The Worthy: Six Other Heroes Who Have Lifted Thor’s Hammer, Mjolnir

Not just anyone can lift Thor’s hammer.

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Thanks to an enchantment placed on Mjolnir by Odin, only the worthy can pick it up. And though that’s a pretty subjective term, it’s one that isn’t a joke. Plenty of very strong beings have tried and failed to get Mjolnir off the ground. Even the Hulk, the self-proclaimed strongest there is, can’t budge it.

That’s why the best part of the extra scene Marvel put in front of the Avengers: Age of Ultron teaser that features several Avengers trying to lift Mjolnir is that Captain America is able to move it ever so slightly, causing a momentary look of concern to cross Thor’s face. That’s faithful to the comics, where a handful of individuals have proven to be worthy, by whatever standards the hammer uses.

Setting aside the paternal members of Thor’s family tree and excluding any “What if?” or alternate world scenarios, that leaves us with only two men, two women and two visitors from other worlds who have made the cut. Let’s see who’s really worthy, shall we?

Beta Ray Bill

First time lifting Mjolnir: Thor #337

Talk about your thankless job. Bill was a bioengineered product of an alien race called the Korbinites. While his people slept in suspended animation, Bill was awakened when his sentient ship Skuttlebutt detected a threat, which turned out to be Thor.

In a classic comic book misunderstanding, the two of them fought. This was back in the day when Thor would turn back into Donald Blake and Mjolnir would turn into a cane if they were separated for more than a minute, and wouldn’t you know it, that’s exactly what happened. Beta Ray Bill looked for the hammer, found the cane instead and banged it against a wall, accidentally transforming himself into a sci-fi version of Thor.

That surprised everyone, including Odin, who decided that Bill and Thor should fight again for the right to wield Mjolnir. Bill won that battle as well, but Odin ended up figuring out a way to get out of the deal he set up by having a new hammer created just for the Korbinite named Stormbreaker. Beta Ray Bill has been a fixture in the Marvel Universe ever since, popping up from time to time to lend a hand, especially to the company’s cosmic heroes.