Spider-Man is Worthy of Thor’s Hammer, With One Catch

Although he didn’t really meet Thor beyond a couple shared scenes in Avenger’s Endgame, Spider-Man has shown he’s actually a big fan of the Thunder God. Audiences who saw Spider-Man: Homecoming will remember a scene showing Peter Parker clowning in front of the mirror pretending to be the Son of Odin (complete with a wooden hammer). While the scene is meant as a joke – can Spidey lift Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir?

In the MCU, Spidey actually gets a chance to wield Mjolnir when Captain America throws him the hammer, allowing it to pull Peter out of harm’s way – and into the path of Valkyrie’s flying horse. In the comics, however, the answer is somewhat more complicated.  

Peter Parker did get a chance to briefly wield an Asgardian hammer that looked like Mjolnir in the out-of-continuity title Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man when Asgard’s Enchantress used Spider-Man as a pawn in her bid to take over Asgard. She outfitted Spidey in a faux Thor helmet and hammer and sent him against several Asgardian warriors. While Spider-Man did surprisingly well in this battle, when the real Thor showed up, he crushed Spidey’s fake Mjolnir with one hand like the hammer was made of cardboard.

While this seemed to settle the question of if Peter Parker was worthy of Mjolnir, an alternate Spider-Man had a very different relationship with the hammer. During the 1990s, Marvel released a “Marvel 2099” line of comics that featured new versions of favorite characters in the future world of 2099. The flagship character was Miguel O’Hara, a young scientist who fell victim to a genetic experiment and mutated into the Spider-Man of 2099. Although he eventually grew into the role of a hero, Miguel proved a very different character from Peter Parker.

For one thing, Miguel had a completely different power set. Instead of a spider-sense, he had accelerated vision that let him react to and even evade laser blasts. He also had organic webbing and retractable talons on his fingers and toes that let him scale walls and shred metal. These abilities made him a deadlier version of Spider-Man and he often killed people (albeit accidentally) in his early adventures as the new wall crawler.

Miguel’s morality was initially very different from Peter’s as well – not surprising since he was raised in a corrupt era that emphasized greed and self-interest over charity and decency. As his adventures put him in contact with the less fortunate, however, Miguel grew a conscience and began realizing what a powerful symbol Spider-Man could be for the less fortunate. Many people of this time considered Spider-Man “the harbinger of Thor” as they believed the Thunder God would also return as well. As it turned out, the real Thor never came to this era – but his hammer, Mjolnir, did.

Miguel fought bravely against corporate greed and other menaces as Spider-Man – but ultimately the 2099 world seemed to come to an end when rising sea levels and an invasion from the Phalanx technorganic alien race appeared to doom the world. Spidey survived along with a handful of other humans and superheroes, but the Marvel 2099 line seemed to come to a definitive end.

Only… it got an epilogue. In the one-shot comic book 2099: Manifest Destiny, many of the characters’ story arcs were allowed to conclude to appease their fans. In Miguel O’Hara’s case, however, his story took a decidedly unusual turn. Shortly after surviving the end of the world, Miguel – who had largely abandoned his Spider-Man identity – discovered the body of the original Captain America Steve Rogers with his wife Xina. Revived in the 22^nd century, Steve had to go through another major cultural shock before agreeing to lead this new era as one of its heroes.

Instead of just becoming Captain America again, however, Steve reacquired Thor’s hammer Mjolnir which he had long ago become worthy of in the comics. Imbued with the power of Thor, Steve Rogers becomes the world’s new champion – but later, when he gets jettisoned into space, he gives the hammer to Miguel. To Miguel’s surprise, he can lift the hammer – but doesn’t seem to gain any new special powers from it or have his appearance change in any way.

Deciding that he has been chosen to use the hammer as a tool to build and not destroy, Miguel goes on to lead humanity into a better age. Those who oppose his decisions are given the opportunity to try and lift Mjolnir – but when none of them can, Miguel goes on to make wise decisions that not only allow society to rebuild itself, but evolve into its best version – with peace, enlightenment, and morality being the guiding principles for this new wave of humanity. As the centuries pass, humanity grows from a greedy capitalistic society into an open-minded race that helps many other planets.

And while he does not become a Thunder God with Mjolnir, Miguel does gain a level of immortality, allowing him to see humanity progress over the next thousand years (although he does age). Eventually, Steve Rogers returns and Miguel happily gives him back the hammer – presumably relinquishing the power he received from it and becoming mortal once more. It’s a stunning ending that basically shows Miguel go from being a tool of the corporate world to an outlaw and finally a leader and messiah, revealing just how worthy he truly is of Mjolnir.

Of course, the Spider-Man 2099 story would be revisited and retconned multiple times after 2099: Manifest Destiny ended. Some stories had alternate versions of Miguel leave his timeline to join the dimension-hopping Exiles and eventually retire on a world with an alternate Mary Jane Watson. Other Miguel O’Haras ended up stranded in the present-day Marvel Universe and forged an alliance with Peter Parker. And still others got a total revamp in their own future time and gained a very different life – one that would probably not end with Miguel becoming a galactic leader.

Even so, Spider-Man 2099’s time with Mjolnir adds him to the exclusive group of people – from Steve Rogers, to Beta Ray Bill, to Thor Odinson himself – who are worthy of lifting Mjolnir. Moreover, Miguel’s decision to use Mjolnir as a tool for building rather than battle further distinguishes him as a hero who knows how to use Thor’s hammer in an unconventional way – that may rival the great feats of the Thunder God himself!

About The Author

Michael Jung
(700 Articles Published)

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Michael Jung is a mild-mannered freelance writer-for-hire, actor, and professional storyteller with a keen interest in pop culture, education, nonprofit organizations, and unusual side hustles. His work has been featured in Screen Rant, ASU Now, Sell Books Fast, Study.com, and Free Arts among others. A graduate of Arizona State University with a PhD in 20^th Century American Literature, Michael has written novels, short stories, stage plays, screenplays, and how-to manuals.

Michael’s background in storytelling draws him to find the most fascinating aspects of any topic and transform them into a narrative that informs and entertains the reader. Thanks to a life spent immersed in comic books and movies, Michael is always ready to infuse his articles with offbeat bits of trivia for an extra layer of fun. In his spare time, you can find him entertaining kids as Spider-Man or Darth Vader at birthday parties or scaring the heck out of them at haunted houses.

Visit Michael Jung’s website for information on how to hire him, follow him on Twitter Michael50834213, or contact him directly: michael(at)michaeljungwriter(dot)com.

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