What If…?: What’s hidden in plain sight in episode 7
By Mike McNulty
How is Thor still worthy?
I imagine there were some of you watching this episode who underwent the following thought process: Thor (Chris Hemsworth) can only wield his hammer, Mjølnir, if he’s worthy. But Thor never proved that he was worthy in this timeline, and behaves in a manner that doesn’t seem all that worthy, like pretending he’s supposed to be studying about the Nine Realms when he’s throwing a party on Earth. Ergo, he shouldn’t be able to lift or wield Mjølnir, right?
Once again, we need to go back to the events of the first Thor movie for comparison. The movie shows Thor capable of wielding Mjølnir just fine before Odin banishes him to Earth. That banishment happened after Thor invaded Jotunheim in retaliation for the Frost Giants breaking into the vault containing the Casket of Ancient Winters. This, we later learn, was part of Loki’s plot to take over Asgard. Since Loki, in this timeline, isn’t adopted by Odin, this plot never happens, which also means Thor’s banishment never happens, either. Thus Thor never had to prove himself worthy to wield Mjølnir.
Yet this also raises another point of contention. The original enchantment Odin placed upon Mjølnir states that, “Whosoever holds this hammer, if they be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.” This is why no one, except those deemed worthy, could lift it. However, if Odin doesn’t banish Thor, that also means he never places the enchantment on Mjølnir. Why then, in this episode, can’t Carol Danvers lift it when Thor places it on her chest? If Mjølnir doesn’t have the worthy enchantment, shouldn’t anyone be capable of lifting it?
Well, it’s likely that the various enchantments Odin placed upon it prior to the worthy clause deemed it so that Mjølnir could only be wielded by certain people. Thor is obviously one, but Odin is another, as Thor showed him summoning Mjølnir out of his son’s grasp. In addition, we learn in Thor: Ragnarok (2016) that the hammer’s previous wielder prior to Thor was his older sister, Hela. That’s why when Thor hurled Mjølnir at her, she was able to catch it, then shatter it.
Long story short, the Mjølnir of “What If… Thor Was an Only Child?” cannot be lifted by those not chosen to wield it. This also means that both Vision and Steve Rogers wouldn’t be able to lift this version of Mjølnir either, no matter how worthy they are.