Superman Lifted Thor’s Hammer?! Yup, Superman did indeed. And so did several other “worthy” and unworthy characters; not to undermine Captain America’s epic moment in Endgame. Out of curiosity, how many people know how to spell or pronounce “Mjolnir?”

Besides the commonly known hammer wielders such as Captain America, Beta Ray Bill, and the upcoming Jane Foster, here we draw attention to some of the more surprising ones.

 

SUPERMAN

In the JLA/Avengers series, a high stakes game between Krona and the Grandmaster lead to one of the largest crossover events between Marvel Comics and DC Comics. As a twist, Krona has the Avengers fight for him, and the Grandmaster has the Justice League on his side. Each team is tasked with gathering key items from the other’s respective universes. After several clashes between the heroes, the two universes begin to collide, threatening to destroy each other.

In the final issue of the series Avengers/JLA #4 (2004), the heroes band together to fight against Krona; with Superman picking up not only Mjolnir but also Captain America’s shield. At first, Superman couldn’t lift Thor’s hammer, but Odin made it possible by temporarily removing its worthiness enchantment. The cover for Avengers/JLA #4 is incredibly striking. The latest CGC 9.8 of this sold for $70 this past July.

 

WONDER WOMAN

Preceding the above series was the earlier crossover of DC versus Marvel. Comparatively, the story of this series was simpler in plot. Heroes from each of the universes were pitted against each other, head on. The losing team would result in their universe destroyed. Interestingly, the comic book publishers engaged the comic book reading audience by allowing them to vote on who won some of the fights.

In Marvel versus DC #2 (1996), Thor wins his fight against Shazam, but the resultant explosive fallout causes his hammer to fling far away. By sheer luck, it lands near Wonder Woman. What else can she do, but pick it up. In Disney’s movie studio buying spree, perhaps this Wonder Woman and the above Superman scenarios can be possible if they ever acquire Warner Bros. Although there are no recent CGC 9.8 sales for this book, a 9.6 sold for $45 in May.

 

MAGNETO

In a tug of war between worthiness enchantments and magnetism manipulation, it would appear the latter wins. In the Ultimates 3 #5 (2008), the deaths of his children leads a grieving Magento to lift Mjolnir. Though technicality comes into play here as he didn’t manually lift the hammer; but rather, he controlled the surroundings. This does lead to deeper conversations about Magneto’s abilities and the magnetic properties of metal, namely iron or Uru, the metal that Mjolnir is made of. That and the technicalities of lifting/wielding. If a lawyer wants to chime in on this, that’d be interesting. Of the three books mentioned so far, this one might be the most affordable; copies of Ultimates 3 #5 can be found in FN grade for less than $5.

 

STORM

With Mjolnir being the weapon of choice for the God of Thunder, it’s only fitting that the Goddess of Thunder also wielded it. Storm has actually had run-ins with two different hammers. In X-Men: To Serve and Protect #3 (2011), Thor presents Storm with Stormcaster, also a hammer made of Uru, as a gift. It turns out to be a trick from Loki to tempt Storm with power.  After Thor helps bring Storm out of the haze, she picks up Mjolnir and uses it to destroy Stormcaster.

 

 

“Your heart is stronger than even your thunder, my lady. That's what makes you worthy. That's why I chose you.” - Mjolnir