How Does Mjolnir Return In Thor 4? Every Love & Thunder Theory

Thor: Love & Thunder features the return of Thor's enchanted hammer, Mjolnir - and here are all the theories explaining how it could have come back. In 2017, Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok effectively relaunched the Thor franchise. The previous faux-Shakespearian approach had never resonated well with viewers, and Marvel trusted Waititi to reinvent it from the ground up.

Waititi followed a simple formula: out with the old, in with the new. Odin the All-Father passed away, Lady Sif was nowhere to be found, the Warriors Three were unceremoniously slaughtered, and Asgard itself - which Waititi just wasn't interested in - was destroyed. In the most striking and memorable scene of all, even Thor's enchanted hammer Mjolnir was shattered when it was caught by Thor's never-before-seen sister Hela. And yet, for all Marvel was clearly delighted with Thor: Ragnarok's performance, they swiftly seemed to backtrack on some of those creative decisions. It didn't take long for Thor to be wilding a new weapon, Stormbreaker, and Mjolnir even returned in Avengers: Endgame courtesy of time travel. It was taken back to its proper place in the timeline by Steve Rogers at the end of the film, as he trimmed most of the branches the Avengers had created during their quest for the Infinity Stones.

It won't be long before Thor's beloved hammer returns again officially, with Mjolnir appearing in the Thor: Love and Thunder trailer, wielded by none other than Jane Foster's Mighty Thor. But how will Mjolnir come back this time? Here are the main theories.

Mjolnir Could Be Repaired

Eitri inside the forge in Avengers: Infinity War

The most likely explanation for Mjolnir's return in Thor: Love and Thunder is that it's been repaired, as the hammer Mighty Thor wields in footage is webbed with bright blue cracks. Given Thor's surprised reaction to seeing Mjolnir (and Jane), this repair probably didn't happen at his request. After all, as much as Thor loved Mjolnir, his affections have now turned to Stormbreaker, as shown in a scene in Avengers: Endgame where he insists on giving Steve Rogers "the little one" so he can keep the Thanos-overpowering Stormbreaker instead. Most likely, then, Mjolnir was repaired for some other reason.

The Asgardian refugees on Earth may well be interested in having the symbolic weapon restored, especially if they believed its enchantments would continue when it had been repaired - that the powers of the Mighty Thor could be given to one who was worthy, so they could act as their champion and defender. Such an act of restoration would presumably require the aid of Eitri, the last surviving Dwarf of Nidavellir, whose race forged Mjolnir in the first place. While the repaired Mjolnir theory seems to be the most likely thanks to what Thor: Love and Thunder footage reveals, it does feel a little too on-the-nose. It implicitly acknowledges that Marvel made a mistake in destroying Mjolnir, and feels more like looking backward than looking forward, so the whole approach may even sit uncomfortably with Taika Waititi.

Mjolnir Could Return From Another Dimension

Another fairly plausible theory is that the Mjolnir in Thor: Love and Thunder is from another timeline, transported somehow into the mainstream MCU Earth-616 timeline. The Multiverse is a crucial part of the MCU's Phase 4, with Disney+ TV shows such as WandaVision and Loki exploring it, Spider-Man: No Way Home dealing with its significant dangers, and the Doctor Strange sequel explicitly titled Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Most significant of all, in August 2019 there were reports that Loki directly tied in with Thor: Love and Thunder. Given all of the work that Loki does setting up the concept of variants, it's easily possible that an alt-reality Thor unwittingly tosses Mjolnir through a portal at some point, or even shows up in the main timeline himself. The idea of Loki bringing the hammer over himself is far less likely, given that he's never been able to lift it.

Mjolnir Could Appear In Flashbacks

Of course, one simple explanation could be that Mjolnir will appear throughout the film in flashbacks. Thor: Love and Thunder will introduce the character of Gorr the God-Butcher from Jason Aaron's comic book run. In the comics, Gorr the God-Butcher and Thor have a long history together. Such an approach would have the virtue of avoiding feeling like a reset after the events of Thor: Ragnarok, but it's also unlikely. Aside from the fact that Jane Foster's Mighty Thor appearance with a cracked Mjolnir seems firmly set in the present, a series of flashbacks between Thor and Gorr would risk distracting from the main thrust of Thor: Love and Thunder's story, which is Thor's transformation into a peace-loving adventurer. Use of flashbacks, even as an excuse to round out Mjolnir's story, would feel too much like looking backward.

Mjolnir Could Return (Again) Through Time Travel

Captain America (Chris Evans) wields Mjolnir in Avengers: Endgame

Finally, there are more far-fetched options, such as the idea of using time travel to bring Mjolnir into the present day. Such a time travel approach was used in Avengers: Endgame, when a past version of Mjolnir was plucked out of the past and used by Steve Rogers during the final battle after Thanos. While this idea seems unlikely at first glance simply because it feels rather repetitive, it could be handled very differently; one story in Jason Aaron's comic book run saw three different iterations of Thor drawn from their own place in history to work together against Gorr the God-Butcher, and Taika Waititi could well choose to do something similar. So time travel really shouldn't be ruled out, since it is part of the comic book arc inspiring Thor: Love and Thunder.

Is Mjolnir More Powerful Than All-Black The Necrosword?

Gorr the Godbutcher wields All Black the Necrosword

Along with questions of how Mjolnir returns in Thor: Love and Thunder, it's also crucial to consider whether Thor's weapons are capable of holding their own against Gorr's legendary blade, All-Black the Necrosword. Forged of pure darkness and originally wielded by the evil god Knull, All-Black is actually sentient and chose Gorr because of his deep rage and hatred. The combined force of Gorr and the Necrosword is formidable indeed, and it would seem like a tall order for Mjolnir (which is weaker in the MCU than in the comics) to defeat it singlehandedly, especially if the hammer has recently been repaired and is still showing cracks. More than likely, it will take the combined strength of Stormbreaker and Mjolnir to defeat All-Black, which makes sense given that Thor Odinson and Mighty Thor will probably be teaming up in Thor: Love and Thunder

Mjolnir's return has certainly raised a lot of eyebrows – but in truth, it's pretty unsurprising. The Jane Foster storyline being incorporated into the MCU necessitates Mjolnir, as it is based on a story in which Foster proves herself worthy to wield the power of Thor when she picks up the enchanted hammer. The most likely explanation for Mjolnir's return in Thor: Love and Thunder seems to be a repair job to the timeline's original weapon, but it will be impossible to say for certain until the film premieres in July of 2022.

More: Fat Thor Must Still Appear In Love & Thunder (Despite Hemsworth's New Look)