All the evidence that Captain America/Steve Rogers was worthy of wielding Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, before the finale of Avengers: Endgame.
The final battle in Avengers: Endgame answered a question that many fans had been wondering ever since Avengers: Age of Ultron: was Steve Rogers/Captain America worthy enough to wield Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir? As Cap, Thor and Iron Man attack Thanos amidst the destroyed debris of their Avengers base, Rogers is suddenly able to summon and utilize Mjolnir, including the lightning power that it channels. It’s one of the most rousing moments in the entire MCU, but it was a moment that was carefully built throughout the films, particularly those with Captain America appearing.
Mjolnir is Thor’s weapon of choice, which was originally wielded by his father, Odin. The hammer was created by the dwarf Eitri, who lives on Svartalfheim, in a challenge by Loki to make a host of finely crafted treasures. Mjolnir was one of those results and it was given to Odin, who would later pass it on to Thor, although making him prove himself “worthy” first. An inscription on the hammer reads, “Whosoever holds this hammer, if they be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.” Mjolnir has a number of powers, including returning to the bearer’s hand each time it’s thrown, the control of lightning and storm elements, as well as opening portals for inter-dimensional travel. In Thor: Ragnarok, the hammer is destroyed by Hela, leaving Thor to have a new hammer, Stormbreaker, forged in Avengers: Infinity War, before securing an alternate version of Mjolnir in Avengers: Endgame, when he travels back in time to complete the “time heist” mission of the film.
Steve Rogers, a.k.a Captain America, was a man of character and principle from his inception. He is chosen to be given the Super Soldier Serum in Captain America: The First Avenger because he is a “good man” with a pure heart that makes him the most ideal candidate to wield that kind of power. This proves to be a correct assumption, as Rogers continually proves that what makes him special is his ideals, character, and leadership, which he shows in The Avengers. When the moment comes that he most needs the help, he wields the hammer as Captain America in Avengers: Endgame, helping to save Earth from Thanos and his army and carrying the hammer on in his journey through time afterward. However, while the Endgame moment is undeniably significant, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that Rogers was worth of the hammer long before his Thanos showdown. For instance, during a celebration in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor’s fellow Avengers attempt to pick up the hammer, with only Steve slightly budging it when he makes his attempt, much to Thor’s shock and dismay. Rogers continues to prove his worth in both Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War, which sees Rogers standing up for his belief in what is right, as well as for his friends, no matter the cost. After going into hiding when those ideals make him a criminal by the government, Rogers again proves his worth by showing up to help save the world in Avengers: Infinity War, no matter how much he has been betrayed by it. This makes it clear that there are many reasons why Rogers and Mjolnir are a natural fit.
Captain America: The First Avenger – Steve Rogers Is A “Good Man”
From the very start, Steve Rogers was a good man. Idealistic, strong-minded, and born of a passion to do the right thing and serve his country, Rogers unfortunately suffered from being sickly and weak. However, when given the opportunity to join the Super Soldier Program, he jumped at the chance, and constantly proved his selflessness and “worth” in being chosen to take the serum. The evening prior to the procedure, the inventor of the serum met with Steve, reassuring that he was chosen because of his physical weakness and purity of heart; he was chosen because he was a “good man” who would know the value of being enhanced into a superhero and was worthy of receiving it. Rogers would then become Captain America, serving alongside his fellow soldiers, helping to defeat the Nazis (and Hydra), and ultimately sacrificing himself to save the world in the end, plunging his bomb-laden aircraft into the arctic where he remained frozen for decades, saving the lives of potentially millions of people, a feat that would signify the kind of character to lift Thor’s hammer easily.
The Avengers – Steve Rogers Is A Born Leader
Rogers is unfrozen in modern times and outfitted with his Captain America costume yet again in The Avengers. Reluctant to take up the mantle and humbled by the call to serve, Rogers ultimately embraces the role of helping The Avengers defeat Loki and an invading force of alien Chitauri. With so many varied personalities on the quickly-assembled team, from Thor to Iron Man to Hawkeye to Hulk to Black Widow, Rogers shoulders the task of being worthy to lead the group, using his quick, decisive, and rallying leadership to bring them together and forge a team, rather than leaving a gaggle of individual superheroes to act on their own. During The Battle of New York, Rogers leads and inspires not only his teammates, but also police and citizens on the ground, leaving an impression that The Avengers are actually the good guys (a.k.a Earth’s Mightiest Heroes) in a scenario that would alter the MCU forever and continue Rogers journey of being as worthy as Thor to lift Mjolnir.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier – Steve Rogers Makes A Difficult (But Right) Choice
When Hydra is discovered to be pulling the strings behind SHIELD and his best friend is found alive and being used as an assassin for the evil organization, Captain America must take a stand in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Rebuking Nick Fury’s reasoning behind creating a group of helicarrier’s outfitting with technology that would “take out threats” before they developed, Rogers is faced with the decision of standing by his duty or standing by his morals. It’s an easy choice to make for Rogers, as he is unflinching in his dedication to doing what’s right, which means taking down SHIELD in order to destroy Hydra, and attempting to save his friend, Bucky Barnes a.k.a The Winter Soldier, who has been a secret brainwashed Russian assassin for decades, unbeknownst to Rogers. Barnes always stood by Rogers, as friends and comrades-in-arms during WWII, and Captain America puts it all on the line to prove his friend is worth saving, showing his unwavering support to doing the right thing over the easy thing every step of the way, no matter the toll, showing his worthy character in spades, sticking by his friend “to the end of the line.”
Avengers: Age of Ultron – Steve Rogers Moves Mjolnir To Thor’s Shock
Before the major Ultron conflict in Avengers: Age of Ultron, there’s a party in Avengers Tower, where everyone attempts to lift Mjolnir, much to the amusement of Thor, who has no fear that any of them would be worthy enough to lift it. Thor’s faith is challenged, however, when Rogers goes to lift it and it budges ever so slightly, leaving a wide-eyed Thor in shock. However, Captain America never lifts it completely, which means he A) was not yet fully worthy or B) felt that he could lift it, but refused to do so in order to save Thor’s pride. Later in the film, Vision is able to lift Mjolnir, just after he’s created. It’s a perplexing and highly-debated sequence, as the reason for his ability to lift it is never fully explained, but Rogers’ ability to even slightly move the hammer (or completely lift it, if option B is to be believed) reveals a lot about his worthiness at that point.
Captain America: Civil War – Steve Rogers Takes A Stand
In Captain America: Civil War, Scarlet Witch accidentally kills a number of civilians in Lagos, Captain America is forced to choose a side when The Avengers are faced with The Sokovia Accords, a legal document that gives military and law enforcement regulatory control over the superheroes. Rogers sees the accords as a form of control and a system that will be abused over time. Stark sees it as a necessary step, thus dividing the team between those for and against them. Rogers stands his ground, showing that his loyalty is to his friends and to his own ideals. In the midst of that is the framing of The Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes as the one who attacks a UN meeting that kills Black Panther’s father, sending Rogers and his band of Avengers to track down the real culprit, Baron Zemo. It’s there that Stark finds out that The Winter Soldier killed his parents, something that Rogers knew all along. Captain America chooses to stop Stark from killing Barnes, knowing that he was brainwashed at the time. It’s an unpopular choice and Rogers accepts that it will sever his relationship with Stark forever, but he makes it nonetheless, knowing that it’s the right thing to do. In the final moments, as he’s on the run from the government and seen rescuing his captured friends on The Raft, Captain America leaves Tony with a message, saying that his faith remains with people and that if Stark ever needs him, he’ll be there, once again showing he’s worthy through his unwavering commitment to do what’s right in his heart.
Avengers: Infinity War – Steve Rogers Unites The Superheroes Of Earth Against Thanos
On the run and without the support of Stark’s bankroll, Rogers continues to be a superhero (although seemingly without being called Captain America) in Avengers: Infinity War. Even as a wanted man, Rogers uses his abilities to do good, knowing that it’s his responsibility to do so, regardless of what the government or anyone else says. When Thanos threatens Earth as he acquires all of the Infinity Stones needed to create the Infinity Gauntlet, Rogers rallies as many heroes as he can to help muster a force that can stop Thanos and his invasion. Even against insurmountable odds, Rogers follows his gut, giving every effort to not only stop Thanos, but to protect Vision, who houses one of the stones in his head, working to buy time to have it removed safely in Wakanda. Rogers won’t sacrifice a single Avenger to stop the threat, showing that every life is worthy, no matter what. Ultimately, Rogers and his crew are defeated by Thanos, as he is able to snap, erasing half of all life in the galaxy, including Earth. It’s a tremendous failure for Captain America, but one that reveals the worth of his character even further, as he fought to the bitter end despite the odds.
Avengers: Endgame – Steve Rogers Possesses The Power Of Thor
Avengers: Endgame sees Captain America struggling to get by after The Snap, but making the best of it. He leads self-help groups and remains at Avengers HQ, awaiting any call to arms that is needed. Eventually, that call does come when Ant-Man reappears and suggests a way to reverse Thanos’ snap. Rogers believes that if there’s even a small chance that they could save those that have been erased, then it’s worth it. He persists on the idea until Stark agrees to help, eventually helping to lead a mission through time to reset the clock and reverse The Snap completely. By the time they’ve accomplished this goal, Thanos has arrived on Earth yet again and after brutal attack on Avengers HQ, leaves Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor the last men standing to face him. It’s at this moment, the 1 in 14,000,605 chance that they could beat Thanos, that a worthy Rogers is able to lift Mjolnir and use it to beat back Thanos. Thor, seeing this, laughs, saying, “I knew it!” which calls into question if he realized Rogers could wield the hammer ever since Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Back through time – Captain America continues to be worthy
Ultimately, Rogers is able to use Mjolnir throughout the final battle and even beyond it, as he carries both his shield and the hammer back with him through time when he goes to return each of the Infinity Stones to their rightful time and place. The very fact that Captain America keeps Mjolnir shows that it was never a temporary worthiness, but something he had earned outright, making him not only a super soldier, but a god. In the very end, Rogers hands over the shield to Sam Wilson, again showing his affinity for doing the right thing, although it’s never said what he did with Mjolnir. There’s an entire trove of potential adventures that Captain America likely had when he was sent back in time to put the stones in their proper place and Mjolnir was with him at least for some of that. From start to finish, however, from Captain America: The First Avenger to Avengers: Endgame, Rogers proved he was worthy with the strength of his ideals, the unflinching dedication to doing what was right, regardless of the consequences, and his steadfast dedication to the one thing he was dedicated to the most; people.
