Marvel Confirms Captain America Was Always Able to Lift Mjolnir, so Why Did He Wait Until ‘Avengers: Endgame’
The Marvel theory that Captain America (Chris Evans) could lift Thor’s (Chris Hemsworth) hammer, Mjolnir, has been around since Avengers: Age of Ultron, when Steve slightly budged the weapon from its resting place during a group party. Cap finally wielded Mjolnir in the final battle scene in Avengers: Endgame, though Marvel recently confirmed that Cap has always been able to lift the mighty hammer. So why did he wait until his final movie to lift Thor’s iconic weapon?
Marvel dishes on Cap’s big moment
When Thor’s hammer was demolished in Thor: Ragnarok, fans suspected that they would never find out if Cap could actually lift the hammer. But that all changed when Marvel inserted time travel into Endgame, which allowed the team to bring Mjolnir back for one last fight.
In the final battle scene with Thanos (Josh Brolin), Cap easily picks up the hammer and uses it in the fight, confirming what fans had suspected this entire time.
But in a new twist, Marvel co-president Louis D’Esposito recently teased that Cap was always worthy to lift Mjolnir. The only reason he did not is because the timing was a bit off.
“If you remember from Ultron, they were all sitting around in the Avengers complex in Manhattan, and there’s a party, and they’re all a bit inebriated…” D’Esposito explained. “It’s Captain America’s turn to try, and you look over to Thor’s face, and he says, ‘I think he might be able to do it,’ but Cap doesn’t pick it up. But Cap could’ve always picked it up. He didn’t want to at that point because it would’ve not been right.”
While it was great to see Cap finally pick up Thor’s hammer, there is one minor detail about the scene that has raised plot issues in Endgame.
The one issue with Captain America picking up Mjolnir
Fans absolutely loved it when Cap wielded Thor’s hammer, but some viewers were quick to point out one inconsistency with the scene.
In Ragnarok, we learned that Thor’s power does not come from his hammer, which was destroyed in the film. Instead, Odin (Anthony Hopkins) told his son that his true power comes from within and that Mjolnir was never the source of his strength.
If that is true, then how was Captain America able to summon lightning in Endgame? Cap does not possess the power of Thor, yet when he used the hammer he was seemingly able to summon lightning. If anything, Cap should have been able to use the hammer as a regular weapon without the lightning.
Despite this apparent plot hole, Marvel does not have a good explanation on Cap’s mysterious new ability.
Marvel opens up about plot hole
In a recent interview, Endgame writer Christopher Markus opened up about the decision to add lightning to Cap’s Mjolnir scene.
Markus admitted that they knew about the issues of giving Cap lightning powers in the movie but it was too cool to pass up. Given how the scene was one of the best moments in the film, we have to admit that it would not have been nearly as cool without the lightning.
The movie’s executive producer, Trinh Tran, also noted that Evans was very excited about picking up Thor’s hammer, especially considering how the moment was teased in Age of Ultron.
There may be some issues with how Marvel handled the scene, but there is no denying that it was a major hit with fans. And while it was amazing to see Cap with the hammer in his hand, he is not the only hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that will get the honors.
Who else will pick up Mjolnir?
This past summer, Marvel confirmed plans to give Thor another solo movie with Thor: Love and Thunder. It was also revealed that Natalie Portman will be returning to the popular franchise as Jane Foster and will be taking over Thor’s mantle.
According to We Got This Covered, Mjolnir will appear in the upcoming movie and Portman is fully expected to wield the hammer as she becomes the new Thor.
We still do not know how Mjolnir will appear in the film as it was returned to its original timeline in Endgame to prevent the universe from creating new time streams. Whatever happens, it will be interesting to see Jane take over the role and join the shortlist of heroes who have been worthy enough to lift the hammer.
Thor: Love and Thunder is scheduled to be released in theaters on November 5th, 2021, so Marvel fans still have a bit to wait until they see Hemsworth back in action.
