Captain America & Mjolnir - always worthy or became worthy?
I see a lot of takes regarding Steve Rogers wielding Mjolnir in Endgame as if he gained worthiness that he didn't previously have. But I've always been of the mindset that when it budged in Age of Ultron, he was faking his inability to lift it so as to not make it an issue or distraction. That because of his good heart, he didn't want to create drama with Thor in that moment (further demonstrating his worthiness).
What do you think? Was AoU Steve worthy and faking, or could he not lift it until later in his hero journey?
What do you think? Was AoU Steve worthy and faking, or could he not lift it until later in his hero journey?
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When he was just a raw recruit in boot camp after volunteering to fight Nazis, he jumped on hand grenade to save his squad mates, knowing it would kill him.
Always worthy…
And Tony always had that selfish personality- he only changed when he was faced with the overwhelming pressure of what was happening and he couldn’t ignore it. War wasn’t real to him until he found himself in one- sacrifice meant nothing until Yinsen died to save him- and he was only willing to help the time heist if it meant his family wouldn’t be in danger, (yes he’s thinking of others but he is choosing to do so) and the same thing can be said for Nat and Hulk, and Clint, and even Bucky - the good they do now is a direct reflection of the choices they made, the guilt they carry, like they are CHOOSING to do good with their actions. It’s a calling sure, now- but it’s rooted in guilt.
Vision was ‘born’ a blank slate- but immediately had the moral instinct instilled in him. His empathy was off the charts- barely a few minutes old and he understood how terrible a thing it would be to kill Ultron but knew it had to be done to save the lives of everyone else- and he felt that. Both sides of the conflict and all the pain. For him doing the right thing wasn’t a choice. It simply is.
Steve he always had that deep down in his heart. It was never an arc or a tragedy- the tragic part for his life is everything he lost while being a good person- he could never betray his compass no matter what happened. He would never cheat on his taxes, and couldn’t probably even tell you why it’s wrong. And he understood the pain and fear of others and was willing to sacrifice himself to protect them.
And Thor finally reached that point where he understood that. He became close to those mortals he once looked down upon and could see that his actions and deeds were no longer about his glory or him being a rightful successor or even a god, but it was about protecting the people no matter who they are or how they feel about him. It’s the right thing to do and there was no longer any real choice to be made.
You know arguably, Tony may have been able to wield Mjolnir right there at the end, after his snap- but we’ll never know
In the end it sort of was a “king” level belief in himself. He had convictions and would not compromise them. Yet he still pursued new knowledge because he also believed he wasn’t infallible. Being worthy was so much more than just Boy Scout stuff. It was also being a leader, a provider everything Odin wanted in Thor, which was for Thor to lead the 9 realms without resorting to the bloody conquest he and hela did.
Idk I know I’ve rambled but it’s just such a cool way the mcu showed caps worthiness in the context of the spell Odin put on the hammer in comparison to Thor and his own path to being worthy and still being worthy in the end even when he was so mentally down on himself. Kings can fail, they can stumble, get laid out on the mat, but those worthy get back up anyway and keep fighting.
Edit: to add compare it to Tony. Clearly Tony was always willing to sacrifice himself to protect the world but why he wasn’t worthy is he always had an end goal, the suit of armor around the world. When he thought it was over he was content to be home with his family and that’s perfectly fine. Just like Spider-Man he’s ok doing what he can to protect his neighborhood no matter how big he views that neighborhood but for both of them they have sort of an end goal that they’d be ok with. Hawkeye is fine just protecting and raising his family strays and all. None of which is bad it’s just not king/or big time leader sort of thinking. It’s why I think black widow might’ve been worthy because she went about leading even in the worse case scenario. She stop black panther even though it would cost her. Speaking of him I think he grew into the worthy group during infinity war and the end of black panther being willing to open wakanda to the world where as before that he wouldn’t have been the sort of leader of all 9 realms Odin needed of Thor.
Damn I ranted more. Sorry
The quote "A wise king never seeks out war, but he must always be ready for it." Fits what Odin was trying to teach Thor. For the enchantment, one needs to be brave, selfless, courageous, but I also think they need to be prideful.
Pride is having confidence, self-respect, and knowing ones own dignity. They know their power and they know their limit. Arrogance on the other end is boasting too much of their power and not knowing their limit which Thor was in the beginning of the movie.
steve thought they were going to kick him out of the program and couldn't live with himself. So when he saw a live grenade on the ground he took his chance to end it all... And it just happened to work out in his favor(Okay okay, I stole that joke from Pitch "Meeting" I'm sorry)
Steve was just being polite in Age of Ultron. Plus, knowing Steve, he has no interest in being King of Asgard and is afraid he's gonna be shoved into some kind of bureaucratic nightmare if he picks it up.
But idk, I like the idea that he was only "kinda" worthy, since Joss Whedon at the time probably only intended it as a joke, and it also makes the endgame moment more badass.
Steve being born with the lesson it took Thor thousands of years to learn is a significant reason why Thor respects a mere mortal man so much.
It's been said that some aren't worthy (Spidey, for example) because there's a limit to the things he's willing to do. I like to believe that Cap was almost there in AoU, but Civil War and the blip pushed him to the point of being willing to do everything required to truly be worthy.
It's "worthy to be king".
There's a good argument that before Cap has his arc of rejecting the government and going rogue, he isn't a worthy king. I'd even argue that in Infinity War, when he wasn't willing to make the hard sacrifice of Vision to prevent that stone falling into Thanos, that he still wasn't worthy.
Vision had just been created and was just an AI at that point.
Spidey is more of a nerdy scientist inherently, which is fine, but i dont think he would've crossed the country visiting various recruitment centers desperately trying to be drafted like Rogers did. Which is why I believe Rogers has always been worthy.
In the marvel vs DC crossover Wonder Woman is revealed to be worthy too, she's also a full-blown warrior with a high moral compass.
Remember, the hammer uses **Odin's** definition of worthiness since he spoke the spell into it. Odin's not a fan of meritless boasting, or boasting in general so he wouldn't want the hammer being toyed with for such trivial matters.
By Endgame, he had made peace with Tony and Bucky, so was able to use Mjolnir.
As far as Cap goes, I think if Steve Rogers behind that theater with only a trash can lid for protection had been presented with Mjolnir as a weapon, he would have undoubtedly been able to use the hammer in combat. The Super Soldier Serum only solidified that ability and worthiness.
By the time of "Ultron," and up through "Civil War," Cap was doubting his place in the modern world. When Cap only budges Mjolnir in Avengers Tower, that is Mjolnir sensing that doubt, and reminding Cap that he is worthy even though Cap doubts himself in the moment.
Mjolnir ain't no pussy bitch, in the parlance of the streets, and won't simply let someone who can't rise to the necessary challenge be their weilder.
After "Civil War," when Cap does his Nomad thing and goes to ground in Wakanda with Bucky and Sam, Cap has come to terms with who he is and his place in the world. Just like Thor did when he faced down the Destroyer in New Mexico. It's the acceptance of their place in the world and standing up to adversity with humility and the courage of conviction that Mjolnir sees as the mark of Worthiness in these moments.
Cap was always worthy, just like Thor was always worthy, and by extension Jane Foster was always worthy. Each of them has a moment where they stand against overwhelming odds, one against adversity, humble in their acceptance of their Fate. I would go so far as to say that if he had known, the kid in the Iron Man mask at the Stark Expo could have called upon the hammer to fight the Vanko-corrupted Hammer-Drones in a bit of Hammer on Hammer violence, so to speak.
The acceptance of this challenge, and really nothing else, is what Mjolnir truly accepts as one who is worthy of the Power of Thor.
Thor stands against those forces that will destroy, whether it be the Destroyer of Asgard turned to malicious Purpose by Loki, or the whole of Thanos' armies ranked against one sole defender, or the cancer that was eating Jane alive, and Mjolnir senses that determination to fight against the odds in someone and deems them Worthy accordingly.
Steve Rogers was desperately trying to be drafted despite his limits which makes him a born soldier(warrior), his morals were always in the right place.
So I will argue Steve was always worthy, even when he still was that scrawny kid from Brooklyn.
He was almost worthy in ultron and he became fully worthy once he admitted everything he knew to Tony in Civil War and accepted that - in Tony's story - he was the bad guy. And yet still offered his olive branch to Tony (the apology letter and cell phone) at the end, just in case he ever needed help.
The “kinda” worthy thing doesn’t make any sense. Wouldn’t all the heroes at least be “kinda worthy” and be able to move it at least a little.
It makes for a much better character moment too. Cap could move it, but because he’s a good leader he chose not too. He would never do that to Thor in front of his peers while it clearly meant a lot to him and his confidence.
I’ve always thought Mjolnir is like the Sorting Hat in Harry Potter, capable of mulling things over, sometimes changing its mind mid decision, etc. Steve was almost worthy in AoU but not quite there.
Unless you want to say Chris Evans is a terrible actor, he was clearly portraying a genuine attempt at lifting the hammer
So yes, it's completely believable that Cap was just pantomiming effort while knowing he could lift it
The scene is very straightforward and is mostly a joke anyway, that for one second Thor got scared but then it was all fine.
Right ... so don't you think Cap could also act like he was trying his best to lift the hammer?
One question - what’s the comics history of this? Was this storyline something pulled from the comics?
We've never seen anything in all the movies that would point to him not being worthy. His entire character is based on being willing to sacrifice himself, the same choice Thor made that made him worthy again.
I want everyone to [watch the scene again](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3bhQwY0KCY), partly because it's just a good scene, but mainly to watch and listen for the details. You can hear the metal of the hammer creak as it *resists* being moved. You can see Steve's hands slip upwards along the handle as he's still gripping it tightly, and you can hear his grip squeeze. It's one thing to intentionally pretend you can't lift it, it's a whole other thing to make it look and sound *that* convincing.
There's also another fact that's never explained. If Thor sees the hammer move, if everyone watching the movie sees the hammer move, then why does no else at the party see the hammer move? They're all right there surrounding the table, surely at least 1 other person should have also seen the hammer move, right? Here's what I believe happened: The hammer doesn't *actually* move to the degree you see it, and it doesn't make the sound you hear. The movement and sound are just exaggerated for the audience, so that they can see what Thor notices. I believe the hammer *does* move but it's so microscopically subtle that no one other than Thor could actually notice it, due to him being a god who is worthy of Mjolnir and wielded it for who knows how long, and no matter how much Steve attempts to fake pull on the hammer, he simply could not move it that subtly even if he wasn't trying to move it at all. And Steve doesn't move it because he's "somewhat" worthy, he's not, at least not yet. But how could you foreshadow that maybe in the future he will be? By making Mjolnir move *just* slightly.
This explains why we see Mjolnir clearly move and hear the metal creak in resistance even if no else else in the scene does, it explains why we can see Steve's hands slide up the handle while clearly gripping it tightly, it makes the Vision scene later on better, it makes Steve lifting Mjolnir in Endgame better, it's just such a better interpretation in every way in my opinion.
The second Cap touches Mjolnir in AoU, he knows. That’s why it moves slightly. Because Cap could lift it if he wanted.
The biggest giveaway that he was always worthy comes in Endgame. Remember, Cap doesn’t walk over and pick up Mjolnir off the ground. Cap **summons** Mjolnir to him. This implies that not only has Cap always been worthy. But that ever since he touched it in AoU, he’s had a connection to Mjolnir. Knowing Cap, he’s probably strategized how we would use it if he ever needed to. Which is why Cap shows immediate mastery when fighting Thanos: he’s trained his mind for the eventuality.
It's not explicitly shown how Steve first picked up Mjornir but the shot of the hammer rising shows it was shaking in a way that suggests physically picking it up, to me at least.
He did summon it back to him after throwing it at Thanos.
You're asking humans to interpret, fathom, and understand the judgment of an entity higher than actual gods, and pinning their judgment vs the bias of *It's Steve Rogers* (because remember, he never introduces himself as Captain America). Don't disrespect Steve (someone who values personal growth) as being comparable to Superman (even though I have no issues with SM), a character many fans of the superhero genre don't like because he's too perfect. To be flawed is not a flaw, to ignore/avoid growth is to be unworthy.
😮💨That felt good to say.😁
Being “worthy of Thor” is a binary state - either one is worthy or not. There is no “moving it a little cuz one is a little worthy”. When Cap moves it a little in AoU, he proves that he is worthy.
He's always been worthy, maybe even more so than Thor.
Thor doesn't say "I knew it" because he always knew Cap could one day become worthy. He says it because he always knew Cap WAS worthy.
It's very straightforward
In Age of Ultron, Cap's worthiness is winked at by Mjolnir budging at his attempt to lift it. His potential is there, though perhaps not fully actualized. In the same film, the titular villain accuses Cap of "pretending that he could live without a war." This criticism is valid. Until this point, Cap's valor and righteousness had been proven only in conflict. Only in the context of an enemy on which to impose his morally upstanding will with violence, justified as it was. Could this Brooklyn born heart of gold shine bright even without a global threat that needed a punch in the mouth? We didn't know, because he didn't have the chance to prove it yet.
Fast forward a few years. Thanos snaps. Cap was right there. The last stand between the Mad Titan and a complete infinity gauntlet failed, the enemy won, and the allies suffered devastating loss. But the war was over. There was no fighting left, all that was left was to go home and rebuild.
Five years later, we see Cap has spent his time doing exactly that. Left with a broken world full people in need of purpose and hope, Cap stepped up as always. This time with no one to defeat. He was no longer leading people into battle, he was leading communities in healing. He showed that he could thrive not only with an enemy to fight against, but with a world that needed to be brought together. That's why the next time he reencountered Mjolnir, when he needed it most, he was ready to wield it.
The shit he goes through from then to Endgame developed the character into worthiness.
Source: just how it seems to me, dawg.
The thing is there are not varying degrees of worthiness. You can't be "slightly worthy" or "mostly worthy" or anything like that. You either are worthy or you are not. It's yes or no. There is no maybe or partially. So the fact that Cap did manage to move Mjolnir means he was worthy.