The MCU completely changed Mjolnir's powers and it's a revolutionary retcon for Thor

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for What If...? season 3

Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, has been a key part of some of the MCU's coolest moments, driving the narrative of the first three entries in Chris Hemsworth's Thor franchise (thanks to his crisis of existential value), as well as giving Captain America your show. -stopping Avengers: Endgame moment. It was also destroyed by Hela, replaced by Stormbreaker, inherited by Jane Foster, and finally returned to Thor himself in Thor: Love and Thunderis ending.

At no point during the entire arc were the hammer's true powers revealed, according to a new MCU twist. This comes courtesy of the MCU's newest release – season three of And if...?, which partially adapts Marvel's What If #12 (1987), in which Storm was given the use of Stormcaster (for the second time). In contrast, And if...? sees Storm using Mjolnir, becoming the latest MCU character to wield Thor's hammer. In the multiversal animation, Storm is one of the new recruits of Captain Carter's Guardians of the Multiverse.

And if…?the entire premise is obviously the opportunity to do things that no other MCU release would or could: but, crucially, certain rules must remain constant. If characters switch identities - like T'Challa becoming Star-Lord or Ironheart donning White Vision's flayed corpse and gaining his powers - their superpowers will remain the same. The Ten Rings are still the Ten Rings, the Infinity Stones are still the Infinity Stones, the TVA timeline bombs are the same. Then It's a real surprise that And if…? season three completely changes the lore of Mjolnir's power.

Mjolnir's powers explained in Marvel Comics and the MCU

Thor's hammer is more than just a heavy-hitting weapon

In the MCU, Mjolnir's powers are quite simple. Enchanted by Odin to be wielded only by those deemed "worthy", the hammer grants anyone who possesses it the "powers of Thor": up to and including storm manipulation, flight, strength enhancement, energy projection, armor generation and physical healing. It is also, obviously, a blunt force weapon of some magnitude, which is effectively weightless to those who are capable of using it.

On the screen, There are some differences from the original comic book version, but the broad strokes are basically the same.. Here's how Marvel officially classifies Mjolnir's powers:

The hammer can summon the elements of wind, rain, thunder, and lightning for the user to use at their discretion. It is capable of opening interdimensional portals, such as that of Asgard. Mjolnir possessed the power to grant the ability to travel through time to its wielder until Immortus removed it.

This time travel power would have been extremely useful during the Time Heist in End of the game. Dig a little deeper and Mjolnir has also shown rarer powers, including tracking, casting illusions, and draining specific powers from targets. While it is a magical artifact, its relationship to magic is not as direct as being a conduit like a wand or any of Doctor Strange's artifacts, and it has certainly never been used as such in the MCU. After all, the difference between Thor and Loki depended heavily on the contrast of Loki's magic. But And if...? season three changes that.

Apparently Mjolnir can communicate across the multiverse and channel every Odin

Thor's hammer just got a major power upgrade

When Storm attempts to enter the Fifth Dimension to free Uatu the Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) from the other Watchers - Eminence, Executioner and Incarnate - she reveals that Mjolnir can be used as a conduit for light and dark magic to effectively cast spells. incredibly powerful. powerful spells. She appeals to all variants of Odin in the Multiverse (male and female) to grant her enough power to cast a spell strong enough to enter the Fifth Dimension (a nearly impossible feat):

All-Father, All-Mothers. Gods of Asgard throughout the Multiverse. Give me the strength of dark and light magics, to travel beyond your many realms, to the gates of the Fifth Dimension and open them!

We know Mjolnir can open portals to allow Thor to travel the universe in the comics, but that's a power noticeably left out of the MCU. Thor's second weapon, Stormbreaker, is capable of summoning the Bifrost, but Mjolnir never had that power. Then And if...? it clearly changes this, suggesting that multiversal travel is power, given the right energy upgrade. And meWhat's most interesting here is the invocation of the collective power of the All-Fathers and All-Mothers to amplify Storm's powers and create a spell to invade the Fifth Dimension.

As Storm herself says, the incantation is a spell (she says it wasn't strong enough to allow her to cross the threshold of light she saw), suggesting that Mjolnir actually has greater powers than the hammer's MCU appearances. . already shown. The difference, perhaps, is due to Storm's magical heritage, which in some ways differentiates her from Thor in a very specific way (although this potential has rarely been explored, in favor of focusing on her mutation). But that's not expressly said here: she announces herself as the Goddess of Thunder, a mash-up variant of Thor (and is actually mistaken for a Thor when she first appears).

While Odin is a prodigiously talented magic user – and so is Loki – the MCU's Thor is not: he is a warrior king, incapable of spells and incantations. It's best to consider him a user of magical artifacts rather than a sorcerer, and comparing him to Doctor Strange or Scarlet Witch proves the distinction very clearly. But And if...? introduces the idea that Thor could theoretically unlock a new level of powers using magic (even someone else's magic), if only he were aware of the ability. With the MCU heading towards a two-headed multiversal showdown in Avengers: Judgment Day and Secret WarsThere may never be a better opportunity for him to unlock these powers.