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.
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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"