Solving The Big Bang Theory's Debate on the Magic of Thor's Hammer

An iconic scene in The Big Bang Theory poses the question "How does Thor's Hammer work?" Click here to find out the answer, AND read about the true origin of Marvel's Thor!

Hey Super-Fans,

Welcome to another issue of Supers Newsletter. In today’s article, I wanted to talk about something I saw recently in one of my favorite TV shows, The Big Bang Theory. No, I will not attempt to solve string theory, but instead, I’ll be talking about one of magic’s greatest mysteries…Thor’s hammer. In Season 6, Episode 13 of TBBT, the girls read comic books, and initially, they find the concept/hobby to be pointless and dull. However, they quickly spiral into a debate regarding the magic/science behind Thor’s hammer. Their fight was hilarious to watch, but it also gave me an idea for this blog, so I hope you are all excited because today, I’ll be breaking down their arguments and giving you all my take on how Thor’s hammer works. For context, I will be making most of my points from what we have seen in the MCU as that will probably be the most familiar and universal to everyone. So without further ado, let’s jump right into it.

Penny - “A hammer so heavy that no one else can pick it up.”

Penny starts us off with her initial thoughts on the power of Mjolnir. Unfortunately for her, this belief is a common misconception in this debate. Optically, it does seem like no one is strong enough to lift the hammer. In Avengers: Age of Ultron, many characters attempt to lift the hammer. With the exception of Captain America, the hammer does not budge for anyone else. However, thinking logically, it’s simply too easy to say that the hammer is “too heavy” to lift. In the original Avengers movie, Hulk attempts to lift Thor’s hammer and is unsuccessful during their fight. If the hammer was just a weight issue, there is no way that Captain America would be able to hold it and fight with it in Avengers: Endgame if Hulk can't even move it.

Bernadette - “I don’t think it’s heavy. I think it’s some sort of magic so only Thor can lift it.”

Bernadette is quite close with this point, in my opinion. There’s not much to discuss here except for the obvious fact that Thor is not the only one who can lift it. We have seen quite a few characters in the MCU, and even more in the comics, lift the hammer. To name a few, we have Captain America, Odin, Vision, Hela, and Jane Foster. Props to Bernadette for being so close, though!

Penny - “What if Thor's hand is on the hammer? I mean, if he's touching it with his god magic, does that mean I can lift it?”

Although this comes across as a hilarious joke in the show, Penny does pose an interesting question here. The other two women don’t agree on the answer which illustrates the complexity behind this subject. Just because Thor has his hand on the hammer doesn’t mean anyone can now hold it. It’s not like a fingerprint scan that unlocks the hammer. If the person attempting to hold the hammer is unworthy, the most they can do is grab the handle. They wouldn’t be able to move it, much less control it, even if Thor touched it.

If Thor held it up in the air and someone else grabbed onto Mjolnir, what would happen when Thor dropped the hammer? Well, if they refused to let go, they would be dragged down to the ground. They would be powerless against gravity and would not even be able to slow its descent!

Bernadette - "Who decides who's worthy? Does the hammer decide?"

Another great question! Once again, the girls can’t agree on the answer, so let’s break it down for them. There are a few schools of thought related to this question. First, there is an argument that Mjolnir is similar to DC’s green lantern ring. In DC, the ring chooses the next green lantern. They scan various planets in search of people they deem fit for the role and choose based on that information. I can see why some people view Mjolnir in the same way. Even in some of the comics, we see Mjolnir as a sentient hammer. However, I believe that the true judge of worthiness is Odin. In Thor, we see Odin cast the enchantment on Mjolnir. What we know about magic in the comic book world and other forms of media is that the power does not only come from the words you say in a spell but also the feelings and emotions behind those words. I mention this because, in my opinion, Odin’s beliefs about what makes a person worthy played a factor in his enchantment. That means that anyone able to lift the hammer was viewed as worthy not by the hammer but by Odin himself. The hammer simply uses the criteria that Odin believes makes a person worthy. Using this logic provides the meaning to the movie about the prince of Asgard desperately vying for his father’s approval.

Now that we have seen a few of the girls’ main points, who is right? Technically, none of them. Bernadette was slightly off, but she was the closest to the right idea. As I mentioned before, Mjolnir's power comes from Odin’s enchantment. It’s as simple as that!

Thor is one of my favorite characters to watch on the big screen. He is fascinated with humanity and risks his life to save Earth’s people despite his complete lack of knowledge and inexperience regarding our culture. This makes him one of the funniest heroes on the Avenger's roster! However, what we have seen in the movies is quite different from the plan Marvel initially had for Thor.

Thor first appeared in Journey Into Mystery #83. The story follows a doctor named Donald Blake as he visits Norway and discovers a walking stick in a cave. Upon striking the stick on a boulder, it turns into Mjolnir, and he transforms into Thor. This unique origin about a man who transforms into a superhero was later retconned when it was revealed that Donald Blake never truly existed. Instead, Thor had simply been banished to Earth without his memory and had been living as Donald Blake until Odin guided him to that cave in Norway, and little by little, his memory came back. 

I wanted to end this article with that synopsis of Thor’s initial origin as I think it is fascinating how different the character is now than he was over 60 years ago. Although he may have changed a lot, his weapon of choice still hasn’t. Mjolnir is one of my favorite fictional weapons, behind the lightsaber, of course! The restrictions on wielding the hammer have sparked debates similar to that of Penny, Bernadette, and Amy over who in the entirety of the MCU should be able to use it. I love seeing other people’s opinions on this matter, so if you have anything you’d like to add, feel free to message me on Instagram @supers_newsletter. I hope you all enjoyed this article! It was incredibly fun for me to rewatch the TBBT debate scene and review it! I know of a few other TV shows I’ve watched that have had discussions about superheroes, so maybe in a future article, I’ll review those with you all. For now, though, I’ll leave you with my famous outro, and I will see you all in the next installment of Supers Newsletter!

"You may not be able to fly or leap tall buildings in a single bound, but to me, you're all Super!"

-Supers