In this feature, I spotlight five scenes/moments from within comic book stories that fit under a specific theme (basically, stuff that happens frequently in comics). Here is an archive of all the patterns we've spotlighted so far.

Today, based on suggestions from reader butters911, we take a look at characters other than Thor who have lifted Thor's enchanted hammer, Mjolnir, which is inscribed, "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor."

Enjoy!

NOTE: Odin created the hammer, so obviously he can lift it. I'm not even going to bother with him.

The most famous example occurred in Thor #337 by Walter Simonson when an alien spaceship showed up near Earth that seemed to be an advance scout for a possible alien invasion of Earth. When Thor went to investigate, the ship went into high alert and woke up its inhabitant, Beta Ray Bill. You see, Beta Ray Bill is a sort of scout/champion for an alien race that is near extinction so it has went off on an exploration of space to find a new home. The force that drove them from their home was tangentially related to Asgard, so when Thor showed up, the ship viewed him as a threat. So Thor and Beta Ray Bill have a battle and in the ensuing fight, Thor is separated from his hammer...

Odin decided, like all good parents, that Beta Ray Bill and Thor will fight for the hammer. While close, Beta Ray Bill wins. Odin cuts him a deal where instead Odin makes him a NEW hammer that is just like Mjolnir.

Going into #390 (by Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz and Brett Breeding), Steve Rogers had been stripped of the Captain America identity by the government and Steve Rogers (now going by "The Captain") had run afoul of Iron Man as Tony Stark was destroying any armor that had a basis in his own. Thor was always a bit closer to Iron Man, so when he meets Steve in this issue, Thor is unsure who is "right" in the argument between teammates. Perhaps the government had a good reason to remove Steve as Captain America?

All of his fears were put aside after they are attacked by the minions of Seth, God of Death, in the issue...

So for awhile, Thor was merged with a human named Eric Masterson, in order to save Eric's life. Well, in Thor #432 (by Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz and Al Milgrom), Thor finally breaks down and just flat out kills Loki. Heimdall (then acting head of Asgard as Odin was in one of his perennial "Everyone thinks he's dead" situations) punishes Thor by exiling him...somewhere mysteriously. That leaves Eric separated and yet still alive...and with the walking stick that he had used to disguise Mjolnir...

In the following issue (after a little makeover on his "look" as Thor), Eric reflects on the fact that he's able to life the hammer...

In DC vs. Marvel #2 (in a scene written by Peter David and drawn by Claudio Castellini and Paul Neary), the various heroes of each universe are pitted against each other. In #2, Thor barely defeats Captain Marvel, but in the process, loses his hammer. Look who picks it up...

In a scene in #3 (by Ron Marz, Dan Jurgens and Joe Rubinstein), she is ready to face Storm of the X-Men but chooses to fight Storm withOUT the extra powers...

(she, of course, then loses to Storm)

Finally, in JLA/Avengers #4 (by Kurt Busiek and George Perez), in the final battle against the big bad and all of his cronies, the combined Avengers and Justice League find themselves stuck in a quagmire. Thor then makes a decision to help find a way to win...

However, after the battle is won, Busiek throws in a little twist...

I find it hard to believe that Superman couldn't life it normally, but there you have it!