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

4. Mjolnir's History In The Comics

The history behind Mjolnir is fairly simple, but the magic surrounding it can sometimes verge on the convoluted side. Basically Mjolnir was forged by Dwarven blacksmiths with the Asgardian metal known as uru. Once it was forged, the All-Father Odin wielded it for a period of time. When the Odinson was deemed worthy, the All-Father enchanted the weapon with a sacred inscription: "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor".

For a long time, the only person 'worthy' enough to wield the hammer was Thor. By the time he became a part of Earth's Mightiest Heroes - The Avengers - that truth only became more evident. However, while Thor was certainly worthier than his colleagues, there was never a shortage of worthy individuals. When Steve Rogers reemerged in Avengers #4, a path was set that would take the good Captain right into the path of Mjolnir.

In the comics, Captain America has wielded Mjolnir more than any other figure not to be called Thor. The first occasion came in Thor #390. Cap was in one of his less amiable periods in his relationship with the US government, and had adopted a snazzy black, red and white uniform. Both he and Thor are attacked by the Demons of Death, and while Thor is overwhelmed, Steve finds it within him to lift Mjolnir and fight several of the creatures off, before sending the weapon back to its rightful owner. The God of Thunder shares his admiration for Steve at the fact he's worthy enough to wield the weapon - just as he ddid in Avengers: Endgame - but it wouldn't be the last occasion where he did.

Going forward, Rogers would wield Mjolnir again during Fear Itself. Steve had just returned after the inconvenience of being sent back through time after his assassination in the wake of Civil War, but his time out of action clearly had no impact on his worthiness. Mirroring a similar moment from Avengers: Endgame, Cap lifts Mjolnir and repeats those famous two words - "Avengers: Assemble." Earth's Mightiest Heroes then proceed to restore the world to how it was before, one swing at a time.

Of course, Cap isn't the only one who's managed to wield Thor's hammer. Through some trickery, Loki has done so dozens of times, even being found worthy at point in time. The likes of Beta Ray Bill, Storm and Wonder Woman have all wielded Mjolnir or different variations of the hammer over time, while Superman - the Man of Steel himself - managed to as well.

However, Kal-El seemingly wasn't found worthy - or at least that's how Thor explained it. The God of Thunder revealed that Odin himself had lifted the enchantment on the hammer so that Supes could use it in the multiverse's hour of need.

The point is that there's more than one way to wield a hammer, and heroes and villains from both Marvel and DC have done so repeatedly through different means. So which method did Steve use in Endgame?