The big thing about Thor is that he had to become worthy to lift Mjolnir, which makes it strange that there have been at least 17 people in Marvel Comics other than Thor who picked the hammer up. Mjolnir isn’t only a sign that Thor is worthy of his role as the Son of Odin and one of the most powerful Gods of Asgard, but it is also a very cool weapon that many people have used over the years, other than Thor, to defeat their enemies. It channels thunder and lightning, and it is a lethal weapon that can take out gods, aliens, and mortals without remorse.
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While not everyone who lifted Mjolnir was actually worthy, they all had a reason to grab Thor’s hammer and used it to accomplish their goals. And some of them were more powerful than others, which makes the bottom of this ranking arguably even more impressive than the top…
18) Gwenpool
Gwenpool lifted Mjolnir thanks to a technicality. The biggest thing about Gwenpool is that she knows everything about the superheroes on Earth-616, because in her world, they were comic book characters that she read about all the time. In Gwenpool Strikes Back #4, she used her comic knowledge to pull this off.
She found Thor’s severed arm, and then she slid her arm into it like a glove and wore his arm so that she could grasp Mjolnir with Thor’s hand. This actually makes no sense in the grand scheme of things because Thor was worthy, not his severed arm. However, since Gwenpool is a comedic character who breaks the fourth wall, it worked, and she used it to fight Hulk.
17) Squirrel Girl
Another comedic character who was able to lift Mjolnir was the superhero known as Squirrel Girl. This makes even less sense than Gwenpool, yet it also has a logical explanation. In The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Beats up the Marvel Universe, Squirrel Girl faced off with a clone of herself, and she saw Mjolnir and picked it up, becoming the new Goddess of Thunder.
Although this made little sense, there is a history behind it. There might not be a kinder hero in Marvel Comics than Squirrel Girl, and her inherent kindness even allowed her to beat Galactus once by just becoming friends with him. If there is anyone in Marvel Comics who is worthy to pick up Thor’s hammer, it might as well be the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl.
16) What If? Black Widow
The time that Black Widow was able to lift Mjolnir came in the pages of What If? Age of Ultron #3. As a What If…? story, this one barely counts, as it means it took place on an alternate Earth (Earth-14622), where Wolverine’s time travel from the main series caused a rip in time. In this world, Hank Pym created Ultron earlier, after Wasp’s death. This led to an all-out war on Earth between Ultron and the superheroes.
Thor also died on this Earth before he could prevent Ragnarok, so Asgard’s enemies also overran the Earth. This led to Natasha Romanoff being chosen to be the next Thor in the world when she agreed to sacrifice herself to save others. Black Widow then became Thor and was part of the Avengers Infinity team in the comics, although almost everyone on that Earth had died.
15) Moon Knight
Moon Knight has the power to control Mjolnir, but it isn’t because he is worthy. Instead, it is due to the material from which Mjolnir is made. King Eitri and the Dwarves of Nidavellir forged Mjolnir, and they created it using Uru. The hammer was then enchanted only to allow those worthy to lift it. That said, Uru is a metal ore pulled from the first moon in existence, and it has existed since the start of the universe.
Moon Knight is the avatar of Khonshu, the Moon God. In Age of Khonshu, Moon Knight battled the Avengers to steal their powers so they could stop Mephisto from conquering Earth. The Avengers fought back, and Moon Knight froze Mjolnir in mid-air, explaining it was made of a moon rock, so he had control regardless of worthiness. He couldn’t hold it, but he could command it to obey his commands.
14) Awesome Andy
Awesome Andy is an android that the Mad Thinker built based on Reed Richards’ designs. While he served as a villain for a time, having been controlled by the Mad Thinker, he was eventually freed when he copied Thor’s nobility and ultimately rehabilitated, becoming a law-abiding robot citizen. She-Hulk #14 was the issue where Thor and Awesome Andy fought.
However, the fight ended with a huge twist. The Mad Thinker had reprogrammed Awesome Andy to copy anyone’s powers in a fight, and he did so with Thor. This allowed Andy to copy Thor’s worthiness, and he grabbed Mjolnir. However, when Andy read the inscription and decided he wasn’t really worthy, Thor helped save him from falling and spoke to him about honor, finally teaming up with the android to defeat the Mad Thinker.
13) Roger “Red” Norvell
In Thor #276, the God of Thunder began to battle Roger “Red” Norvell, a man who was part of a film crew that Loki whisked away to Asgard. While there, Thor gave Red his Belt of Strength (the Megingjord), and then Red bathed in the Fires of Geirrodur and took Thor’s Iron Gloves. That was all he needed to finally lift Mjolnir.
Red challenged Thor and claimed Mjolnir thanks to wearing the Iron Gloves, even though he wasn’t worthy. When he realized he was losing control because of his own greed and lust for Sif, Red helped Thor in the fight to save Asgard from Hela, sacrificing his own life. Odin found him worthy after this and resurrected him with his Thor-like powers, giving him the war hammer known as Crusher.
12) Red Hulk
Red Hulk is a special case because he didn’t really lift Mjolnir, but instead just grabbed it and held onto it with all his might. In Hulk Vol. 2 #5, Red Hulk realized the truth that the hammer needed gravity to work. A person couldn’t lift the hammer if there is gravity without being worthy, but if there is no gravity, it doesn’t matter.
In his fight with Thor, Red Hulk then grabs the hammer while the God of Thunder is holding it and jumps into the air. Since Thor is still holding Mjolnir, it comes with Red Hulk, as he leaps out of the Earth’s orbit and into space. With no gravity, Red Hulk grabs Mjolnir and destroys Thor in a fight before throwing Thor and Mjolnir onto the moon.
11) Black Panther 1MM
It is interesting to know that Black Panther 1MM was able to wield Mjolnir, as he and Thor were teammates on the Avengers 1MM team. However, this is an interesting moment, and it is only shown in a panel from the comics where he is seen holding it up in the air. Black Panther 1MM was likely worthy, but there has never been a sign that T’Challa is worthy in modern times.
10) Throg
Throg was also deemed worthy of Mjolnir, and he was even gifted a sliver of the hammer so he could use it to create his own superhero identity as Throg. Of course, before he became Throg, Simon Walterson was a human who was cursed and turned into a frog, where he changed his name to Puddlegulp. He was stuck in the middle of a war between the frogs and rats in New York City.
This is when he met Thor, who had also been turned into a frog, and they fought together, which is why Thor awarded Simon with the sliver that turned him into Throg, the Frog Prince, in Mighty Thor #700. He has since proven his power and joined the Thor Corps.
9) Steve Rogers
Captain America lifted Mjolnir in Avengers: Endgame, which thrilled Thor and was a fan-friendly moment. However, this wasn’t the first time it happened, and Steve Rogers also lifted it in Marvel Comics. As a matter of fact, he did it twice in the comics. The first time was when Thor was knocked out, and Cap picked it up and used it as a weapon.
The second time, Captain America grabbed the hammer when his shield was destroyed, since he needed something to fight with. That first time was in Thor #390, and after Captain America finished the fight and saved Thor, he handed the hammer back to his friend. It is no surprise since Steve Rogers is a hero with as pure a heart as anyone in Marvel Comics, and he is definitely worthy of lifting Mjolnir.
8) Storm
It makes perfect sense that Storm could lift Mjolnir, as a goddess and a mutant who has complete control over the weather, including thunder and lightning. Storm had lost her powers for a short time, and at the same time, Loki was plotting against Asgard. Loki created a new hammer called Stormcaster and allowed her to use it.
While this gave Storm powers similar to Thor, she eventually rejected Stormcaster. Years later, Storm became the Goddess of Thunder and began to fight Thor. However, instead of hurting the Odinson, she grabbed Mjolnir from him, using it to destroy Stormcaster. She not only grabbed his hammer but also used it with devastating effect.
7) Thunderstrike
Eric Masterson was one of the first people on Earth to be found worthy of Mjolnir after Thor. This happened in Thor #408, when Mongoose was about to kill Thor. Before this could happen, Eric picked up Mjolnir and used it to save Thor, but he died in this ultimate sacrifice. Thor wanted Odin to bring Eric back to life, but his father had one stipulation. Eric and Thor had to merge, with Eric as the human and Thor as the superhero.
This was similar to the deal with Donald Blake from years earlier, except in this situation, Eric was a real person (although a dead one when the deal was made). This only lasted for 24 issues before Odin exiled Thor and allowed Eric to remain Thor on Earth. Since that time, Thor returned, and Eric became Thunderstrike, with his own unique mace (also called Thunderstrike). Eric has since died, and his son carried on his legacy.
6) Jane Foster
When Jane Foster became the new Thor, it was a giant mystery that kept her identity a secret from the readers and the Marvel Universe in general. Jane was a long-time supporting character in the Thor comics, a former girlfriend of Donald Blake, and a nurse. However, Jane had contracted cancer and was dying. At the same time, the Allmother was looking for a new champion.
The Allmother chose Jane and gave her Mjolnir, and the new Thor was born. She had similar powers to Thor, but she had one significant weakness. Every time she turned into Thor, the power destroyed all the chemotherapy medicine in her body, so it brought Jane closer to death every time she took on the role. Jane has since returned Mjolnir to Thor and became a Valkyrie.
5) Loki
Loki is Thor’s adopted brother and someone who has harbored hatred for his brother for years, as he knew Thor was the heir to the throne, and Loki was primarily an embarrassment to Odin. This made him Thor’s deadliest enemy for a very long time. While Loki has since become an antihero in Marvel Comics, there were decades when he fought Thor.
In Avengers & X-Men: Axis #9, the heroes and villains of Earth were inverted, so Thor became a villain and Loki became a hero. Because the magic at hand here was so strong, Loki became pure of heart, meaning he was easily worthy of picking up Mjolnir and delivering a beating to Thor that he had never seen before. By the time things were finished, Thor never even remembered the moment his brother was worthy and beat him in a fight.
4) Beta Ray Bill
Beta Ray Bill was an alien who just happened to come across Thor and unexpectedly became one of Marvel’s most beloved new characters. In Thor #337, Bill was already chosen as the champion of his race, the Korbinites. A demon escaped from Asgard and decimated Bill’s homeworld, so he left to find his people a new home and came across Thor, and they fought.
Thor threw his hammer at Bill, but Bill caught it and became a new version of Thor. Bill was trying to protect his people, and that made him worthy. He returned the hammer to Thor, and Odin recognized Bill’s bravery, giving him a new weapon called Stormbreaker, which he still uses to this day. While not as powerful as Thor, Beta Ray Bill remains one of the universe’s most powerful cosmic heroes.
3) Venom
There is no way that Venom or Eddie Brock could ever be considered worthy of lifting Mjolnir. However, this happened in King in Black, and the symbiote antihero used it to help beat back Knull and save Earth. However, the reason he was able to lift the hammer was because of a godly being that merged with Eddie and Venom, making them nearly unbeatable.
The Enigma Force returned to Earth and bestowed the Captain Universe powers upon Venom. Eddie was then able to use these supernatural abilities to summon Mjolnir from Thor’s hands and then summon the Silver Surfer’s board. He merged them into the ultimate weapon, which he used to drive back Knull once and for all. Venom returned Mjolnir and the board to their owners and then relinquished the Captain Universe powers, having saved the universe.
2) Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer is already one of the most powerful beings in the entire universe, wielding the Power Cosmic given to him by Galactus. With just his powers, the Silver Surfer can hold his own against anyone from Thanos and Adam Warlock to Thor. In Thanos #16, the Silver Surfer got an even bigger power upgrade when he wielded Mjolnir.
It should be noted that this is an alternate-world Marvel tale in the Thanos Wins storyline. He then used the hammer to take on two different variants of Thanos, the Cosmic Ghost Rider, and the Hulk, all by himself. Of course, he lost because the odds were too great, but he was so overpowered that it took the three powerful characters to even try to take him down.
1) Thor
The most powerful character to ever hold Mjolnir is easily the man who owns the hammer, Thor Odinson. Thor had to prove himself worthy to have a chance to wield the hammer, and once he did, he then had to continue to prove himself to be the greatest of the Asgardian gods to continue to master his weapon. He has done that and more throughout time.
Thor has done some incredible things with Mjolnir and his powers as the God of Thunder. He killed Galactus, which was easily one of his most OP moments, although he did have some of the Power Cosmic in him. He decimated Iron Man without breaking a sweat, and then said he had always held back in the past. Next to Hulk, Thor might be Marvel’s most powerful character, and Mjolnir makes him stronger.
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