Avengers: Endgame - Why Captain America Was Able To Lift Thor's Hammer

3. Did Something STOP Steve From Being Worthy?

Prior to the release of Avengers: Endgame, a theory started to emerge. Fans had speculated that Steve Rogers may end up wielding a hammer in Endgame, but the prevailing doubt was whether or not the character would be worthy. Remember, it was only a few years before that Steve had lied to Tony Stark - his friend and ally - regarding the fate of his father, while his own dogma (egged on by Stark's reactionary instincts) had managed to drive the Avengers apart.

Despite being the sentinel of liberty, there was clearly still a lot of red left in Steve's ledger. He's a soldier by trade, a spy working for S.H.I.E.L.D., and while he only wants to do good, might it have been possible that Rogers was found to be unworthy in Age of Ultron because of the events following Winter Soldier?

Put it this way: Cap had secretly been doing the bidding of Hydra. He was completely unaware of course, and was the man to bring their secret empire crumbling down, but he'd gone on missions that had strengthened the quasi-Nazi terror group. Could it have been possible that all those missions were what made Rogers unable to lift the hammer in 2015?

Of course, there's also the matter of Steve lying to his friend to bear in mind. By the time he tries to lift Thor's hammer in Age of Ultron, he already knows that the Winter Soldier - Bucky - was responsible for the deaths of Tony's parents. He withholds that information throughout the course of the film, and it's possible that could've been the deciding factor when engaging in the contest to lift the hammer.

By the time Endgame comes around, however, there's no ill-will between either party. Cap has spent a further five years fighting for his loved ones after Thanos' snap, and in that moment of pure desperation - some would say determination - Mjolnir comes to him.