Mjolnir has had a long and checkered past in the MCU, and throughout its time, many Marvel characters have lifted it, including these six.

Mjolnir has passed through many hands since the legendary hammer was first introduced in Marvel’s Thor, with the MCU often making a big deal of every character that has lifted it. This is thanks in no small part to the enchantment placed upon Mjolnir by Odin, something that precludes anyone considered “unworthy” from the ability to lift the hammer, and sparking widespread debates over which characters are worthy of Mjolnir. Those who are can count themselves lucky, as the mystical weapon has been shown to cause significant devastation when wielded with the right amount of expertise.

Mjolnir is made from Uru, the same cosmic metal born from a dying star that was used to create Stormbreaker in Avengers: Infinity War. Though its origins are different, Mjolnir has been seen to be of equivalent strength to Vibranium in the MCU, as shown when Mjolnir struck Captain America’s shield in TheAvengers. Needless to say, it is a powerful tool to have at one’s side, though wielding it is no simple matter. Only a handful of characters have wielded Mjolnir and in very different contexts.

Note: Mjolnir was presumably able to be lifted by most people before Odin’s enchantment added another layer of complexity to the hammer’s lore.

6. Odin Is The First Person To Wield Mjolnir

First Seen Lifting Mjolnir In Thor (2011)

Odin was the first owner of Mjolnir after it was forged for the Asgardian royal family by the Dwarves of Nidavellir. His brief ownership of the hammer gave way to Hela before he banished his daughter to Hel, reclaiming Mjolnir once more before bestowing it on Thor. Odin was last seen “wielding” Mjolnir as he whispered the Worthy Enchantment and cast it down to Midgard. This would be one of Odin’s finest moments, as he used the hammer he knew his son relied on so much as leverage to turn Thor into a better ruler and hero overall.

This is a lesson he would later build upon in a post-death visit to Thor in a vision, where he cemented Thor’s independence from Mjolnir by asking the simple question: “Are you Thor, God of Hammers?” Of the two uses presented by Odin for Mjolnir in Thor – namely, a tool to build and a tool to destroy – he used it purely for the former, whereas all other characters who wielded Mjolnir would use it as a weapon. This is, of course, a fitting role for the late God of Wisdom.

5. Hela Is The Second Person To Wield Mjolnir

First Seen Lifting Mjolnir In A Mural In Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Hela’s pivotal MCU debut saw her decimate one of the most powerful weapons in the MCU within moments of her arrival on Midgard. This moment saw Hela stop Mjolnir at full pelt with an outstretched hand, gripping the hammer before causing it to explode. Short of being worthy to hold Mjolnir, however, the scene was instead a demonstration of how Hela’s power superseded that of the legendary hammer.

Before then, Hela wielded Mjolnir during Asgard’s violent subjugation of the Nine Realms, centuries before her younger brother took ownership. As depicted on ceiling murals in Thor: Ragnarok, Mjolnir was directly involved in Hela and Odin’s wars against the defenders of the other realms. This means Mjolnir, which was not subjected to Odin’s worthiness enchantment at the time, has a decidedly checkered history within the MCU.

4. Thor Is The Third And Current Person To Wield Mjolnir

First Seen Lifting Mjolnir In Thor (2011)

Thor’s MCU career is inherently tied to Mjolnir as he kicks off his arc attempting to prove himself worthy of the hammer following Odin’s punishing enchantment. Based on Thor’s actions in his debut solo movie, speculation has continued to abound over several years of the MCU’s history about what precisely turned him from being unworthy of Mjolnir to being worthy even in the depths of his post-Snap despair (something by which he was pleasantly shocked). After losing possession of his famous hammer throughout several movies, Thor eventually reclaimed Mjolnir by the end of Thor: Love and Thunder.

3. Vision Is The Fourth Person To Wield Mjolnir

First Seen Lifting Mjolnir In Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)

Vision is the synthezoid in which multiple characters – including Thor and Mjolnir – had a hand creating. Though his body’s original purpose was to be Ultron’s final host, the Avengers successfully reclaimed his body before he was given life and immediately vowed to protect humanity in stark contrast to Ultron’s methods for achieving “peace in our time.” This culminated in Vision’s apparent effortless ability to lift the hammer whose worthiness enchantment precluded the other Avengers from achieving the same earlier in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Vision wielded Mjolnir once more in the battle against Ultron in Sokovia, where he remarked that it was “terribly well-balanced.” His ability to hold Mjolnir helps to clarify the worthiness clause. His drive to protect humanity at the risk of his own life is something Vision shares with other wielders of Mjolnir after Odin’s enchantment was placed upon it. Alternatively, another theory suggests that as Vision is a machine rather than a human, he shares more similarities with the coat hook that “held” Mjolnir in Thor: Love and Thunder.

2. Steve Rogers Is The Fifth Person To Wield Mjolnir

First Seen Lifting Mjolnir In Avengers: Endgame (2019)

One of the greatest moments in the MCU saw Steve Rogers summon Mjolnir to his hand amid the Battle of Earth in Avengers: Endgame as Thor was nearly overwhelmed by Thanos. The payoff was rendered all the more satisfying by Rogers not being able to lift Mjolnir along with his fellow Avengers in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Some have speculated Rogers deliberately didn’t lift Mjolnir at the time, proving the selflessness that likely contributed to his worthiness. This was seemingly confirmed by Thor’s exclamation of “I knew it!” when he first took hold of Mjolnir’s handle.

Captain America would go on to capably wield the hammer against Thanos before eventually finding himself overcome regardless. Rogers used Mjolnir to summon lightning, demonstrating a facet of the enchantment that bestows the wielder with the “power of Thor.” Cap’s ability to carry Mjolnir would also come in handy when it came to returning the objects that the Avengers took from the past, including the Infinity Stones and Mjolnir. The “present-day” Mjolnir, meanwhile, would later be claimed by someone else.

1. Jane Foster Is The Sixth Person To Wield Mjolnir

First Seen Lifting Mjolnir In Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

Thor: Love and Thunder debuted The Mighty Thor, Jane Foster’s embodiment of the Thor mantle after taking ownership of Mjolnir. This was ostensibly thanks to the sub-enchantment placed on Mjolnir by Thor as he asked the hammer to protect Foster from mortal danger, which caused Mjolnir to reassemble after being exploded by Hela and bestow Foster with the power of Thor following her breast cancer diagnosis. Sadly, it transpired that Mjolnir’s influence exacerbated the problem, culminating in Foster’s death by the end of the movie before she joined other dead Asgardians in Valhalla.

It could be argued that Foster was worthy of wielding Mjolnir irrespective of Thor’s intervention. It didn’t take long for Jane to begin wielding her newfound powers to aid the meek, putting herself in danger as Gorr’s shadow monster assault of New Asgard took place. The end of Thor: Love and Thunder also saw Foster sacrifice her own life in order to rescue the children of Asgard and put a stop to Gorr’s murderous designs. Self-sacrifice, valiance, and a willingness to aid those less powerful are all traits in the MCU that Foster shares with Thor, Captain America, and Vision.