Warning: contains spoilers for Thor #15!
A classic and hilarious MCU Thor moment is flipped upside-down in Thor #15, showing the God of Thunder at his most tragic and vulnerable. Thor may be one of the strongest Avengers around, but much of his power comes from his hammer Mjolnir, a weapon forged from the mythical metal uru and one of the strongest weapons in the Marvel Universe. But Thor’s hammer is acting strange as of late, and it looks like he needs the help of his brother Loki.
In classic comics continuity, only Thor can lift his hammer – but this is no longer the case in the most recent Thor run. The hammer has somehow become too heavy for Thor to lift, and he struggles to simply pick it up off the ground. Perhaps even more alarming is the fact that others can wield the hammer now instead – including Iron Man and even Loki. It appears that Thor’s worthiness – which is determined by the hammer itself – is in question, and his ability to continue his heroism is in serious jeopardy.
In Thor #15, written by Donny Cates with art by Michele Bandini and colors by Matt Wilson, the aftermath of his struggle with Donald Blake weighs heavily on Thor. He leaves a feast in anger and tries to pick up Mjolnir, but even Thor’s great strength isn’t enough to heft his hammer; he slips and the hammer falls squarely on his chest, pinning him to the ground. If Thor couldn’t lift the hammer before, he certainly can’t now, and he appears trapped, at least until Loki arrives to help out his brother. Loki is one of a very few people who know Thor’s struggles with Mjolnir – and Thor would prefer to keep it that way.
The scene echoes a lighthearted moment from the end of Kenneth Branagh’s 2011 Thor film, in which Thor pins Loki to the ground with the hammer. Thor’s actions in the film serve as a way to weaponize the enchantment, but also to show Loki that he was unworthy of wielding the hammer and becoming King of Asgard. In Thor #15, the moment is reversed: it is Thor who is unworthy (or at least unable to properly lift the hammer without exerting himself a great deal), and Loki who picks it up with ease, freeing his brother. Thor’s anger gets the better of him at the banquet – he has always been a hotheaded character – but it’s Loki who acts calm and rationally.
Blessed with great strength and frequently seen as a show-off, Thor’s humiliation is a humbling moment, but he and his brother Loki have grown closer in the wake of past events (Loki’s vicious punishment of Donald Blake in Thor #14 is proof enough), and the two are allies now more than ever. Loki has yet to lift the hammer in the MCU, but with the second season of Loki confirmed, only time will tell. As for the comics, this moment is one more tragedy in the life of Thor, a character who is rapidly becoming a tragic figure – far from the brutish one-dimensional thug his enemies believe him to be.
