7 Marvel Villains Who Wielded Mjolnir

“Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.” Arguably one of the most powerful weapons in Marvel Comics, Mjolnir is Thor’s iconic hammer that he uses to summon massive storms and deliver mighty strikes that can shatter mountains like glass. A defining feature of Mjolnir is that only those deemed worthy can lift it and wield its power. While virtually no one other than Thor can lift it, some noble heroes like Captain America and Jane Foster have managed to pick up the hammer. However, surprisingly, there have been a sizeable number of supervillains who, against all odds, have managed to take Mjolnir and use its power for themselves.

As one can probably imagine, most of these supervillains are anything but worthy, as they will lie, steal, and kill anything they please. Naturally, most of these villains never managed to wield Mjolnir legitimately; they only ever did so by cheating or exploiting loopholes. Still, while they are far from worthy, these villains still managed to harness the power of the Thunder God Thor.

7) Awesome Android

Created by the villain Mad Thinker, the Awesome Android was a hulking robot who fought both the Fantastic Four and Avengers on his inventor’s behalf. Eventually, the Mad Thinker upgraded the Awesome Android by granting him the ability to copy his opponents’ abilities. When fighting Thor, the robot mimicked the Asgardian’s nobility, allowing him to wield Mjolnir. However, this inadvertently turned the Awesome Android into a good guy and, as a consequence, he immediately helped Thor capture the Mad Thinker. Now known as “Andy,” the android works with She-Hulk at her law firm. While he may have started as a mindless, evil minion, the ability that allowed the Awesome Android to lift Mjolnir also gave him the opportunity to reform.

6) Ulik

The strongest and deadliest of the Cave Trolls, Ulik is one of Thor’s physically toughest foes and is constantly trying to prove that he’s stronger than the Asgardian. To take over Asgard, Ulik and the rest of the Cave Trolls use a vortex to steal Mjolnir so that they can make a copy. Interestingly, when the duplicate is created, Ulik is shown casually holding both versions of Thor’s hammer at once and comparing the two. No explanation is given as to how Ulik is able to circumvent the spell cast on Mjolnir. But in any event, the hammer is removed from Ulik’s hand as quickly as it was placed in it, as Thor uses his powers to summon Mjolnir back to him.

5) Red Hulk

Mjolnir normally can’t be lifted because it’s so unbelievably heavy for unworthy people. However, in the vacuum of space, weight isn’t an issue, and there anyone can technically wield it. During his time as a villain, Red Hulk used this loophole in his battle against Thor. By grabbing onto the moving hammer’s momentum, Red Hulk is able to drag himself and Thor into space. As a combination of the lack of gravity and his own strength, Red Hulk is able to use Mjolnir to strike Thor repeatedly. There was even a brief instance where it seemed that Red Hulk channeled lightning from Mjolnir. This moment showed how Red Hulk’s most dangerous trait is his skill in military tactics and strategy.

4) Loki

Thor’s adoptive brother and longtime archnemesis, Loki, has tried every scheme imaginable to steal Mjolnir and take its power for himself. Ironically, the time Loki did get the hammer, it wasn’t even his plan to do so. During the AXIS event, the moralities of heroes and villains were accidentally inverted by Scarlet Witch. This spell made Loki a hero worthy of lifting Mjolnir, while Thor became a villain. Of course, once the spell was fixed and the brothers were changed back, Loki was once again unable to wield Mjolnir. However, in more recent years, as Loki has become more of an anti-hero, there have been several other instances when he has been able to lift Mjolnir, although the exact reasoning has always remained ambiguous.

3) Ultimate Magneto

Mjolnir may be a weapon of near-unlimited power, but it’s still made of metal. The Ultimate Universe version of Magneto is far more vile than his mainline counterpart. When his children Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver died, Magneto went mad and lashed out against the entire world. By manipulating the mystical Uru that comprises Mjolnir, Magneto is able to bypass its worthiness spell and take control of it. Using the hammer, the Master of Magnetism reversed the Earth’s magnetic field, killing millions of people. While Magneto didn’t wield it in the traditional sense, he still used its power to commit one of the most horrendous catastrophes the Ultimate Universe ever saw.

2) Hydra Captain America

It’s already been established that Captain America is more than worthy enough to lift Mjolnir. However, even when the leader of the Avengers seemingly joined Hydra and was still able to lift it, many people were shocked. Many heroes used the lifting of Mjolnir as proof that they should fall in line with Captain America’s Hydra regime. Of course, it would eventually be revealed that this evil Captain America was an imposter from another universe, while the real Captain America was imprisoned. Using the reality-warping Cosmic Cube, Hydra had made it so their Nazi Captain America could wield Mjolnir. However, when the real Captain America escaped, he used Mjolnir to defeat his evil doppelgänger.

1) Doctor Doom

Since he is the most notorious supervillain in the Marvel Universe, normally, there would be no chance in hell that Doctor Doom would be able to lift Mjolnir. However, that’s exactly what happens when Thor loses his hammer, and it ends up in Hell. Coincidentally, Doctor Doom was trapped in Hell at the same time and needed a way to escape. Since Mjolnir was in such a demonic realm, the mystical protections on it weakened to the point that even Doctor Doom could use it. By channeling the power of Thor, Doctor Doom was able to fight his way out of Hell. Once Doctor Doom was back on Earth, Mjolnir’s spell kicked in, and he was no longer able to lift it.

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