Thor is the god of thunder, All-Father of Asgard, and one of the most powerful and noble Avengers to ever grace the team. When the chips are down and the sky is caving in around you, the heroes of Marvel know that they can always count on Thor to be charging forward, swinging his mighty hammer Mjolnir with a crack of thunder. You always want Thor on your side, but sometimes the Thunder God is unavailable, or his strength and wit alone aren’t enough to win the day. Sometimes that power needs to be passed on to another hero to finish the fight, and while that list isn’t long, there are certainly a few heroes who have wielded the hammer that only the worthy can.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Of course, while there are some characters that come as a total shock for being able to wield Mjolnir, there are some that feel like they should definitely be able to lift Thor’s hammer, but can’t. At least, they haven’t shown that they can yet, which is a darn shame. So in this list not only will we be looking over five lesser known wielders of Mjolnir, but also five characters that can’t pick it up, but seem like they should.
1) Can: Silver Surfer
The best known Herald of Galactus, Silver Surfer spent centuries flying across the cosmos, trying to prepare planets for their inevitable demise when Galactus arrived to eat. He would eventually rebel against his monstrous master, but the Surfer still stood by and watched untold billions die for Galactus’s hunger, so you would think his long refusal to fight would impede his worthiness. In the present it certainly does, but in the potential future presented in volume two of Thanos, the Mad Titan had all but conquered the entire universe, with only the Silver Surfer left to stand against him. Knowing he could not beat Thanos on his own, the Surfer spent centuries honing and redeeming himself, eventually becoming worthy of wielding Mjolnir to fight for the sake of the universe. Ultimately, he lost that fight, but he proved that no matter his mistakes, he could rise up to be better.
2) Can’t: Captain America (Sam Wilson)
Everyone knows that Steve Rogers is worthy enough to lift Thor’s hammer, being one of the first other major superheroes to do so, but as of yet, we haven’t seen any evidence that Sam can do the same. He is the successor to Steve’s mantle, representing the endless pursuit of a better world through acceptance and fighting for what’s right every bit as much as the original Captain America does. It would make sense if Sam can lift Mjolnir, but as of yet, he hasn’t tried, so we’re going to have to assume that he can’t until proven otherwise.
3) Can: Storm
Storm has actually wielded Mjolnir twice in main continuity, and yet somehow both times are somewhat contentious about proving her worthiness. The first time was in X-Men To Serve and Protect #3, where she was using a magical hammer created by Loki called Stormcaster, which granted her abilities similar to Thor’s. However, the hammer was enchanted and tried to control her. To break free of its hold, Storm grabbed Mjolnir, still in Thor’s hand, and together they brought it down to smash Stormcaster to pieces. The second time came in Immortal Thor #4, where Thor shared his power and hammer with his closest allies to create the Thor Corps, one of whom was Storm. However, Storm wielded the hammer alongside Loki, who definitely isn’t worthy, and the narration specified that Thor specifically was more willing to share his power than Odin. It’s up in the air as to if Storm was worthy either time, but she has wielded the hammer twice, and honestly I would say that she is. Until proven otherwise, I say Storm is just as worthy as anyone else.
4) Can’t: Cyclops
The de facto leader of the X-Men, Cyclops has shown over the years that he is one of the most staunch characters when fighting for what he believes in. He is a soldier through and through, going up against monsters and a world that hates his very existence in order to make the world a better place for mutants and humans alike. He has certainly fallen off the wagon a couple of times over the years, with one or two stunts as a villain or anti-hero, but through most of it he stands as a pillar of unyielding fortitude against evil. It feels like Cyclops should be worthy, given all of that, but there are also just enough flaws that him not picking up the hammer makes perhaps just as much sense. It would definitely be interesting to see him wield it at some point, but for now he isn’t able.
5) Can: Squirrel Girl
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is the most dangerous character in all of Marvel, because she truly is unbeatable. She’s come out on top in clashes with some of the multiverse’s biggest bads, from Doctor Doom to Thanos, and no one stood a chance against her. However, she finally met her match in The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Beats Up The Marvel Universe, where she was split into two identical copies named Doreen and Allene. At first the two were best friends, until Allene went totally nuts and decided squirrels should rule the Earth. She took down every hero and villain in Marvel, until it came down to a climactic battle between the two squirrel-lovers. Just when it all seemed lost, Squirrel Girl’s trusty rodent sidekick Tippy-Toe teleported Mjolnir to them, and unlike her evil sister, Doreen was able to pick it up. With all the power of Thor, Squirrel Girl beat herself, and established that well and truly her greatest enemy is herself.
6) Can’t: Spider-Man
Spider-Man is easily one of, if not the single greatest hero in the Marvel Universe. That’s not just a fan opinion, that belief is held by nearly every hero and most villains who come into contact with the Web-Slinger. Still, despite the fact that he is an inspiration to all and is the very pinnacle of what a hero should be, Spidey can’t pick up Mjolnir. The very simple reason is that Mjolnir doesn’t determine worthiness based on just being a good person, but also through a very Norse mythological lens. To pick up Mjolnir, not only must you be honorable and willing to stand up for what’s right, but you must have the heart of a true warrior, and be willing to kill your enemies when mercy seems to no longer be an option. As Spider-Man is unwilling to kill even his worst villains, he remains unworthy of Mjolnir, but worthy of being called one of the greatest heroes of all time, in my book.
7) Can: Thunderstrike
Most Thor fans know of Donald Blake, Thor’s human alter ego that he will occasionally transform into. What many don’t know is that the god of thunder once had an entirely different person in the form of Eric Masterson. In Thor #406, the Asgardian prince was about to be killed by Mongoose, only for his friend Eric to grab Mjolnir and wield it to fight off the supervillain. He was ultimately killed by Mongoose, but Odin was so impressed by the mortal man’s courage that he bonded the two together in body and soul. Later, after Thor was sent into exile and the two were unfused, Eric served as Thor himself, until he eventually gained his own enchanted hammer and moniker in the form of Thunderstrike in Thor #459.
8) Can’t: Black Panther
T’Challa shares many similarities to Thor, in the sense that they are both kings of their respective realms that will do anything to ensure the safety of their people, alongside fighting to better the world as heroes to all. They understand the burdens of leadership and making the hard calls better than anyone, and T’Challa has shown repeatedly that he has the nobility of a hero and heart of a warrior. And yet, he remains unable to lift Mjolnir. Interestingly, it was revealed in Avengers volume eight #36 that Mjolnir would refuse to attack T’Challa because it recognized his bloodline, as in the distant past one of his ancestors wielded the mighty hammer. This implies that he could potentially lift it, but as of yet we have no proof that he can. Still, this is pretty darn cool.
9) Can: Wonder Woman
She might not be a part of the Marvel Comics Universe, but Wonder Woman has definitely shown that she is worthy of wielding the powers of Thor. In the spectacular Marvel vs. DC crossover event, the Big Two’s biggest names were paired up against each other to duke it out in a series of one on one duels that were decided by votes from the fans. The first matchup was Thor versus the Captain (then DC’s very own Captain Marvel), and by the end Thor saw his hammer knocked out of his hands. Issue #2 shows that it landed before Wonder Woman, who picked it up with no issue and was empowered by all the might of the god of thunder. Wonder Woman is powerful enough on her own, but adding Thor’s strength on top of her own makes her quite possibly one of the strongest heroes we have ever seen in comics. Unfortunately, Wonder Woman chose to never actually fight with Mjolnir, saying it would give her an unfair advantage. Definitely a shame, and I’d love to see her pick it up again in a future Marvel and DC crossover.
10) Can’t: Superman
The last entry on our list is the Man of Steel himself, and he is also the strangest on this list, because he both has and hasn’t picked up the hammer. Where Marvel vs. DC was a great comic, the JLA/Avengers crossover is easily the greatest crossover of all time, and showed all the two most famous superhero teams both fight each other, and fight together to save their respective realities. In the final rush to save everything, Thor tossed Superman Mjolnir, and the Kansas farmboy used it to shatter his way into Krona’s fortress. However, after the battle was over Superman found himself unable to lift Mjolnir again, with Thor saying that Odin granted him a special exception due to the circumstances. So, although Superman was able to use Mjolnir and gain the power of Thor, he is unworthy to lift it normally. It makes sense, given that in the same way that Spider-Man is unworthy, Superman’s heart is that of a hero, not a warrior.
So there we have five characters who you may not have known are worthy of lifting Mjolnir, and five who feel like they should be, but aren’t. It’s definitely picky about who does so, but I’m sure there are more wielders out there just waiting to be uncovered. Out of everyone in all comic universes, who do you think would actually be worthy to pick up Thor’s mighty hammer? Let us know in the comments below!
Most Viewed
-
image courtesy of Netflix -
Toei Animation
