Thor 4 Sets Up An Even Cooler Moment Than Captain America's Mjolnir Scene

In Thor: Love and Thunder, Thor may end up brandishing both Mjolnir and All-Black the Necrosword, outdoing Captain America's iconic moment in Avengers: Endgame. The fan-favorite scene deemed Steve Rogers worthy of holding Mjolnir, lifting it alongside his shield to batter Thanos in the movie's climactic battle. Only Thor and Vision had wielded the mythical hammer up to that point in the MCU. Captain America, whose virtue is his defining trait, completed an eight-year character arc in this single moment. But Thor double-wielding two of the most potent tools of destruction in the universe could outdo even that – and Marvel Studios could pull it off in the space of a single movie.

All-Black is a sentient sword of living darkness, and it made Gorr the God Butcher immortal and nearly all-powerful in the comics. The sword can corrupt the souls of whoever it touches, shapeshift into pretty much anything, kill supposedly immortal beings, and absorb stars and black holes, and that's scratching the surface. It's a multiversal-level threat. Mjolnir's powers are well documented in the MCU, returning to Thor whenever he extends his hand, possessing the ability to smash more or less everything it touches, channeling lightning, and enabling flight. It's a symbiote like Venom or Carnage and is made from the shadow of Knull, the God of Symbiotes.

The reason this moment could have audiences cheering and rising from their seats is simple: Gorr the God Butcher is coming, and his arrival will break Thor's world. Cap wielding Mjolnir had such an impact due to the scale of Thanos' threat, so it follows that Gorr's impact will be matched with a similarly iconic moment. Love and Thunder could kill several vital characters, and its reported craziness should allow the stakes to escalate with a hitherto unseen pace.

Gorr the God Butcher wielding All-Black in Marvel Comics

Some theories suggest that Taiki Waititi, once again at the helm, might kill Thor off altogether – Gorr regularly batters Thor in the comics, and Jane Foster will become Mighty Thor. She could take over after Thor's demise, and it may be her Thor that dual-wields in his honor. Others propose that it is, in fact, Jane who could sacrifice herself in battle, as per the Mighty Thor comics. This may send Chris Hemsworth's Thor into a vengeful rage that allows him to overcome Gorr and claim All-Black for eventual victory.

This would make for a particularly cathartic outcome: Jane is Thor's anchor to humanity and was the first human he trusted. With her gone, Thor wielding Mjolnir and All-Black could pack an emotional as well as visual punch. The MCU's appeal isn't only in swinging around hammers that look cool: it's also a saga that fans have invested in for over a decade, with Thor as a centerpiece.

Waititi knows how to manage an emotional wallop, as shown in Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Jojo Rabbit. So all the wheels are in place for an epic Mjolnir/All-Black crossover moment. With All-Black's near omnipotence, Thor probably wouldn't even need Mjolnir – but him wielding All-Black would show Thor using multiverse-level powers.

This outcome could have dire consequences in the MCU, despite defeating Gorr. In the comics, the All-Black threatens to corrupt Thor after he bonds with it. Audiences might see a dark or even villainous Thor emerge in future movies, with other variants of Thor stepping in to cleanse him. In the comics, Old King Thor purged the All-Black from his younger self and cast Gorr and All-Black into a black hole – which All-Black promptly absorbed. Thousands of years down the line, Thor bonded with All-Black to take on Galactus. The MCU may streamline this into one movie, and with Galactus on the MCU's horizon, Thor: Love And Thunder could be a neat through-line to later movies. Either way, audiences have a lot to look forward to.

More: Why Thor 4 Being "Crazier" Than Ragnarok Is Perfect For Phase 4