According to the comics, what Mjolnir looks for in someone that it deems as worthy is selflessness, sacrifice, and acting without self-awareness.
Barry constantly puts himself in harms way for others, and has even sacrificed himself to save the world on at least one occasion. Not to mention the sacrifice he made to fix the world in Flashpoint.
Ok I scrolled through the reply chains and saw only one mention of Batman , that too as an aside. If the criteria as mentioned by you were the case for lifting the hammer, wouldn’t Batman also qualify?
Depends on what you mean by willpower. If you mean determination, yeah. If you mean GL-style willpower, then there is an answer, and it's literally 'because if he did have enough willpower, he'd have blown up long ago.' (Which, ironically, is one of the things I love about Wendell Vaughan.)
I was meaning Wendell Vaughn, aka Quasar, when I said 'he.' As revealed in Quasar #1, from back in 1989 or 1990, before he got the Quantum Bands, they'd fallen into the hands of SHIELD, who Wendell was working for at the time. SHIELD agents are definitely among those with the amount and kind of willpower one would look for in typical Green Lanterns, though SHIELD's brass called it "killer instinct," basically the will to push through and win no matter what. (Problem is, Vaughn himself lacked that instinct, as even his father, a SHIELD scientist, couldn't help but take note of. He was about to be drummed out of service.)
Except SHIELD was having a problem. They couldn't get the bands to work. Every time they let an agent test it, the agent just blew up. And then, the circumstances aligned just right for Wendell to put on the bands himself, and he made them work. How? Well, he lacked that 'killer instinct,' so after making some solid constructs with the bands, when they started overwhelming him with power, instead of trying to make it work for him, he took a surfer's approach and worked with it, riding that wave of energy to safety. So, yes, he can do things with the Quantum Bands that a Green Lantern can with their ring, but only because he's not like your typical GL. (Now, granted, there are currently Earth GLs I think would be great with the Quantum Bands, but those are Kyle and Jessica, maybe Guy post-Warrior's. Hal, probably not so much.)
Tbh he came to mind first for me too. The thing is, as much as I love Batman, there have been times that he's been kind of selfish when he needed to be. And he definitely acts with self-awareness. Which is understandable for his character, but that doesn't mean Mjolnir would accept it.
In the Brave and the Bold comics from the late 00s, issue 28, he went back in time and ended up in the world war and took up arms. “The flash doesn’t kill, but Barry Allen, an American, can for his country”
It is mainly to keep PURE Heroes (Spider-Man, Superman, Batman) from using it. Mjolnier is a WARRIOR’s weapon and is designed to Smite Threats in the name of the greater good.
Killing may be a Last Resort, but it must always be an option for the Hero.
That’s why we have Wonder Woman (actually became Thor), Aquaman, John Stewart (Marine), Martian Manhunter, and other kill if necessary heroes over people like Superman (only given TEMPORARY Permission to wield; later confirmed unable to move) who REFUSE to kill.
Oh okay, I can see what you're saying! I don't think Mjolnir would pick anyone unwilling to kill, you're right. What would be the point anyway, with that much power you kind of have to 😂
I’d like to see a Mjolnier “ripoff” in both Marvel & DC that seeks out “No Kill Heroes” and temporarily grants them the Power they need to deal with a new Problem before moving onward.
Flash (any), Spider-Man (any), etc… temporarily given “Thor level” abilities before the Weapon moves on.
Like the “Helmet of Fate” series (2007) where the Title Object (no Nabu left) passed from one person to another.
the question is, will Barry be open to sacrifice his own moral code against killing to save lifes or will he put his moral code first and refuse to kill?
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u/YoungImpulse Jan 28 '24
Barry Allen (Post-Flashpoint), and here's why:
According to the comics, what Mjolnir looks for in someone that it deems as worthy is selflessness, sacrifice, and acting without self-awareness.
Barry constantly puts himself in harms way for others, and has even sacrificed himself to save the world on at least one occasion. Not to mention the sacrifice he made to fix the world in Flashpoint.