Despite the Mjölnir being extremely picky as to who should wield it, the hammer is still made of metal and is still affected by magnetic fields, like all other metals on Earth. With that said, if a particular someone had the ability to control metals through the manipulation of magnetic fields, would that someone be technically ”worthy“ of lifting the mystical hammer?
The particular someone in question is none other than Magneto, who is one of the most powerful mutants in the Marvel universe. Given his abilities, can Magneto actually be able to circumvent the “worthiness rule“ of the Mjölnir?
Magneto can manipulate the hammer’s magnetic field which means that he can move it around and even deflect its attacks but he can never truly “wield“ it in the same way that Thor does.While it is true that the Mjölnir is metallic, Magneto will still never be able to lift it simply because he’s too villainous to be worthy.
There is more to the Mjölnir than its being just an ordinary and thick hammer. Similarly, Magneto is not just an everyday villain since his powers are actually more powerful than you think. In this article, we will be looking more into Magneto’s unique magnetokinesis ability and how he can use it to technically wield Thor’s magical hammer.
Additionally, we will also take a look at the Mjölnir’s forging and see how these made it vulnerable to Magneto’s abilities. Lastly, we will determine whether or not Magneto will even be able to defeat Thor or if his powers simply would not be enough to defeat the Asgardian. Let’s start by learning about the so-called “Master of Magnetism“, Max “Magneto“ Eisenhardt.
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Here is how exactly can Magneto lift Thor’s hammer
Here is how exactly can Magneto lift Thor’s hammer
Max “Magneto“ Eisenhardt is categorized in the Marvel universe as a mutant – more specifically, he is an Omega Level Mutant – and he is considered to be the strongest one. Mutants, otherwise known as hom*o Superior, are essentially human in nature but what makes them different is the presence of the X-Gene in their DNA.
This particular gene is responsible for giving the mutants their respective powers and it just so happened that Magneto was gifted with the ability to control magnetic fields, also known as Magnetokinesis.
It may be easy to jump to the conclusion that Magneto can just nonchalantly lift the Mjölnir since it’s metallic anyway; however, the hammer is not that simple. What’s interesting is that the Mjölnir actually contains the power of a cosmic storm called God Tempest.
One day, the storm-ravaged Asgard and this prompted Odin to use a chunk of Uru metal – which was gifted to him by the Dwarves of Nidavellir after he saved them from a troll invasion – to entrap God Tempest. Afterward, Odin commanded the dwarves to forge Mjölnir.
When the hammer was forged and Odin tried to wield it, things immediately went out of hand as God Tempest still manifested within Mjölnir and managed to cause mass destruction in Asgard. Because of this, Odin had to enchant the Mjölnir in such a way that it will never move unless someone is worthy of doing so.
Odin is capable of giving anyone permission to wield the Mjölnir as long as he sees them as worthy. But most of the time, it’s the Mjölnir itself that gives permission by detecting whether or not the one wielding it is in fact worthy. It is safe to assume that in order to be worthy, one must have good intentions.
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However, that is exactly what Magneto does not have. His primary objective is to cause destruction and suffering in order to replace humans with mutants as the dominant species. Magneto’s disdain for humans originates from his traumatic experience as a Holocaust survivor – wherein he witnessed first-hand the brutality of human beings – as well as the death of his daughter, who died from the hands of humans.
Albeit there were times in which Magneto somewhat had a change of heart (as seen in God Loves, Man Kills, and Uncanny X-Men #200), he is still malevolent for the most part.
On the basis of being worthy of wielding the Mjölnir, Magneto will never be able to do so. This is simply because he is too villainous for the hammer to even consider him worthy in the first place. Perhaps the only way that he can lift it is if he either completely has a change of heart or finds a way to break the Mjölnir’s enchantment.
These are only true within the bounds of Earth 616 (which is the canon universe that Marvel is set in). In Marvel comic spin-offs which take place in alternate universes, Magneto was actually able to lift the Mjölnir. A notable example is the Ultimate Marvel universe; specifically, Ultimatum #5 and Ultimates 3 #5.
In these issues, Magneto was able to “lift“ the Mjölnir but was not able to use the powers associated with it; thus, it was restricted to being a blunt weapon and also a symbol of power.
So technically, Magneto can lift the Mjölnir but only in non-canon spin-offs that were written by different writers. In the canon Marvel universe, Magneto will never be worthy of lifting it.
But he can control it.
But, can Magneto control Thor’s hammer?
We should all know by now that Magneto can control magnets. But what is important to take note of is that – at least in the real world – there are six types of magnets but we will only discuss the three main types: Diamagnetism, Paramagnetism, and Ferromagnetism.
Ferromagnetism is a very strong type of magnetism that must involve one of or all of these elements: Iron, Cobalt, and Nickel. This is what Magneto commonly exhibits with his powers. It could be possible that the dwarves who forged the Mjölnir added either of the three ferrous elements in the mallet.
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Consequently, this was what gave Magneto the ability to deflect its attacks in Journey Into Mystery #109, where he fought Thor for the first time. Similarly, he was also able to deflect both Captain America’s shield (which is non-ferrous) and Iron Man’s suit in Super-Villain Team-Up #14; although, it is important to note that this was made by a different writer. We now know that Magneto can repel the Mjölnir (or pretty much anything), but can he attract it?
So far Magneto has not attracted the Mjölnir in the same way Thor does. However, this is where Diamagnetism and Paramagnetism come into play. Every object in the universe has its own magnetic field and these can be attracted with Paramagnetism or repelled with Diamagnetism.
This was what allowed Magneto to be able to lift an entire mountain just by generating an extremely strong magnetic field. Theoretically, Magneto may be able to attract the Mjölnir just by generating a powerful-enough magnetic field to do so. The only downside to this is that it will be very exhausting for Magneto and exhaustion can actually temporarily degrade his powers.
Another ability that Magneto can use against the Mjölnir is his ability to reverse gravity – like what was shown in New Mutants #35. If the Mjölnir were to fall on top Magneto, he can invert gravity’s downward direction to instead turn upward and combat the Mjölnir force.
While the comics are yet to show more instances of Magneto being able to somewhat control the hammer, he can theoretically attract or repel the hammer – or anything, really – with his ability to control the entire magnetic spectrum. But this still does not ignore the fact that Magneto will never be worthy to lift the Mjölnir. He may not be able to wield the hammer but is that really necessary for him to defeat Thor?
Is Magneto even capable of defeating Thor?
Given the magnitude of his powers, Magneto is without a doubt a fair match against Thor. Magneto essentially has not only every metal in the universe in his arsenal but also everything that has a magnetic field around it. With this, he can throw as many things as possible toward Thor until he eventually gets overwhelmed and vulnerable.
Magneto is also capable of countering Thor’s primary weapon – the Mjölnir – by generating a defensive magnetic field around him and he can also reinforce himself with magnetic armor with a durability comparable to Captain America’s shield.
Even without the help of Asgardian energies, Thor is already superhuman in nature. He has superhuman strength which he can use to counter Magneto’s projectiles and his body is also extremely durable. Additionally, he can also rapidly heal himself if ever he gets damaged.
While Magneto’s powers are strong and intimidating, the one thing he lacks that Thor has is the connection to the powerful cosmic energies of Asgard. When Thor combines his powers with those of Asgard, he can become absurdly powerful enough to counter anything that Magneto can throw at him.
The takeaway here is that Thor is essentially a god while Magneto is a demigod. While Magneto is indeed very powerful, he will not be able to defeat Thor simply because Thor has access to abilities and forces that are beyond Magneto’s control. And even without the help of cosmic forces, Thor’s natural strength will be more than enough to defeat Magneto. If ever Magneto becomes able to control cosmic energies, then and only then can he defeat Thor.
Hrvoje Milakovic
Hrvoje Milakovic
Hrvoje Milakovic is co-owner of Fiction Horizon and a big cinephile. Apart from that, he likes to read comics, play games and collect action figures. He has been featured on LifeWire, Yahoo and IMDb, to name a few.
No, Magneto cannot lift Mjolnir due to the enchantment. But there is another reason for it too. Mjolnir is made up of a metal named Uru, which is exclusive to Nidavellir. Not by his hand, but since the magic of Thor's hammer is just behind science.
With Thor: Love and Thunder having come out, Jane Foster (played in the movie by Natalie Portman) has taken her rightful place as one of the most famous Mjolnir-wielders. When Thor suddenly lost the ability to lift his weapon, it granted his ex, Jane Foster, the power to lift it and obtain its powers.
In the Ultimate universe, Magneto gets a hold of the hammer by manipulating the electromagnetic field around the hammer, thus using it but not technically wielding/holding it, circumventing any need to be worthy.
Other Marvel characters have lifted Mjolnir not through worthiness but through technicalities such as absorbing Thor's powers, including the Air-Walker, Awesome Android, Magneto, Rogue, Wonder Man, and Doctor Doom.
Unlike adamantum, Magneto cannot manipulate vibranium – not if it's pure. Vibranium is a rare, extraterrestrial metallic ore. It has near-mystical properties that allow for energy manipulation and more. There is a Wakandan isotope and an Antarctic isotope, and both of them are completely unaffected by Magneto's powers.
Thanks to Magneto's X gene and his particular mutation, he has a constant tactile awareness of the Earth's magnetic field. This means he's always aware of the magnetic forces around him and can detect even very subtle changes in it. On a certain level, this trait is the root of all his powers.
During this battle, Venom (Eddie Brock) was given the powers of Captain Universe, and was able to wield the hammer. However, Venom took this advantage a step further by merging Mjolnir with the Silver Surfer's surfboard to create an even greater weapon.
Among Earth's most powerful mutants, Magneto's abilities are essentially limitless. He can manipulate all forms of magnetism, summon force fields and shoot electromagnetic pulses that can disable electronic devices.
And Mathaudhu can cite documentary sources to back him up. For example, Marvel – which publishes the Thor comics – issued a “Thor's Hammer” trading card in 1991 that states Mjolnir is made of Uru and weighs precisely 42.3 pounds. That's lighter than a herd of 300 billion mice, much less a herd of 300 billion elephants.
But the impactful scene in Thor: Ragnarok depicts Hela catching Mjolnir in mid-air before then crushing it to pieces. Odin previously told Thor the power of the Uru metal had no equal. Clearly, however, that was an overstatement, considering Hela destroys the hammer with ease.
Despite his strong moral sensibility and strength of character, Peter lacks the ruthlessness that destroys all evil. For this slight defect in character, Mjolnir will never find this Spider-Man worthy of it.
How Marvel's Deadpool Lifted Thor's Hammer Even Though He Wasn't Worthy. In their spotlight on bizarrely awesome comics, CSBG shows the time that Deadpool appeared to be able to wield Thor's hammer!
However, Magneto's powers have come up against Captain America's shield in the past, and he has been able to affect the shield via his magnetic powers. He can push or pull the shield magnetically but has never successfully damaged the shield in any way.
We know that Magneto can manipulate adamantium at will: not only can he freeze Wolverine in his tracks with a thought, the comics also saw him rip the metal off Logan's skeleton molecule by molecule.
Only an Uru blade would be capable of out powering Cap's shield in the Marvel Comic Universe. Vibranium is the strongest metle on earth. Adamantium is strong but not as vibranium so caps shield cannot be tear apart by logans claws.
These metals are called non-ferrous metals. Essentially, they don't have iron in them. While Magneto could push the suit away with magnetism, he can't really control it.
Thor's hammer Mjolnir was defined by the fact that only the 'worthy' could lift it – so basically no-one except the god of thunder (and Vision, for some reason). But when it comes to the weapon's replacement, Stormbreaker – which Thor forges in Avengers: Infinity War – Groot is able to lift it too.
Magneto rips the Adamantium from Wolverine's bones, killing Wolverine, leaving just a severely charred skeleton and an arm of flesh due to his healing factor not working.
As one of the most iconic mutants, and a major part of the X-Men's metaphorical message, Magneto is almost typically immune from permanent death. But he's gone to lengths recently to allow himself the chance to finally pass away and the events of Judgment Day gave him the perfect opportunity.
While both are said to be the most powerful mutants of their type, Magneto is Omega-level and Forge is not. This is because it is hypothetically possible to exceed the upper limits of Forge's power level—his upper limits have been surpassed by multiple humans.
In the games "X-Men: Children of the Atom", "Marvel Super Heroes", and "Marvel vs Capcom", Magneto is capable of firing a screen-wide projectile known as the "EM Disruptor".
Thor can lift well over 100 tons with no difficulty, he is in the so-called Class-100 strength category. This means he is in the same strength category as the Hulk, but we have seen in Thor: Ragnarok that Thor can catapult the Hulk to the other side of the room with ease.
Mjolnir was forged by a dwarf named Sindri. While he was creating it, Loki, the trickster fire god, disguised himself as a fly and attempted to interfere with Sindri's work by buzzing around him. As a result, Mjolnir's handle was unusually short.
As the Allfather and ruler of Asgard, Odin Borson is naturally worthy to wield Mjolnir. It was Odin who commissioned the Dwarves of Nidavellir to forge the hammer in the first place.
Rather than being about honor, purity, or nobility, Thor's former (now homicidal) hammer reveals that being worthy is all about the wielder's willingness to break and destroy.
The main argument against Tony's worthiness of Mjolnir post-Endgame is all about how self-sacrifice doesn't mean being worthy of the hammer – Tony had already been close to death in order to save the world before he tried to lift the hammer in Age of Ultron, so self-sacrifice wasn't an immediate pass to being worthy of ...
Why was Groot able to lift the new Mjolnir in Avengers: Infinity War? The “new Mjolnir” is an entirely different weapon called Stormbreaker. It has no such enchantment attached to it that states only the worthy can wield it, therefore Groot can pick it up.
No, Captain Marvel cannot lift Thor's hammer. However, during one instance in the Marvel comics (Captain Marvel # 16), after she was infused with Thor's DNA in a fight, she was able to pick up his hammer for a few minutes.
Magneto is able to counter Thor's more basic abilities of physical and lightning attacks with his force fields, and can even screw with Mjolnir. Magneto is pretty much a perfect counter to Thor's preferred beatstick fighting style.
Superman could wield Mjolnir because he is, at his core, one of the purest heroes in the DC universe. In fact, Superman has wielded Thor's hammer before. In Avengers/JLA #4, a crossover limited series from 2004, Superman was able to lift Mjolnir in a battle with Kronos.
Thanos would win in a battle against Magneto. He is not the more powerful of the two; however, he is the stronger one. Due to his physiology Thanos can tank incredible amounts of damage and has mostly walked away unharmed from being damaged by the mightiest cosmic beings n the Marvel Universe.
Archangel, who relied on his ability to fly, was a factor in beating Magneto. One would think that when he became Archangel, it would be easier for Magneto to beat him. However, even with the metal wings, Archangel was never defeated by Magneto.
Aside from making himself able to effectively fly, Magneto can manipulate the forces of gravity and magnetism for other objects and people. By creating a localized electromagnetic field with reversed polarity from the Earth's he can levitate massive objects and even other powerful mutants.
Supergirl. She already has the Mjolnir pose. For all the reasons why Superman can – and has – held Mjolnir, these also apply to his cousin, Kara. Kara Danvers from The CW's Supergirl, has proven herself to have the strength, determination, and purity of heart to wield the Hammer of Thor.
Spider-Man may be fast and quick on his feet, but Magneto can cage him in a cage of metal, hit him with shards of sharp debris, or even tie him up in a metallic rope-like grip. Spider-Man doesn't possess the strength of someone like Superman, who'd be better placed at freeing himself from such a situation.
If Vibranium is a magnetic metal, then Magneto can crush Black Panther in a fair fight (something T'Challa is unlikely to give him). If it isn't, the fight swings the other way (but Magneto is bound to have more tricks up his sleeves).
His body and powers are magical in origin, meaning that Magneto's best weapon (his ability to control the iron in a person's blood) probably wouldn't work on him and even if it did, Shazam could call down the kind of lightning bolts on Magneto that could shatter his forcefields eventually.
Introduction: My name is Horacio Brakus JD, I am a lively, splendid, jolly, vivacious, vast, cheerful, agreeable person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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