There are only a handful of beings in the Marvel Universe who are worthy enough to pick
up Mjolnir (Me-ole-nir), Thor’s trusty hammer.
In the comics, we’ve seen several individuals who were up to the challenge – including
Beta Ray Bill in The Mighty Thor issue 337, The Hulk in 2012 in Avengers Assemble issue
4, and Captain America – twice – in the mighty thor issue 390 and Fear Itself issue
7.
But what about Thanos?
The mad titan has the interwebs buzzing ever since Avengers: Infinity War came out – and
rightfully so, considering the mass amount of power he now wields – so today, we’re
exploring the question of whether or not the disfigured Eternal, with all of his might,
is capable of lifting Mjolnir (Me-ole-nir), or if the hammer would refuse him the privilege.
To start us off, what entails worthiness?
Mjolnir was enhanced upon its forging to be able to detect whenever an individual is worthy
of lifting it and wielding its power.
Some have speculated that the hammer is sentient in order to justify this, while others chalk
it up to its magical properties.
Typically, when it has been picked up in the past aside from Thor’s use, the hammer distinguishes
worth based on selflessness, especially in the MCU.
We see this when Vision lifts it – not as a means to use it for himself, but as a means
to get the Avengers hustling to defeat Ultron.
This makes sense in that other iconic MCU scene featuring the other Avengers trying
to lift Thor’s hammer in their downtime – not using it for good, but rather for
a laugh.
So the act of WHY you’re picking Mjolnir up indicates whether one is worthy, and the
personal integrity of that individual’s reasoning can arguably negate worthiness as
well.
For example, Beta Ray Bill – he came into conflict with Thor due to a misunderstanding,
and knocked Thor unconscious and reverted to his Donald Blake form.
His reasoning for attacking Thor was not a malicious or power hungry one; rather, being
the chosen protector of his race the Korbinites, he truly believed he was in the right.
When he knocks Thor unconscious, he lifts up Blake’s walking stick, which turns out
to be Mjolnir.
Bill gives it back to Thor after Odin, seeing Bill as worthy, forges him a new weapon – Stormbreaker.
And everyone is happy being pals in the end.
When Cap lifted the hammer in the past, it was because Thor was out for the count and
he had to step in.
But, here’s an interesting point – when the Hulk lifted it in Avengers Assemble issue
4, Thanos had control over the Hulk’s mind.
Now, to be fair, Thor was still holding onto the hammer when Hulk got hold of it and hit
Thor in the face with it.
So, how does something like that happen?
Arguably, Thor’s involvement could have manipulated that situation into being successful,
but it could also have just been some bad writing – the comic itself received pretty
poor reviews, and was known for being inconsistent around that time.
Another interesting case is when Magneto wielded it in Marvel’s
Ultimate Universe, in the Ultimates 3 issue 5 back in 2008.
After the deaths of his children Quicksilver and Scarlett Witch, the character went through
a pretty rough emotional time, and stole Mjolnir by manipulating the area around him using
electromagnetism – something he tried in the regular Marvel Universe and failed to
do.
So it’s safe to say that depending on the universe, different rules may apply to Mjolnir,
and whether or not it’s worthiness pertains to just holding the hammer, or the area around
it.
So, this brings us to our question – can Thanos lift Mjolnir?
Thanos, on a regular day, definitely wouldn’t be considered worthy.
A regular day being one without the infinity gems and gauntlet in his possession.
The mad titan’s intentions are entirely selfish, unless you can deem his desire to
achieve that perfect balance between living and dead beings for Death one that is ‘noble’.
But that seems like a long shot, especially when you consider how much he revels in having
that power, and the fact that he keeps seeking that power out.
I mean, looking at that smile.
You can’t say that he’s doing it out of the selfless nature of love.
There’s a reason why Death chose to approach him specifically in the first place.
But, what about with the Infinity Gauntlet fully loaded?
Well, consider their power.
Specifically, the abilities of the reality gem.
The reality gem allows its user to alter reality to whatever they desire it to be, even if
that desire is in contradiction with scientific laws.
Combined with other gems, the use of the reality gem can alter reality on a universal scale.
With power like that, Thanos could easily change Mjolnir to determine him worthy, or
to ONLY regard him as worthy.
He could even manipulate the environment around the hammer to use it if he desired rather
than altering its magical properties.
So, where does that leave us?
With a yes, and a no.
If in possession of at least the reality gem, Thanos could wield Thor’s hammer.
If not, he wouldn’t be deemed worthy.
The exception to this is if Thanos’ motives were considered selfless, but that seems highly
unlikely.
There we have it!
Do you think any of the villains in the MCU are worthy of lifting Mjolnir?
Let us know your thoughts in those comments below.
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