Thor has changed plenty since his debut in Journey into Mystery #83 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. His outfit has changed, he's gotten more powers, and even his personality's been tweaked. That said, one thing stays the same: his hammer. Battle after battle, it has become obvious that Mjolnir is more than a simple weapon to the God of Thunder.
Mjolnir is a core piece of Thor's history. Its worthiness enchantment makes it tangible proof of Thor's spirit, in which he takes a lot of pride, but there's more to the legendary Norse hammer than meets the eye.
10 Thor's Mjolnir Is Based On The Mythological Norse Weapon
Lke pretty much everything in Marvel's Thor lore, Mjolnir is based on an ancient weapon from Norse mythology. According to the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, Mjolnir was indeed Thor's hammer, but instead of just being a weapon, it bestowed blessings on its believers.
Besides its shape, one of the main differences between Marvel's Mjolnir and its inspiration is that the original version doesn't have a worthiness enchantment. Instead, anyone can wield it if they get their hands on it. It just happens to be Thor's weapon.
9 Mjolnir Originally Transformed Donald Blake Into Thor
When Thor first debuted in Journey into Mystery #83, he wasn't the god fans know and love. Instead, he was the alter-ego of a human doctor named Donald Blake. In order to access Mjolnir's power, Blake had to hold his cane, which then transformed into the magical hammer. This transformation also worked in the opposite direction, changing Thor back into Blake.
Once Thor realized Donald Blake only existed due to Odin's doing, he left this identity behind. However, Mjolnir has given others—like Beta Ray Bill and Jane Foster—a Thor-like outfit, so this ability hasn't been forgotten by the canon.
8 Jason Aaron Changed Mjolnir's Origin
Mjolnir was originally created by Eitri when Loki dared him to make the finest treasures possible. After this, Odin took it as his main weapon, which he then passed to Thor after confirming he was worthy. This origin, which emulates the old Norse myth, was retconned in 2016.
The Mighty Thor #12, by Jason Aaron, Russell Dauterman, Frazer Irving, Matthew Wilson, and Joe Sabino depicts a battle between Odin and a galactic storm called Mother Storm which the All-Father traps inside a piece of Uru. After commissioning the dwarves to turn the metal into a weapon, Odin creates an enchantment so only a worthy person can wield it. That person happened to be his son, Thor.
7 Mjolnir Is A Sentient Being With Shapeshifting Abilities
The Mighty Thor reveals that Mjolnir is actually a sentient object. Since it first bonds with Jane, the hammer communicates with her and develops an even stronger connection than it had with Thor Odinson. The explanation for this is that Mjolnir holds Mother Storm, an actual cosmic entity, inside itself.
Mjolnir also demonstrates shapeshifting abilities during this run after S.H.I.E.L.D. tries to arrest Jane for being Thor. In order to throw the agents off her scent, the hammer transforms into Jane Foster while the actual Jane appears in her Thor form. During this issue, Mjolnir even speaks, completely impersonating Jane. The hammer itself admits this is a very difficult feat, even for its magic.
6 Mjolnir Grants Several Different Types Of Abilities
In addition to being a powerful melee weapon, Mjolnir grants different powers to its wielders. The most important one is weather manipulation. As the primary weapon of the God of Thunder, it's only logical that Mjolnir can control rain, wind, thunder, and lightning.
Additionally, it allows Thor to transport, either by flying or through the creation of wormholes. It also grants him energy manipulation. Thanks to Mjolnir, Thor can absorb great amounts of energy, sense strange forces in the environment, and produce cosmic power. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Thor's many spectacular superpowers.
5 Thor's Hammer Isn't That Unique
As one of the most powerful weapons in Marvel Comics, Mjolnir is capable of great things. However, it isn't an entirely unique weapon like All-Black The Necrosword. There are actually many Mjolnirs throughout the multiverse. In fact, for a while, Earth-616's Thor tried to use Earth-838's Mjolnir after losing his own.
There are many other weapons made of Uru in the Marvel comics, as well. Beta Ray Bill's Stormbreaker, Red Norvell's War-Hammer, and Thor's axe Jarnbjorn were all constructed from the rare material. What makes Mjolnir special is that it holds the Mother Storm inside.
4 Moon Knight Can Lift Mjolnir Without Being Worthy
The only condition to lift Mjolnir since its first appearance has been worthiness, but there have been exceptions like Moon Knight. As a former mercenary, Marc Spector is far from worthy. However, in Avengers #33, by Jason Aaron, Javier Garrón, Jason Keith, and Cory Petit, he lifted the hammer without a problem due to its nature.
Mjolnir is made of Uru, which is basically "moon rock," and Marc is the Avatar of Khonshu, the Moon God on Earth. This means his divinity connects him to the hammer. Since this incident, the Fist of Khonshu has been able to use Mjolnir several times, but never due to his worthiness.
3 Superman Has Held Mjolnir
Avengers/JLA #4, by Kurt Busiek, George Perez, Tom Smith, and Comicract features one of the most epic panels ever published in Marvel and DC Comics. In order to stop Krona from merging the Marvel Earth and the DC Earth, Superman uses both Captain America's shield and Thor's hammer in the great battle.
While this makes perfect sense considering Superman's many incredible feats, the series eventually revealed that Superman wasn't worthy of Mjolnir. When he tried to wield it and pass it to Thor, he was unable. It was later revealed that Odin briefly lifted the "worthiness" enchantment to allow the Man of Steel to wield the hammer and save both comic book universes.
2 Mjolnir Can Kill Vampires
Thor #332-333, by Alan Zelenetz, Don Perlin, Vince Colletta, and George Roussos pits the God of Thunder against Dracula himself. Amidst an investigation for Jane Foster's disappearance that points to Donald Blake as the perpetrator, the famous vampire becomes interested in Sif, forcing Thor to fight several bloodsucking monsters.
During the battle against Dracula's minions, Thor realizes the vampires burst into flames and turn to dust when touched by Mjolnir. As Mjolnir is a religious relic, it has the same effect that Christian crosses have on these dark creatures. Thor hasn't faced any vampires since, but it's good to know he has an infallible method against them.
1 Mjolnir Is Not Indestructible
Although it's as powerful as any weapon gets, Mjolnir can be destroyed. In fact, it has been torn to pieces several times throughout Marvel's continuity (as famously seen in Thor: Ragnarok). The hammer is usually swiftly repaired, but depending on the level of damage, Thor has been left without his iconic weapon on several occasions.
During Journey into Mystery #118, by Lee and Kirby, it was sliced in two by the Destroyer, but it was repaired two issues later. More recently, after the Mighty Thor sacrificed it to defeat Mangog by throwing it into the sun during "The Death of the Mighty Thor," Odinson had to wait until War of the Realms to reforge it. Since then, Thor and his hammer haven't been separated.