Forget Thor! Marvel Has Other Heroes Who Are Worthy of Lifting Mjolnir

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Thor, the God of Thunder, is a noble hero with the humility and grace to wield a power as magnificent as Mjolnir. The ancient hammer, forged from the metals of a primordial moon inside the heart of a dying star, is a near-unparalleled weapon only further enchanted by Odin’s magic. However, while only the “worthy” have been blessed to wield Mjolnir, Thor is far from the only one who can.

To wield the “Powers of Thor” is no trivial responsibility. When Odin first ordered the creation of Mjolnir, centuries before Thor’s brith, the weapon was designed to unify the Nine Realms under Odin’s rule. To ensure Mjolnir would never be used for evil, he enchanted the hammer so that only those “worthy” to lead the Realms could wield its power. While Thor may be Mjolnir’s most iconic wielder, even the God of Thunder has proven himself unworthy or unable to fight, leaving others to answer the call of the All-Father and stand in Thor’s place.

In Immortal Thor #5 (2023) – by Al Ewing and Martin Coccolo – Thor officially reveals that Mjolnir searches for Compassion, Restraint, Nobility, Wisdom, and Humility from its wielders, finally giving readers a solid metric as to what makes someone “Worthy.”

10

Throg (AKA Puddlegulp)

Mighty Thor #700 (2017) by Jason Aaron et. al

Before he became Throg, Frog of Thunder, the frog known as Puddlegulp was actually a human. After being cursed to live his life as a frog, Simon Walterson proved himself a quick hero in the gruesome war between the frogs and rats. After a chance encounter with Thor, who was also trapped in the body of a frog, Puddlegulp received a sliver of Mjolnir, thus transforming the once-human into the frogly visage of Thor.

As Throg, Puddlegulp continues to survey the twisting jungles of Central Park, keeping a steady peace between the frogs, rats, and sewer alligators. However, don’t underestimate Throg because of his size. When Jane Foster, the Mighty Thor, was left to die of her cancer without Mjolnir’s power to continue her fight, Throg offered his hammer to her aid. The Mighty Thor soon regained her strength, leaving Throg to excitedly leap away and happy that he met the “new Thor.”

9

Moon Knight (AKA Marc Spector)

Avengers #33 (2018) by Jason Aaron and Javier Garron

Technically speaking, Moon Knight has never been found worthy of Mjolnir’s power. That said, the Fist of Khonshu has previously wielded the hammer in such a clever way, it deserves to be placed on this list. After wrestling with plagued visions of a future under Mephisto’s control, Moon Knight set off on a quest to absorb the powers of the Avengers 1,000,000 BC’s modern counterparts. Iron Fist, Doctor Strange, and the Ghost Rider had all fallen to Marc Spector’s holy strength until he finally faced the God of Thunder.

While a god’s earthly avatar may not normally be any match for a full-blooded god, Moon Knight’s divine patronage grants him one major advantage over Thor: power over all moons. Remember, Mjolnir is forged from the metal Uru, which originates from one of the universe’s first moons. While Spector isn’t worthy of Odin’s enchantments, he could override Mjolnir’s authority by calling upon the lunar origins from which Mjolnir was forged.

8

Awesome Andy

She-Hulk #14 (2006) by Dan Slott and Rick Ruchett

Awesome Andy, previously known as Awesome Android, is a synthetic lifeform created by the Mad Thinker to replicate Mr. Fantastic’s work in robotics. For years, Awesome Andy was used as a tool in the Mad Thinker’s many schemes. The villain had previously outfitted Andy with the ability to emulate the characteristics of most heroes and animals, making the towering blacky robot a diverse threat against all foes. However, after facing the God of Thunder, Awesome Andy copied something greater than Thor’s basic powers.

In the ensuing fight, Andy seized Mjolnir from Thor’s grasp, shocking even the God of Thunder. Instead of mimicking Thor’s electrical abilities, Andy copied Thor’s heroic disposition. In doing so, Andy created a new sense of self-awareness, free from the Mad Thinker’s control. Meanwhile, now possessing the same noble attributes as Thor, Awesome Andy proudly wielded Mjolnir before tepidly returning it to the Asgardian god. Since his heroic evolution, Awesome Andy has become She-Hulk’s legal aid.

7

Mosi (AKA Black Panther 1,000,000 BC)

Avengers #36 (2018) by Jason Aaron and Javier Garron

Mosi is Bast’s first mortal avatar and the world’s first Black Panther. Long before Thor was born, the Black Panther served alongside Odin in the Avengers 1,000,000 BC as protectors of the prehistoric Earth. When the ancient and modern teams of Avengers were pulled through time to stop Moon Knight’s conquest, King T’Challa revealed that multiple Black Panthers had wielded Mjolnir before. While it hasn’t been revealed why Mosi could lift the hammer, it’s not entirely surprising.

Among Marvel’s many primordial gods, Bast is one of the most fickle. She demands a great deal from her Black Panthers and expects only the highest standards from those who call themselves King or Queen. Mosi, among all the Black Panthers, has had the most to prove. Without a cultural kingdom to guide him, it was by his actions alone that Bast deemed Mosi worthy of her power. As Odin’s close ally, the first King to his people, and the first mortal to receive Bast’s blessing, Mosi proved his worthiness long before Mjolnir answered his call.

6

Squirrel Girl (AKA Doreen Green)

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Beats Up the Marvel Universe (2016) by Ryan North and Erica Henderson

Doreen Green, aka Squirrel Girl, is arguably Marvel’s most effective superhero. While her diverse squirrel powers and small army of squirrel allies have helped the hero topple even the likes of Doctor Doom, her greatest power is her kind-hearted and friendly nature. Just through charisma alone, Doreen has made friends with the Multiverse’s most terrifying powers, like Galactus or Kang. However, Squirrel Girl almost lost everything when she was accidentally duplicated, creating “Allene Green.”

Unlike Doreen, Allene sought global squirrel domination and subsequently defeated almost every hero the Marvel Universe had to throw her way. With little left to hope for, Squirrel Girl’s squirrel sidekick, Tippy-Toe, triggered Mjolnir to come to the young hero’s aid. Grasping the Asgardian hammer, Doreen Green was dubbed worthy of the relic’s power and was bestowed the mighty powers of Thor. While Doreen may have an eccentric personality, few other heroes represent Mjolnir’s demands better than her.

5

Eddie Brock (AKA God of Light)

King in Black #5 (2020) by Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman

In the wake of Knull’s invasion of Earth, nothing Earth’s heroes could do had stopped the mad god’s descent upon the planet. The heroes were soon to face their end as Earth was plunged into eternal symbiotic darkness, and its only hope, Eddie Brock, remained dead. However, in their darkest moment, a different ancient power, opposite to Knull’s infinite void, answered the call and chose Eddie Brock as its next host: The Enigma Force.

Reborn as a God of Light, Eddie Brock became the only champion that could defeat the eldritch god of darkness. Eddie, having sacrificed everything to stop Carnage, fend off Knull, and save his son Dylan, now rose and called upon the aid ofthe Silver Sufer’s board and Mjolnir. Shattering every expectation, Eddie used the Uni-Power to combine the Surfer’s board and Mjolnir into a singular weapon that would eradicate Knull for good.

4

Black Panther 1,000 AD

Black Panther: Protectors of Wakanda #1 (2022) by Karama Horne

Iya Nehanda is another of Bast’s chosen to have both called upon the powers of the Wakandan goddess and the almighty powers of Thor. In her lifetime, the Black Panther served alongside Thor, a Ghost Rider, an Atlantean Iron Fist, the Phoenix Force, and a Sorcerer Supreme to fend off the combined threat of Mephisto and Apocalypse. Like Odin’s Avengers 1,000,000 BC, Thor’s early Avengers possessed only the noblest of heroes to fight by his side.

While little is known about the full exploits of Thor’s Avengers 1,000 AD, Iya’s status as a Black Panther makes her just as inherently worthy of Mjolnir’s attention as Mosi or T’Challa. As mentioned prior, Bast chooses her avatars carefully and often refuses to allow anything less than her ideal standards to carry her power. While Iya has never actually been seen wielding Mjolnir, in Black Panther: Protectors of Wakanda, it is said that the Black Panther once summoned Mjolnir to aid her after Thor was felled in combat.

3

Silver Surfer (AKA The Fallen One)

Thanos #16 (2016) by Donny Cates and Geoffrey Shaw

The Silver Surfer has probably faced more internal moral clashes than any other hero in the Marvel Universe. For most of his heroic career, Norrin Radd has nobly accepted his charge as Galactus’s herald and has long committed to using the Power Cosmic to saving as many lives as possible. However, the Silver Surfer of the Cosmic Ghost Rider’s home universe followed a different path in life. After the Mad Titan Thanos had hunted Galactus and his herald across the stars, the Surfer was separated from his master, who died at Thanos’s hands centuries later.

In the meantime, the Surfer, now turned pitch black after absorbing Black Matter and left as the universe’s last hero, fled to rebuild himself into something that could defeat Thanos: Worthy. For centuries, the Fallen One relinquished his old self to become the type of hero that Mjolnir would answer to. In time, the Surfer proved his worthiness and returned to face the Mad Titan once and for all. While Norrin did not prevail against Thanos, he remains the last worthy soul of his reality’s existence.

2

Loki (AKA Ikol)

Avengers & X-Men: AXIS #9 (2014) by Rick Remender, Jim Cheung, Et al.

Loki has been many things over the years. From hero to villain, from king to slave, Loki has even faced the regenerative changes of Asgardian death and rebirth. After the original Loki sacrificed himself to the Void, a younger manifestation of the god appeared to right the wrongs of his former self. While “Kid Loki” prevailed for years, the visage of his old self returned to take control, fully merging both Lokis back into one.

Years later, Doctor Doom and the Scarlet Witch unleashed a spell that unintentionally flipped the moral alignment of many of the Avengers, X-Men, and the teams’ iconic enemies. When Loki, now “good” again, faced an evil and unworthy Thor, the God of Lies had no other choice but to hope that Mjolnir would answer his call. To his own surprise, Loki lifted Mjolnir and became the God of Thunder in his brother’s stead. When the spell was reversed, Loki lost his worthiness. Not because he was “evil,” but because of the overwhelming guilt he now felt from his past actions.

1

Adam Aziz

Thor #7 (2020) by Donny Cates and Aaron Kuder

Unique on this list, Adam is just a random good-hearted guy with a mildly troubled past. For his entire life, Adam lived in Oklahama, making a living as a humble mechanic. After spending almost a decade in prison for assault and armed robbery, Adam opened up a car garage to help fix the cars of those who couldn’t afford to otherwise. On a day like any other for the rural autoworker, Mjolnir crashed just outside his shop, with Tony Stark’s phone number engraved on the side.

Within hours, the small town was sealed off while Stark attempted to isolate the hammer. Not paying attention to Tony’s warnings, Adam noticed Mjolnir’s message had since changed, instructing him to pick it up. As Adam leaned down and grasped Mjolnir’s handle, the simple man was imbued with Thor’s godly essence as the next mortal to carry the god’s awesome power. Well, at least for a moment. Thor soon arrived with news that Odin’s worthiness enchantment had previously been removed, but thanked Adam for returning his hammer. That said, worthiness can often be found in the oddest of places.

“}]] It doesn’t take a god to wield a hammer.  Read More