Thor’s hammer Mjolnir is one of the most powerful weapons in the universe, which is why only those who are "worthy" can lift it. In the MCU we’ve only seen three individuals brandish the mighty weapon: the God of Thunder himself, his father Odin, and The Vision. Soon a fourth name might be added to the list, as a new rumor suggests that Captain America: Civil War’s titular star will get to wield Mjolnir during the superhero conflict.
Over on the SuperheroHype message boards, a user named Charleswelsh claims to have snuck onto the set in Atlanta, Georgia last Wednesday during his lunch break. While looking around, he saw a stunt being prepared that involved Captain America (he didn’t say whether it was Chris Evans or a stunt double) holding a "CGI stand-in prop that was shaped like a double sided hammer." This person also mentioned seeing a scene involving Captain America and Scarlet Witch fighting soldiers at the Atlantic Civic Center, which has been made to look like the Institute for Infectious Diseases. Even so, it’s hard to know whether this story is legitimate or not not, so take it with a grain of salt.
What’s questionable about this report is that there’s been no indication that Thor appears in Captain America: Civil War. Although the film has a large cast of MCU heroes, both new and established, Thor isn’t expected to appear again until 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, which will follow up on his investigation into the Infinity Stones and his vision of Asgard. It’s hard to believe Thor would be separated from his hammer for so long given that he learned his lesson in his first solo movie. However, much like the recent rumblings of Bruce Banner/Hulk making an appearance, maybe Chris Hemsworth will stop by the production for a minor appearance and Steve will get ahold of the hammer.
The movie could also take a cue from the original Civil War story by featuring the Thor clone Ragnarok, which Tony Stark unleashed on the anti-registration heroes, and Cap has somehow taken this clone’s version of the hammer. While Tony is certainly smart enough (with a little help) to create a clone in the MCU, considering that his last science experiment resulted in a megalomaniacal robot attempting to wipe out all life on Earth, it’s hard to believe he would make such a stupid mistake twice. Oh, and of course, this may not be a hammer at all, but some other weapon that Cap is using against the bad guys.
Steve came close to lifting Mjolnir during Tony Stark’s party in Avengers: Age of Ultron. When it was his turn to play "Lift The Millenia-Old Weapon," it budged slightly with some exertion, which prompted a look of concern from Thor until he realized Steve wouldn’t be able to move it off the table. However, in the comics he has been worthy enough to wield Mjolnir on several occasions, so if those are any indication, Captain America may get to actually play with it in a future project. I for one would love to see Cap lift the hammer during one of the Avengers: Infinity War movies to lay the smackdown on Thanos.
Captain America: Civil War will be released in theaters on May 6, 2016.
Watch the Avengers try to lift Thor's hammer in one of the more amusing moments of Avengers: Age of Ultron on the next page...
