Loki’s New Mjolnir Explained: What Is The Variant Hammer?

WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for Loki episode 4.

A surprising Loki credits scene, which includes a "Boastful Loki" variant wielding an alternative Mjolnir, may reveal some insight about the new Marvel weapon. Mjolnir has had an interesting journey in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In Thor, Odin (Anthony Hopkins) puts an enchantment on the magic hammer after Thor (Chris Hemsworth) defies his orders, allowing only the worthy to hold it. Through self-sacrifice, Thor eventually proves himself worthy of the weapon once again and wields the hammer until Hela (Cate Blanchett) destroys Mjolnir in Thor: Ragnarok. Though the main hammer is gone, an alternate version of Mjolnir, which Thor takes from an earlier point in the MCU timeline, is used by Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) in Avengers: Endgame.

In Loki episode 4, both Tom Hiddleston's Loki and Sophia Di Martino's Lady Loki are saved by the Time Variance Authority from destruction on Lamentis-1. Back at TVA headquarters, the Loki variants are brought before the Time-Keepers to be pruned, but the pair manage to fight their way free. After discovering the Time-Keepers are all animatronics and someone else is pulling the strings at the TVA, Loki gets pruned by Gugu Mbatha-Raw's Ravonna Renslayer and disappears. But instead of dying, a post-credits scene shows the God of Mischief waking up in another world.

In the Loki credits scene, Loki is surrounded by other Loki variants who have presumably also been pruned, and one is holding a peculiar version of Thor's hammer. Listed in the credits as "Boastful Loki," DeObia Oparei's character isn't dressed in the usual Loki garb and holds a hammer that doesn't look quite like Mjolnir. Instead, it has a wrench-like handle and the head of the hammer seems to be forged from a gold-colored steel beam. It's a strange amalgamation of parts, and its distinctive look gives hints about the new Marvel weapon.

The return of Mjolnir may have its origins in previous Marvel stories. When Odin replaced Thor with Red Norvell in the Marvel comics, he also replaced Mjolnir with a copy. This new hammer, which had a slightly different look from Mjolnir, was known as Crusher. Though the hammer in the comics has a longer handle than Boastful Loki's weapon, the new hammer could similarly be a Mjolnir copy that holds the exact same powers. Since Odin only placed a worthiness enchantment on Thor's Mjolnir for his son's defiance, it's reasonable to believe that this copy may not have the same restrictions. Without the worthiness restriction, anyone (including a Loki) could use the hammer.

If not a take on Red Norvell's hammer, the new Mjolnir may indicate Boastful Loki isn't exactly what he seems. The new variant Loki may be a combination of the God of Mischief and Thor. If so, the hammer he holds is simply a variant Mjolnir from his timeline. Its look is distinctly different from the Mjolnir of the MCU, but that doesn't seem to be an issue. After all, the credits scene includes a Crocodile Loki, so variants can clearly be drastically different from one another. The new design may just reflect the person it was designed for. And a weapon made for a combination of Thor and Loki would be anything but normal.

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Loki releases new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.