Arguably some of the best moments during this year's Avengers: Age of Ultron came not from the set up for Infinity War, the introduction of new Avengers, or even the bombastic Hulk vs. Hulkbuster melee. Instead, some of the best -- most quintessentially Joss Whedon -- moments from the film revolved around deliberation over what it takes to wield Thor's hammer Mjölnir.
The film plainly spelled out for audiences that -- within the confines of that universe -- only the worthy may utilize the ancient Asgardian weapon, otherwise it will remain inert for anyone else who would try to pick it up. Such a concept only exists within the realm of fantasy -- until now.
According to RadioTimes, Alan Pan -- from the YouTube channel Sufficiently Advanced -- brought the mythical Hammer of the mighty Avenger to our world by creating a replica only he can lift. Quite a bit of techno jargon goes into the construction of such a device, but in layman's terms: he created a replica of Mjölnir attached to an electromagnet with a fingerprint sensor in the handle. By coding the weapon to only read his thumbprint, it makes it so the device will only release from its metal base plate if it reads his unique grip.
No self respecting fan of The Avengers would go to such lengths to create a Mjölnir of their very own and not test it out on the streets. As shown in the video above, Pan placed the hammer on its designated metal plate on the street -- challenging bystanders to attempt to prove their worth. Like so many other members of the Marvel universe, the participants try their best, but never even come close to lifting it; only when Pan places his hand upon the device does it effortlessly rise from the ground. Eventually one man figures out how to slide it off of its metal base without actually lifting it -- but cheaters never prosper.
Pan's rules regarding who can and cannot lift the hammer are even more strict than those in the comics and movie universe. While the hammer is only coded to Pan, Mjölnir has actually been wielded by numerous characters throughout the years, including: Vision, Captain America, and even Superman.
Maybe it's not the mythical Asgardian hammer, but it's as close as we will likely get for a long time. The Thor movies do establish that Asgard is not magical, but simply more scientifically advanced than our world; maybe Pan's invention is the first step towards Midgard becoming a little more like Thor's home world.
Captain America: Civil War will release on May 6, 2016, followed by Doctor Strange – November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man – July 28, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; Black Panther – February 16, 2018; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 – May 4, 2018; Ant-Man and the Wasp – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel – March 8, 2019; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 – May 3, 2019; Inhumans – July 12, 2019; and as-yet untitled Marvel movies on May 1, July 10 and November 6, 2020.
Source: RadioTimes