While the output of Thor: Love and Thunder is fast approaching, it’s good to ask a question: who could lift Mjolnir in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)? We do know that Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) will be the next heroine to wield Thor’s hammer in the MCU. Here is a non-exhaustive list of characters who could wield Mjolnir in the future of the MCU.
Mjolnir: the enchanted hammer
In Norse mythology, Mjollnir is Thor’s hammer, the god of lightning and thunder. Mjöllnir is the most powerful weapon in all of Asgard, and symbolizes the protection of the universe from the forces of evil and chaos. Created by the dwarves of Ivaldi (like Odin’s spear and many other artifacts) Mjöllnir allows the god Thor to channel his energy, and allows him to move at breakneck speed through the air.
In the Marvel Universe, Mjöllnir spelling changes to Mjolnir. Based on Norse mythology, Mjolnir is also Thor’s hammer in La Maison des Idées. The magic item appears for the first time in 1962 under the pens of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. In the Marvel universe, Thor’s weapon is sacred, and can only be handled by the latter, if he is worthy of it.
As told in the first film Thor, to wield Mjolnir, you must be able to respond to this quote engraved on the object: “Whoever possesses this hammer, if he finds himself worthy of it, will receive the power of Thor”. Thus, if Odinson finds himself no longer worthy of wielding Mjolnir, he will lose his attributes as an Asgardian god. It already happened in the first Thor, and history will repeat itself Thor: Love and Thunder.
Indeed, the next opus of the saga Thor will lead to major upheavals. Indeed, at the end of Avengers: Endgame, Thor is no longer in possession of his hammer. The latter is recovered by Captain America (who has become worthy enough to wield it) who then loses it in the temporal continuum. In Taika Waititi’s film, it is Jane Foster, the former girlfriend of Thor, who will recover Mjolnir and become the new goddess of thunder. And this change made us want to do a little ranking of the characters who could lift the hammer of Thor in the future.
Jane Foster
So far, 5 characters have successfully lifted Mjolnir in the MCU. There is Thor obviously, but also Odin, Hela, Vision and Captain America. Jane Foster will be next on the list. Even if the information is not officially confirmed by Marvel Studios, we all know that the heroine played by Natalie Portman will become the brand new face of Thor. Featured in the first two films Thor, this character then disappeared from the radar, until his return in Avengers: Endgame. It will soon be on view at Thor: Love and Thunder, expected on July 13 in dark rooms.
In this story, which will adapt Jason Aaron’s comics, Jane Foster becomes the new Goddess of Thunder. She becomes worthy of lifting Mjolnir and takes over Odinson’s mission by becoming the new warrior of lightning and thunder. The only downside is that she has terminal cancer and each of her transformations into Thor weakens her a little more. In any case, there is a VERY high chance that Jane Foster will lift Mjolnir in Thor: Love and Thunder.
WhiteVision
This new iteration of Vision debuted in the series Wanda Vision. A new look, a new consciousness, for a whole new Vision. Created by the government, this automaton was sent to stop the Scarlet Witch’s madness. But as so often with government creations, White Vision decides to think for himself and chooses to listen to his free will. Currently, the exact whereabouts of the character are not known, but he is free in the wild. And if it is made in the same way as its predecessor, maybe White Vision can wield Mjolnir too.
Zeus
Zeus will make his first appearance in the MCU on the occasion of Thor: Love and Thunder. Played by Russell Crowe in Taika Waititi’s film, we do not yet know that it will be the involvement of the god of Olympus in the plot. But because Zeus is also a god of thunder and lightning, maybe he will be in the ability to wield Mjolnir. In the comics, even though Zeus isn’t worthy to lift Thor’s hammer, he can still undo Odin’s enchantment when the weapon is in his domain. Basically, if Mjolnir lands in Olympus, Zeus can totally use it.
Loki
And yes, Thor’s trickster brother might totally be able to lift Mjolnir. It even happened several times in the comics. The god of mischief and deceit happened to lift his father’s enchanted weapon on rare occasions. Either thanks to a more powerful spell, or in very special circumstances. But since currently Loki is choosing the voice of redemption in the MCUand given his connection to Asgard, perhaps eventually this former antagonist will be able to wield his brother’s ultimate weapon.
The Valkyrie
Played by Tessa Thompson in the MCU, the Valkyrie once wielded Thor’s hammer in the comics. Specifically in the Ultimate universe. In Ultimatum, Valkyrie, who fights Magneto (while in possession of the hammer at the time) manages to steal the gun from him and immediately claims the succession of his powers. She happens to be worthy and then becomes the new thunder goddess. A plot that could be reused in the future in the MCU.
The Celestials
Introduced in The Eternals, these huge cosmic creatures obviously have enough power to lift Mjolnir like a common toothpick. Afterwards, there is little chance for such a thing to happen in the MCU.
Adam Warlock
It’s a possibility. Adam Warlock, who will be introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is powerful enough to be able to lift Mjolnir. It’s happened before in the comics. The power of this cosmic being is far superior to Odin’s enchantment, and it has happened, on rare occasions, that Adam Warlock steals Thor’s hammer, without being worthy of it. Since Guardians of the Galaxy will appear in Thor: Love and Thundermaybe Odinson and Adam Warlock will cross paths in the future, and maybe then Adam Warlock will eventually be able to wield Mjolnir.
Thor and his variants
But finally, the character most likely to lift Mjolnir remains to be Thor. The character played by Chris Hemsworth will eventually be able to lift his magic hammer again in the future of the MCU. After all, the character is still in the game. And maybe in Thor: Love and Thunder (or in a future MCU film), the character will once again be able to lift his weapon of choice.
Other versions of Thor could also lift one (or their) Mjolnir. There is already Throg, the frog version of Thor, which we can quickly see in the series Loki. If this character were to be developed, he is in full capacity to lift Mjolnir. Indeed, this version of Thor has his own hammer in the comics. Throg exists somewhere in the multiverse, and with movies like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessmaybe we will cross his path again very soon.
At last, there is Beta Ray Bill. On this last character we make a slight departure from the rule. Indeed, Beta Ray Bill has not yet been officially introduced in the MCU, but it is rumored that the character could appear in Thor: Love and Thunder. Likewise, there was a quick reference to this protagonist in Thor: Ragnarok, which suggests that Beta Ray Bill does indeed exist in the MCU. And as for Throg, Beta Ray Bill is a variant of Thor capable of lifting Mjolnir.
So much for this list of characters potentially capable of lifting Mjolnir in the next phase of the MCU. We let you tell us in the comments if we forgot any or if you think other characters could be worthy or powerful enough to wield Thor’s hammer.
