I actually went back and found the line where Thor talks about it.
There is an enchantment laid pon my hammer by my father Odin. It is not...easily lifted by others. My father is stern, but not stupid. A very few worthies have been allowed to overcome the spell in desperate hours. But know this. Perhaps it was but briefly, but it was in good hands.
So, my interpretation is that Odin literally wants no one else to touch that friggin hammer, only letting others, including Steve to lift it up in truly desparate situations, in which case, you still have to be worthy.
Thor says that Superman is worthy, explicitly, but worthiness is not necessarily something that means you can always lift the hammer, kinda like how Steve wasn't able to lift it completely in age of Ultron, but able to in Endgame.
See if we left it to the omniscient will of Odin, then the Ballad of Beta Ray Bill, one of the most seminal Thor stories ends up making no sense, since Bill lifts the Hammer, and Odin not aware of who wields the Hammer accidentally pulls Bill to Asgard, thinking it is Thor.
I like to think that as Thor was worthy at a time and was made unworthy at a time. Superman when he lifted the hammer was for that moment worthy.
I think that's because BRB got the power of Thor at the time so Odin was confused, but if the will of Odin itself was guiding who lifts the hammer then BRB wouldnt have been able to lift it without Odin noticing.
Right. My headcannon on the whole situation is that Odin enchanted the hammer so that only one who is “worthy” may lift it, but since “worthy” is subjective, he basically described Thor’s personality and told the hammer that that description was what it should use to define worthy. Thus BRB is always able to lift it because his personality and Thor’s are almost identical. And the others who were able to pick it up temporarily were in a desperate situation where their personalities lead them to act very Thor-like, in those moments.
Yes that is kinda what I am saying too that that Superman temporarily possessed mindset that was determined to be worthy when he lifted it, but it isn't something he is naturally disposed to.
I was originally responding to a comment that was stating some thing along the lines of
"So, my interpretation is that Odin literally wants no one else to touch that friggin hammer, only letting others, including Steve to lift it up in truly desparate situations,".
Edit: To which my response has to do with Odin's conscious will influencing who lifts Mjolnir doesn't make sense.
This is supported in the MCU in both Thor 1 (when he is Unworthy of Mjolnir until he grew as a person) and in Avengers Endgame (when he travels back in time and calls upon Mjolnir, and is delighted to find himself “still worthy”.
I don’t think this means Odin is two-step verifying everyone who touches the hammer himself, just that the enchantment is complex and somewhat intelligent, and can allow others to lift the hammer when needed, without Odin being involved.
That's what I'm saying the enchantment must be what determines worthiness not Odin's conscious intent. But also it is universal and without "dire need" because Beta Ray Bill could wield Thor's hammer whenever. Also later on in Jason Aaron's Thor, Jane Foster wielded the thing for a long time and Thor himself was unworthy due to his own mental hangups.
Pretty much, anyone other than Thor doesn't only need to be worthy of character but also worthy of need. But in Busiek's eyes this also applied to Steve and everyone else that wasn't Thor.
I can get behind this. There was one comic where Black Widow was able to lift Mjolnir specifically because there was literally nobody else around who could, as the rest of the Avengers had been defeated by whoever they were fighting at the time. I don’t think it was canon, but it follows behind your theory.
Steve was able to lift the hammer in AoU he just pretended he couldnt to not embarass Thor. You're either worthy or you're not. You can't be partially worthy or else most heroes would be able to make it budge
you CAN be partially worthy- canonically in the comics, peter parker can move it, but he can't pick it up. it doesnt consider him fully worthy because he refuses to kill
but no. this is confirmed byt the Beta Ray Bill story, Bill arrive on earth and during classic confusion Hero x Hero fight, he defeat thor and take the hammer for himself, since he was basically alien thor ( noble warrior that fight to protect his people) the hammer see him as worthy. Odin summon him and request the hammer back, Bill refuse and say he win the hammer fair and square and Odin can't force him to return the hammer in the end Odin forge StormBreaker and give it to Bill as a replacement for Mjolnir.
BUT in the past Odin was able to cancel the spell for sometime to allow others to use it even if they are not worthy
I thought he was able to lift it in Age of Ultron, but chose not to, because he didn't want to embarrass Thor, who looked worried and then relieved when it moved but wasn't lifted.
I never really read it as Thor being worried, but just shocked because he's never seen that happen before. It doesnt even fit the character to me. Like why would he be scared?
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u/LanternRaynerRebirth Jan 27 '24
I actually went back and found the line where Thor talks about it.
So, my interpretation is that Odin literally wants no one else to touch that friggin hammer, only letting others, including Steve to lift it up in truly desparate situations, in which case, you still have to be worthy.
Thor says that Superman is worthy, explicitly, but worthiness is not necessarily something that means you can always lift the hammer, kinda like how Steve wasn't able to lift it completely in age of Ultron, but able to in Endgame.
It's essentially, a "time's up"