Everything You Need To Know About Thor's Hammer

Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, has always been famous among Marvel comic book fans ever since it appeared in 1962's "Journey Into Mystery" #83, which also marked the introduction of the God of Thunder himself. Over the course of sixty years of ongoing Asgardian continuity, Mjolnir has accompanied Thor on countless adventures and has even been wielded by numerous heroes and villains alike (more on that later).

While Mjolnir has always been familiar to comic book readers, it has gone on to attract more mainstream awareness after making its big-screen debut at the end of 2010's "Iron Man 2" (we're not counting its cheesy live-action introduction in the 1988 TV movie "The Incredible Hulk Returns"), becoming one of the most iconic weapons in superherodom. Mjolnir has had its own crazy adventures in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so for those of you who want to learn even more about its long and storied history here's everything you need to know about Thor's hammer.

Mjolnir is good for far more than simply hammering nails, but anything forged by dwarves in the heart of a star is bound to carry some additional utility. One of Mjolnir's extra gifts is that of weather manipulation, enabling Thor to conjure up storms, thunder, and lightning at will. The hammer also allows Thor to fly when he spins it around at incredibly fast speeds by its lanyard, generating enough momentum to essentially pull him through the air towards his destination.

During the early days of the Marvel Comics Universe, there was not as much commitment to continuity, so many details of classic characters introduced at this time have been largely forgotten in more recent years. Mjolnir is an example of this fast-and-loose attention to canon, as the Thor story "On The Trail of The Tomorrow Man" from "Journey into Mystery" vol. 1 #86 established that the hammer can be used for time travel. That's a power that subsequent "Thor" writers largely ditched, but it is fun to see the character's creators Stan Lee and Larry Lieber having fun with the famous weapon.

That's right, Jack "The King" Kirby himself did the art for two different versions of Mjolnir at two different comic book publishers. While Kirby didn't do the interior art for "Adventure Comics" #75, he did do the cover which depicted Mjolnir being wielded by Thor. While it turned out that both the Mjolnir and Thor in that story were fake, it's nice knowing that Kirby got a chance to work on the real deal around twenty years later.

The story that allowed Jack Kirby to draw the actual Mjolnir was in 1962's "Journey Into Mystery" #83, which was also the very first appearance of Marvel Comics' version of Thor. Titled "The Mighty Thor and the Stone Men from Saturn!" the three-part story follows the feeble doctor Donald Blake who, after picking up a mystical stick that is in fact Mjolnir in a different form, turns into the mighty Thor. After reclaiming the powers of his original god form, Thor uses his indestructible hammer to defeat some evil aliens from Saturn along with their Mechano-Monster.

Yup, several evildoers have been "worthy" enough to use Thor's hammer, although always with some sort of caveat (Mjolnir isn't something that's easy to trick). During the "Secret Empire" crossover event, it's revealed that Captain America has been working for Hydra for quite some time, and it's this malevolent version of the star-spangled Avenger who is able to brandish Mjolnir. However, it's later revealed that Madame Hydra had altered the enchantment that Mjolnir was under with the Cosmic Cube, basically cheating Hydra Cap's way to "worthiness."

Classic Hulk foe Thunderbolt Ross was able to put Mjolnir to use in "Hulk" Vol. 2 #5 during a fight with Thor while in his Red Hulk form. Again, this wasn't a case of a bad guy getting ahold of it through dishonorable means: Because their brawl took place in space, there was no solid surface that could anchor Mjolnir, allowing Red Hulk to use its weightlessness to his advantage. Another technicality that let a villain take control of Thor's hammer is when Ultimate Magneto used his magnetic powers to manipulate it in the "Ultimatum" crossover event, although he never actually grasped it.

While Thor's hammer is used almost exclusively for destructive purposes, there was a brief time when it also had regenerative abilities. During the 1970s, Marvel Comics published a series called "Invaders," a superhero team that included the likes of Captain America, Bucky, Namor the Submariner, the original Human Torch, and others. What set this series apart from other team books at the time was that it focused on the heroes' exploits fighting Nazis and other fascist foes during WWII.

Anyway, in "Invaders" Vol. 1 #33, Thor is manipulated into working for Hitler and the Nazis, and is sent to Russia to kill Joseph Stalin, much to the dismay of the Invaders. During a battle, Thor summons a lightning bolt to kill who he thinks is Stalin, only for it to be the hero Union Jack in disguise. When Thor realizes he'd been tricked into committing such a terrible act, he uses Mjolnir to somehow retract the lightning bolt he'd conjured, thus resurrecting Union Jack. It's an unusual story and is one of the few — if not the only — instances in which Thor uses Mjolnir to undo someone's unjust death. Mjolnir already has so many abilities that resurrection just seems like overkill, even for something forged in the heart of a star.

The rivalry between DC and Marvel has always been largely fan-generated. In reality, many writers, artists, editors, and other staff members have worked at both companies, and other than the fact that the two consistently compete for market share, they're actually on pretty good terms with one another.

In fact, there've been several comic book crossovers between DC and Marvel, including "DC vs. Marvel" which saw Superman battle the Hulk, Batman fight Captain America, Wolverine duke it out with Lobo, and other dream matchups. During his fight with Captain Marvel (no, not that one), Thor loses Mjolnir and is intercepted by Wonder Woman, who is able to wield it in her bout with Storm. This makes perfect sense, as Wonder Woman's strength of character and Greek god origin makes her more than worthy to pick up Thor's hammer. Fans got to see Superman wield the legendary hammer in the crossover's sequel, "JLA/Avengers" (as well as Captain America's shield). This is another situation that is hard to argue against, as everyone knows that DC's Big Blue Boy Scout has what it takes to hold Mjolnir.