiNow that Marvel has a “normal human respect for women” when it comes to female characters. She also said that a film starring non-white central character could also be on the way.

“There are definitely many strong women, 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,” she said.

“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 added.

So who could this female superhero be? In May, it was rumored that Marvel had a Ms. Marvel film planned. Ms. Marvel debuted during the Silver Age in Marvel Super-Heroes#13 as Major Carol Danvers, a member of the United States Air Force. Ms. Marvel got her own self-titled series in the late ’70s before becoming associated with the Avengers and the X-Men. She’s also had a few different names over the years: Captain Marvel, Binary, and Warbird.

Stepping outside of the Marvel Universe for a second, a Wonder Woman movie has been the subject of much speculation for a couple of years now, with everyone from Christina Hendricks to Gina Torres to Beyonce (way back in 2008) wanting to play the Amazonian princess.

As far as the “central non-white” character, a Black Panther film has been rumored for some time. Back in April, Morris Chestnut — who replaced Omari Hardwick as Sergeant Marcus Williams in Kick-Ass 2— dropped a few hints that Black Panther could appear in the The Avengers sequel before getting his own film. Stan Lee recently promised that Black Panther, Dr. Strange and the Inhumans are in the works, giving this rumor a lot more credibility.

Natalie Portman reprises her role as Jane Foster in Thor: The Dark World. The sequel to the 2011 film hits theaters November 8.

[Photo credit: Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com]