Thor has been unworthy of Mjolnir for quite some time in the comic books. While he retains most of his abilities, he just cannot lift Mjolnir anymore.
Although it is claimed that the hammer is the source of Thor’s powers, the Marvel comic verse has its own prevailing theory of the Norse mythology. As seen in Thor: Ragnarök even the Marvel Cinematic universe has commented on how the hammer is only there to help Thor focus his powers and he is the god of Thunder regardless of if he wields the hammer or not. However, the power of the all-father has blessed The hammer with the enchantment and the innate potential to bless anyone “worthy” who wields it to manifest the power of the Norse God of Thunder, Thor.
The Mythical Hammer that always allows itself to be wielded only by the God of Thunder of Norse Mythology is no more the property or weapon of choice of Thor. After Thor Odinson left that mantle, Jane Foster, Thor’s longtime love interest became the new God of Thunder until she sacrificed herself to save Asgard from almost certain doom. And now, after Foster’s spirit passed on to Valhalla, a new player has surfaced that has been deemed worthy of the power of Thor. Forget Thor. X-Men’s [SPOILER] is now the New God (dess) of Thunder!!!
Spoiler Alert: The Following paragraphs contain MAJOR spoilers for Marvel’s Thor issues. Enter at your own risk…..
If you have had any guesses as to which character might be becoming the new master of lightning, we shall put all your doubts to rest. It’s X-Men’s Storm!! The Omega-level mutant with the uncanny ability to control the weather around her was already worshipped as a Weather Goddess in her homeland,. She is now truly going to become a God when she wields one of Thor’s enchanted hammers and takes to the skies as the Asgardian Weather Mistress.
Storm had already possessed the power of Thor in an earlier comic book story arc and she isn’t the only one to do so. As it turns out, she is about to become the goddess of Thunder once more as shown by Black Panther #172 when she accepts her role as a weather Goddess and wields one of Thor’s mystical lightning controlling hammers.
Diehard X-men fans will know that Storm aka Ororo Munroe isn’t just a mutant. She hails from a long line of Weather controlling sorceresses that have been protecting their tribes in their African homeland one after the other. Storm happens to be the latest incarnation of their Guardian Spirit. The X-Men were always a bit skeptical about the true nature of Storm’s abilities, labeling them somewhat mystical of sorts.
In the 1985 ‘Asgardian Wars’ issues, Storm finally accepted her supernatural destiny when she wielded an Uru Hammer with the same powers as granted by Mjolnir. Storm has already been the Goddess of Thunder in Asgard before. Right now, she isn’t claiming but reclaiming the title for herself.
Marvel Comics is paying homage to the critically acclaimed storyline and introducing the hammer-wielding Storm again in the current Thor issues. After Thor’s own hammer is destroyed and broken into a million pieces, Marvel’s “Fresh Start” initiative has introduced not just one but several such enchanted hammers to the Marvel Universe. In X-Men: Gold #26, it is revealed that one such hammer has found its way to Storm, who wields the hammer as the New Goddess of Thunder in the future timeline.
The Plot twist is revealed to be a major spoiler for the upcoming Thor issues. The Multiple Hammers plotline will be a pivotal plot element for the Thor Relaunch about to happen soon. The twist is akin to the Secret Wars’ Thor Corps where Multiple Thors from different alternate realities came together to protect God Emperor Doom. With the Battle of Realms arc soon to be a reality, the surviving residents of Asgard may very well need the power of a hundred hammers of lightning to protect them from the coming storm.
The X-Men issue isn’t the sole one that highlights Storm’s supernatural affinity. Black Panther #172 has already made the fans realize Storm’s position as an African Deity and Godhead. Black Panther even made a moving Speech, urging Storm to accept her destiny as a protector of her people:
“I am the King of Wakanda. I am the nation incarnate. And on behalf of that nation, I say: let the faith of all of Wakanda power you. That faith is more than any mutation. It is a gift of godhead, passed down from your ancestors. Claim the gift.”
Storm was already worshipped as a Weather Goddess. Now she wields the hammer of Thor and becomes an Actual Goddess of Thunder who can control the thunderstorms and more at her will. X-Men fans rejoice. The Supernatural facet of Storm, something that had always been a glaring question mark in all of the X-Men issues, has finally been answered. The storm is the new Goddess of Thunder!
However, this is not the first time that Storm will be wielding Mjolnir. Back in the day, Chris Claremont and Art Adams did a big two-parter that dealt with the X-Men and New Mutants being lured into Asgard by Loki. It was notable for Loki giving Storm a very Mjolnir-like enchanted hammer called Stormcaster. Upon realizing that she was being manipulated, she gave it up, as well as her status of Goddess of Thunder. It was just a ploy by Loki in the end, but if push came to shove, would Storm have been recognized as worthy to pick up the real deal Mjolnir?
Years later, after the Siege on Asgard, Thor visited Queen Storm in Wakanda. In the aftermath of Siege, he discovered a box with Storm’s name on it. Opening up, they found Stormcaster. Storm was drawn to it and upon picking it up, she regained her goddess form and returned to Loki’s sway. Thor tried to talk her down and had to get physical. Becoming lucid, Storm grabbed Mjolnir from Thor’s hand and used it to smash Stormcaster to bits. She returned to her normal self and the two pondered the meaning of Loki’s posthumous intentions.
So there is evidence that the weather goddess of Wakanda and the queen to King T’Challa has wielded the original Mjolnir before. It clearly means that she is worthy to wield the power of the Thunder God. The manifestation of lightning combined with the powers of a Thunder God makes it seem like Storm would be unstoppable.
Contrary to popular belief, the power of Thunder manipulation is not the only one granted by the hammer forged in the heart of the dying star. The weapon also grants you immeasurable strength and nigh unlimited power to take down any opponent no matter how physically superior they might be. And since the hammer can only be wielded or lifted by someone “worthy” thanks to the all father’s enchantment. This makes Mjolnir an unstoppable projectile and an absolute shackle. More than just a weapon, you see.
What we as fans must look for now is how and when the queen of Wakanda comes in possession of Odinson’s hammer. The Mjolnir currently resides in the sun after Jane Foster’s last battles Thor. The human and senator of worlds who sacrificed her life to save the God’s. Who used the power of her hammer to guide the destruction and banished Asgard’s doom to the sun much to Odin’s dismay.
Not because he wanted to destroy Asgard but because he’d much rather see it shatter than it being saved by a human. Jane foster humbled the Gods in the previous Thor issue and it seems that Storm will follow suit when she finally gets her hands on the Mjolnir. But the question is that the hammer we see her wield is it the Stormcaster or Mjolnir itself. The writers really would like to hold that as a suspense over our heads. But we shall figure it out soon enough.
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