Warning: Spoilers for The Immortal Thor #5!There’s been confusion among fans about whether or not Loki is worthy of wielding Thor’s hammer, but Marvel has finally confirmed that the God of Mischief can indeed lift Mjolnir. The Immortal Thor #4 complicated the issue of Loki’s worthiness by not allowing him to solely be the one to lift Mjolnir. Instead, he grabs onto it after Beta Ray Bill has already lifted it. This added confusion to an already spirited debate regarding Loki’s worthiness in and out of comics.
It is in The Immortal Thor #5 by Al Ewing, Martin Coccolo, Matthew Wilson, and VC’s Joe Sabino that the confusion is cleared up with a simple answer: Loki is worthy of lifting Mjolnir! After the previous issue failed to show Loki holding or lifting Mjolnir on his own, this issue showcases Loki grasping the hammer with ease by himself.
This officially marks the first time in official Marvel canon that Loki has been confirmed to be capable of lifting Thor’s hammer. Considering his beginnings in the comics, it brings the redeemed villain’s journey full circle.
Loki is Officially Deemed Worthy for the First Time in His Superhero Career
Recently, Thor has been interlocked in a feud with Toranos, the God of the Super-Storm. There was a time when it seemed as though this was the one enemy that Thor could never defeat, and as such, he prepared accordingly by assembling the Thor Corps. The Thor Corps is comprised of four people he considers worthy enough to lift Mjolnir. Among this team are Beta Ray Bill, Storm, Jane Foster, and Loki, although Loki himself didn’t believe himself worthy. When Thor hurls the hammer at Loki in The Immortal Thor #4, he expects him to catch it. However, Loki lets Bill grab it for him, opting instead to hold it while Bill has it.
Everyone who touches the hammer is allowed to wield the powers of Thor for a short amount of time. In The Immortal Thor #5, the members of the Thor Corps pass the hammer around and each uses it to attack Toranos. The moment of truth comes when it comes Loki’s way, and he confidently catches it this time. He’s even confident enough to chuck the hammer straight into Toranos’ direction, which Bill and company fear may be a bad idea. However, it’s all according to Thor’s plan to show Toranos how Mjolnir is truly “stronger than e’er before,” eventually paving the way for Toranos’ defeat.
Loki’s Confidence Grows as He’s Unquestionably Worthy
Despite Loki’s hero turn in more recent years, neither readers nor even creative teams were certain if his good deeds overruled his evil deeds enough to justify him being worthy enough to hold Thor’s hammer. As such, writers felt compelled to incorporate unique ways to work around this, whether it was by literally flipping the Marvel Universe alignments upside down in the crossover Axis, or technicalities where Loki doesn’t need to be worthy to use Mjolnir in other ways. However, this time, there are no excuses as Loki is certainly worthy now.
At the same time, compared to the first time the hammer was thrown his way in this series, he catches it with more of a visible confidence that could be a sign of things to come. Loki has claimed to never care about being worthy in the past, but now that he is, he has the opportunity to enter his new adventures with more of a cocksure confidence to get the job done and be the hero he’s meant to be.
