Love & Thunder Theory: Why Thor Has Stormbreaker & Jane Wields Mjolnir

Merchandise, concept art, and behind-the-scenes footage tied to Thor: Love and Thunder have all shown that the upcoming film will see Thor wielding his new axe, Stormbreaker, while Jane Foster will wield the hammer Mjolnir. This raises several questions, particularly in relation to the comic book storyline that inspired the film. Beyond the question of how Mjolnir still exists following the events of Avengers: Endgame, there is also the matter of how Jane Foster has become worthy to wield the hammer and if Thor has lost any of his power as a result.

Little has been revealed about the story of Thor: Love and Thunder to date. It has been confirmed that Natalie Portman will be returning to the role of Jane Foster, having been absent from the MCU since Thor: The Dark World, and that she will be taking on a more heroic role in the fourth Thor film. The exact circumstances of how that comes to pass, however, are still a mystery.

Beyond Foster's return, there are other questions to consider regarding the story from the comics where Jane acquired the power of Thor and how closely the MCU will mirror those events. Various circumstances prevent Thor: Love and Thunder from being a direct adaptation, given the state of the MCU. However, there are several subplots, including Thor's apparent unworthiness to wield his signature weapon, that may be mimicked by the movie.

How Does Mjolnir Still Exist?

The biggest question MCU fans have regarding the idea of Jane Foster wielding Mjolnir is how that's possible given that Thor's famous hammer no longer exists in the present day MCU. Thor's older sister, Hela, famously destroyed Mjolnir early on in Thor: Ragnarok. While Thor's signature weapon returned during the events of Avengers: Endgame (having been borrowed while Thor was in the middle of retrieving the Reality Stone) it was eventually restored to its proper place in time by Steve Rogers, when he was returning the Infinity Stones to where the Avengers had taken them from during their time heist.

Is Thor Now Unworthy Of Mjolnir?

For fans of the Thor comic books, the biggest question heading into Thor: Love and Thunder is how much the film will draw upon the recent comics, which saw Jane Foster become the new Thor and Thor answering to the name Odinson. This came to pass at the end of the 2014 Original Sin event, where Nick Fury whispered something to Thor that somehow made him unworthy and unable to lift Mjolnir. A new female Thor, who wielded Mjolnir despite Odin having no idea who she was, emerged shortly thereafter. Her identity remained a secret until the 2015 Secret Wars event, where the new Thor was confirmed to be Jane Foster.

It seems unlikely that Thor: Love and Thunder will recreate this aspect of the comics, since the question of Thor's worthiness was already addressed in Avengers: Endgame, where Thor proved himself to still be worthy even after his failure to defeat Thanos and five years of subsequent depression. It would be anti-climactic for Thor to suddenly become unworthy for some reason while traveling with the Guardians of the Galaxy. Beyond that, with Mjolnir destroyed and Stormbreaker in Thor's possession, there seems no obvious way to measure Thor's worthiness and no real consequence to his being found unworthy, even if there were some cosmic entity capable of shaming or depowering him in Odin's place.

Thor Uses Both Mjolnir & Stormbreaker In Love & Thunder

Avengers Endgame Thor Stormbreaker Mjolnir Chris Hemsworth

Beyond it being a redundant story element to bring into the movie, the question of Thor's worthiness has also been addressed by the Thor: Love and Thunder merchandise and some of the advance stunt footage from behind the scenes. A piece of promotional art, which was on a T-shirt given to all of the production crew upon the film's finishing shooting, depicts Thor, looking much as Chris Hemsworth did in the early production photos, wielding Stormbreaker. Another T-shirt design, which offered the first view of Natalie Portman in her Thor armor, also showed Thor with his new axe.

The question of whether or not Thor can still wield Mjolnir was answered by a TikTok video posted by Chris Hemsworth's stunt double, Bobby Holland Hanton. While the video was later taken down, it depicted a scene where Hanton performed a flying stunt with Mjolnir in his hands. This suggests that Thor will be wielding both his trademark weapons at some point during Thor: Love and Thunder. While this does not eliminate the possibility that Thor might be found unworthy at some point during the film only to regain his ability to wield Mjolnir over the course of the film, it does seem unlikely given that Avengers: Endgame already covered the question once.

Why Jane Foster's Thor Wields Mjolnir In Love & Thunder

There are several theories as to how Jane Foster acquires Mjolnir and the worthiness to wield it. Most of the theories are based around other MCU Phase 4 projects. One theory suggests that the Jane Foster wielding Mjolnir in Thor: Love and Thunder is not the same Jane Foster in earlier Thor movies, being either a Variant who has somehow evaded the Time Variance Authority from Loki or a version of Thor from another dimension where Jane Foster acquired the powers of her former Asgardian boyfriend. Another theory is that "Mjolnir" might not really be Mjolnir and that Jane Foster herself could be some version of Loki in disguise. It is also possible that Mjolnir might somehow travel forward in time again, as it did in Avengers: Endgame. Yet another theory proposes that Jane might have been enhanced by her close contact with the Reality Stone, in much the same way that Scarlet Witch's powers seem to have been effected by exposure to the Mind Stone; perhaps wishing that she had the might of an Asgardian during her time in Asgard and unknowingly altering herself (and acquiring a copy of Mjolnir) with a single wish.

While all of these ideas seem reasonable, the simplest way for Mjolnir to return in Thor: Love and Thunder is for it to be repaired. This seems to be what might happen, based on reports of one scene in which Jane had a reaction upon encountering a memorial to Odin, which also holds the pieces of Mjolnir. Whether it is by some final spell Odin cast before his passing or the result of some power within Jane Foster herself, it seems clear that this incident is what will lead to Jane wielding a reformed Mjolnir and the power of Thor himself.

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