Jane Foster

"You're very brave, for helping me." "They stole my life's work, so I don't have much to lose."

- Thor and Jane Foster

Jane Foster is an astrophysicist. She found Thor after he was banished from Asgard and fell to Earth while she and her team were studying astronomical anomalies.

Early Life
Jane Foster was a student at Culver University, where her father and Erik Selvig worked together. She later graduated and became a astronomer.

A stranger in the desert
Jane Foster was traveling in a van with her colleague Erik Selvig, and their assistant Darcy Lewis, when the mysterious weather event subject of Foster's research unexpectedly resulted in a powerful vortex before them. As they struggled with the zero-visibility conditions, the van collided with a man who had stumbled out of the dust into their path. The man, who only announced himself as Thor, was injured again when Lewis tasered him, prompting them to take him to hospital.

The following day, Darcy made a surprise discovery when she noticed the figure of a man in one of the photographic images captured from the atmospheric event. While Jane realized that the newcomer might be able to shed some light on the event, Selvig was more skeptical. So began a lengthy disagreement between the two, with Foster theorizing about the possibility of an Einstein-Rosen Bridge and Selvig insisting that everything Thor had been saying about gods and other worlds was nothing more than delusional talk based on old myths.

Search for Mjølnir
"Once I retrieve Mjølnir, I will return to you the items they stole from you. Deal?" "No. You think you're gonna just walk in and walk out?" "No. I'm gonna fly out."

- Thor and Jane Foster

Despite Selvig's concerns, Jane's interest in Thor pushed her to find out out more and the trio set off for the hospital to find the stranger. Once they were reunited, the trio and Thor went to a local diner where Jane pressed for more information, trying to make sense of what he was telling them. It was there that Thor overheard news of his missing Mjølnir and set off on his own to retrieve it. Returning home, Jane and her colleagues found S.H.I.E.L.D. agents confiscating their equipment.

After commiserating with her colleagues over the loss of their property, Jane chanced upon Thor again and volunteered to assist him with reacquiring his Mjølnir. This goal proved unsuccessful when Thor, stealing into the temporary S.H.I.E.L.D. compound that had sprung up around the artifact, found himself unable to lift it and allowed himself to be caught.

The Destroyer attacks
"Jane, you have to get everybody out of here!" "What about you?" "Thor's going to fight with us!"

- Thor, Jane Foster, and Volstagg

Jane enlisted Erik in helping her get Thor released, which led to a series of events that bonded the expanded group more closely; Selvig befriending the man and Foster starting to view him as a romantic interest. Their time together was cut short when first several of Thor's friend's from Asgard arrived to take him home, and then The Destroyer arrived to kill him.

Thor ultimately beat The Destroyer, regaining his Mjølnir and his full power in the process. Jane could see what he really was for the first time, but with the return of Thor's power came the return of his responsibility to his realm and his people. She was forced to say goodbye as the God of Thunder returned to his home.

War for Earth
When Thor returns to Earth, he asks of Jane's whereabouts, Phil Coulson reveals that she is now working for S.H.I.E.L.D., and that she had been placed in a secret location to protect her from Loki.

Relationships

 * Thor Odinson - Love interest
 * Darcy Lewis - Friend and colleague
 * Erik Selvig - Friend and colleague