Why Captain Marvel Is Stronger Than Mjolnir

Warning: This article contains spoilers for What If...? episode 7.

Marvel's What If...? episode 7 revealed Captain Marvel is more powerful than Thor's enchanted hammer, Mjolnir. Superhero versus matches are something of a tradition in comics. In the typical plot, when two heroes cross paths they initially go head-to-head before realizing it's all a misunderstanding and teaming up. It's all really a way to cater to the fanbase, who love little more than speculating about whether Thor is more powerful than Captain Marvel, whether Hulk can beat Superman, whether Batman can really out-think the entire Justice League. Of course, as even Stan Lee himself admitted, the winner in these superhero brawls is really just whoever the writer wants to win for the benefit of the plot, and frankly it's more common for the outcome to be a draw - simply to avoid upsetting vocal fanbases.

Take the example of Marvel's What If...? episode 7. There was a time when Marvel claimed Captain Marvel was their most powerful hero, although that title has now been passed on to the Scarlet Witch; it was really a matter of marketing as much as anything else, but it naturally inspired heated debate about whether Carol Danvers could actually beat Thor Odinson in battle. What If...? episode 7 decided to test that question by unveiling a version of Thor who arrived on Earth and caused chaos - Party Thor, whose celebrations had doomed entire worlds in the past - and having SHIELD call on Captain Marvel for help. The two duked it out, their blows literally sending one another rocketing across continents, but - in the time-honored fashion - it was really a draw, and they even teamed up against a greater threat in the end (in a manner of speaking).

The most interesting aspect of the battle between Captain Marvel and Thor, though, was the fact Carol Danvers was clearly more powerful than Mjolnir. This was demonstrated when Thor unleashed all his power against Captain Marvel, giving her a lightning blast that even Hela would have been impressed with, and she absorbed it with absolute ease. The scene was a riff on one from The Avengers, where Thor blasted Iron Man with lightning only for Tony Stark to return the favor because the God of Thunder had supercharged his batteries, but it was even more impressive; where Stark risked burning out because of the overcharge, Carol Danvers appeared refreshed. It seems there is no limit to her energy-absorption powers.

In truth, this is the real fun of any versus match: seeing how differing powersets fare against one another. The MCU's Captain Marvel is essentially a superhuman "sponge" who absorbs energy into herself; Captain Marvel gained her powers when she was exposed to a flare of Tesseract energy, and this episode of What If...? hinted she's continually absorbing power from all around her. When Thor blasts her with lightning, she actually seems refreshed, and she's subsequently hitting harder than ever before. It's not necessarily that Carol Danvers is more powerful than Thor, but rather that her abilities neutralize many of his - in a rather effective way.

Curiously, Captain Marvel does seem to be weaker than one aspect of Mjolnir's powers; the worthiness enchantment placed upon it by Odin, which meant Thor could place his hammer on her chest to pin her in place. It's unclear why Odin cast the worthiness enchantment on Mjolnir in this timeline, but his doing so helps make the versus match a fair one. Still, it is rather odd for What If...? to take this route and indulge in an extended bout of superhero fisticuffs, indulging the fans' desire to see who's stronger, rather than focus on exploring the timelines.

More: Why Ultron Has The Infinity Stones In What If Episode 7’s Ending

Marvel's What If...? releases new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.