A lot has been made about Thor’s iconic hammer, Mjolnir, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We know that someone must be deemed worthy to wield it, which became a focal point during Avengers: Age of Ultron as various Avengers tried to lift it and failed. Only Steve Rogers was able to make it budge, which culminated in him finally picking it up and using it against Thanos in Avengers: Endgame. Recently, Mjolnir was showcased in the trailer for Avengers: Doomsday, as Thor offers it up to the returning Steve Rogers to prove it’s really him. The two wielded Mjolnir and Stormbreaker during the fight against Thanos in Avengers: Endgame, which seems like it will happen again in Avengers: Doomsday. That said, people often forget that several characters besides Thor and Steve have lifted the hammer over the years. Some of them may even pop back up in Avengers: Doomsday.
That makes it all the more interesting to look back on the MCU’s history. Rumors are swirling all over the place about the potential for some of these characters to appear in the upcoming blockbuster, though one of them isn’t really being considered.
It’s understandable if you forgot that Thor’s Father, Odin, wielded the hammer. He only did so way back in 2011’s Thor, in order to place the worthiness enchantment on it. He banished it and Thor to Earth, hoping that his son could prove that he deserved such a weapon. The former king of Asgard is worthy and has wielded Mjolnir in the comics, yet it was forgotten by many because he hasn’t been around all that much since that 2011 film.
The possibility of Odin coming back for Avengers: Doomsday seems odd on paper, yet there have been rumors of several Asgardians returning for the film, from living characters like Sif to dead ones like Heimdall. Odin fits into the latter category, though there haven’t been any rumors of Anthony Hopkins in the cast, and the actor hasn’t been seen on set. A flashback or a vision where Thor gets advice from his dad would be good to have after he got a similar scene with his mother, Frigga, in Avengers: Endgame.
The most recent character to wield Mjolnir in the MCU was Jane Foster. After spending two films as Thor’s love interest, the brilliant astrophysicist returned for Thor: Love and Thunder, yet now she had Mjolnir and became the Mighty Thor. This put the two on equal footing until it was revealed that Jane had terminal cancer and each use of the hammer drained her strength. She ultimately sacrificed herself to use Mjolnir and helped Thor defeat Gorr, before joining Heimdall at the gates of Valhalla in the afterlife.
Jane was impressive with the hammer, using it as a weapon just like Thor and becoming one of the most powerful heroes around. Like Hopkins, there isn’t word of Natalie Portman returning for Avengers: Doomsday, though she did make a surprise appearance in Avengers: Endgame. Jane could pop up alongside Asgardians from Valhalla, which wouldn’t be too difficult for the MCU to explain.
Avengers: Age of Ultron made a big deal about who would lift Mjolnir and the punchline came when Vision was born, as he handed the hammer to Thor with no trouble. It made everyone around Vision trust him, and he then used Mjolnir again during the fight against Ultron. However, Vision never got the chance to pick it up again; the next time he encountered Thor, Mjolnir was broken, and Vision died soon after. It has been announced that Vision will return for VisionQuest and Paul Bettany teased an appearance in Avengers: Secret Wars, but not Avengers: Doomsday.
Vision’s story has become complicated over the years. “Hex Vision” was resurrected by Wanda in WandaVision, yet the real Vision’s body was brought back by members of S.W.O.R.D. He and the “Hex Vision” had a debate about the Ship of Theseus, which questions whether an object remains the same after having all of its original components replaced. That begs the question of how much of the original Vision remains after everything he’s been through.
While Vision may be the same at his core, he no longer has the Mind Stone, something that likely played a part in his ability to wield Mjolnir. Vision may retain the ability to be noble and honorable, yet he was used as a weapon by S.W.O.R.D., which could take away some of his worthiness. The MCU may never tackle Vision and Mjolnir together again, yet we hope they at least give us scenes that explore the complex nature of who Vision is after all this time.
