We'll find out if Natalie Portman returns for Thor 5, assuming there is a Thor 5. Even if her character comes back, it may have to be played by a different actress. She may be done with big-budget action movies in general, in which case her high point came in Attack of the Clones; smaller-scale movies may be more her style regardless of genre.
Regarding Valkyrie, there may be a heel turn in her future. If "Thor ♥️ Valkyrie" doesn't work out as a story, expect to see "Thor versus Valkyrie" sooner or later.
As for the Christian Bale character, how does he compare with Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) from Thor: The Dark World? All I know is that I felt bad for Christopher Eccleston and how he was used in Thor 2.
Yeah Natalie Portman seems more like someone who would do more artsy stuff nowadays instead of blockbuster attempts.
I'm not sure how Valkyrie could be made an enemy of Thor but that would very interesting to see. She's a great addition to his corner of the MCU and I think could make for a worthy opponent if they don't give Thor too much plot armor.
I'm not too familiar with Christopher Eccleston, I know he was one of the Doctors in Doctor Who series and I think he might've been in one of the 28 Days or Weeks movies but I agree with you in that I also felt bad for Christian Bale, that his talents were wasted on such a dismally bad movie.
Natalie Portman may still do action movies in the future, but maybe no more green-screen work. Between Lucasfilm and Disney/Marvel, I think she's had more than enough. No WWE or UFC in her future, but she may still have sufficient box-office pull for either. She's still an actress in the truest sense of the word, not simply a movie star.
When Doctor Who made its major comeback, Christopher Eccleston was the 9th Doctor. He was the one who dressed in black leather, like a short-haired Duncan MacLeod. He only lasted 1 season, to be followed by David Tenant; I have no idea why he only lasted 1 season. Besides his turn as the 9th Doctor, and Malekith in Thor 2, he was Destro in the G. I. Joe movie featuring both Channing Tatum and Sienna Miller.
It looks as if both Christopher Eccleston and Christian Bale fell behind on their bills and needed some extra cash flow. Sooner or later, all the big-name actors (including Robert DeNiro) end up in that situation.
It's been so long since I've watched Doctor Who. I started with David Tennant and stopped watching maybe halfway through Peter Capaldi's whack at it. I know there's a couple new seasons of a woman Doctor and I heard the newest Doctor might be black or Indian but I could be wrong on that. David Tennant's probably my favorite but I definitely grew to like Matt Smith as well.
I agree that it does feel like Christian Bale did Love & Thunder for the money. His presence was also probably a plus for the film's marketing overall since he's a pretty popular name. I'm not familiar with all of Taika Waititi's work but I liked his vampire comedy movie and tv show, really liked Ragnarok, and maybe perhaps Love & Thunder exists just to prove that everybody makes mistakes. I agree with you that if the economy keeps at it we're going to be seeing a lot of old faces returning to the silver screen to stay financially afloat in these rough times.
These actors aren't doing movies like Thor 4 because they pay well. They're doing those movies because they have bills to pay. Child Support and 3rd mortgages and 5 ex-wives don't pay for themselves!