Before its destruction at the (literal) hands of Hela, Thor’s magical hammer Mjolnir was not only a symbol of strength and godlike power, but also an icon of worthiness. As Odin had deemed, only the worthy shall wield the hammer. This concept was explored during a scene in the second Avengers film, Avengers: Age of Ultron, where each member of the team took turn trying to lift Thor’s hammer. Only one person even got it to budge a bit, and that was Captain America himself, Steve Rogers.
Now, thanks to a rather funny Reddit post, we may have a reason one of the purest and truest heroes in all of Marvel was deemed unworthy. During a lighthearted discussion about Cap’s complete lack of regard for New York’s motorcycle traffic laws, one user connected the dots:
“Scofflaw Steve Rogers ignores mandatory helmet and face shield laws in New York. With such a disregard for authority, is it any wonder he didn’t sign the Sokovia Accords?”
This led another user to finally connecting this lawless behavior to Cap’s unworthiness.
“Mjolnir’s like ‘Great track record dude! Heart of gol- YOU DIDN’T WEAR YOUR HELMET NO CAN DO MR AMERICA!’”
As the discussion grew deeper, one fan equated it simply to what Odin’s definition of “worthy” actually meant. Odin would be looking for someone worthy of being a good king, rather than just a good person. But, although Cap is the consummate soldier, he will always value the life of one over the many, whereas a monarch would put the needs of many before the needs of the few.
The discussion continued down a more serious track, with another Reddit user stating that Cap’s knowledge of the truth of who killed Tony Stark’s parents haunted him enough to keep him from being truly worthy. As discovered in Civil War, Rogers said he was trying to protect Stark from the truth, but ultimately admitted to keeping the secret to protect himself.
This could have been enough for the hammer to decide against Cap’s worthiness, in the end.
What do you think of these theories? Do you have a theory of your own? Let us know in the comments below!