WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Thor #23, on sale now from Marvel Comics.
Not only is Mjolnir reunited with its proper owner in the latest issue of Marvel's Thor, but the weapon is now inhabited by none other than the former King of Asgard, himself.
In Thor #23, the God of Thunder is searching for his missing hammer across the Ten Realms. Thor eventually finds the God of Hammers -- a being made of blue lightning that embodies the personification and spirit of Mjolnir -- and, after transporting the two of them to Nidavellir, uses the "heat of a billion suns" to face the monster in battle.
With few good options on how to proceed, Thor is left with no choice but to take Mjolnir from the God of Hammers and repeatedly smash it on the ground until there's nothing of Odin's legacy left but a pile of rubble. Thor is able to clutch a victory and defeat the God of Hammers, but it comes at no small cost.
The weapon-less Thor wakes up in Asgard four months later, victorious but still sad over the loss of his father, who previously sacrificed himself in order to transfer the Odin-Force to his son. The sadness doesn't last for long, however. Angela takes Thor into Asgard's armory to find a reassembled Mjolnir waiting for him there. "All the angels in Heven, little brother," Angela says when Thor asks her how they resurrected the hammer. "We are no Dwarves...But we did what we could."
Given that the God of Hammers was defeated in battle, Thor quickly senses the presence of a different being now inside of his weapon -- a being that just so happens to be his seemingly deceased dad. Before wielding the weapon, the emotional hero kneels to pray to his father, at which point he gets a surprising response from beyond the grave. "Keep your eyes open, boy," the voice of Odin calls out to him. "A king can't rule from his knees."
Thor has wielded Mjolnir since its first appearance in Journey into Mystery #83, written by Stan Lee and designed by artists Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott. The weapon has gone through several different iterations over the years and several others have also proven themselves worthy to lift the hammer, but it's primarily accompanied the God of Thunder throughout his various journies throughout the Marvel universe.
With Thor #23 marking the finale to the "God of Hammers" arc, Thor and his newly upgraded hammer will return for Thor #24, which marks the 750th issue for the hero, in April. Thor #23 comes from writer Donny Cates, artist Nic Klein, color artist Matt Wilson and letter and designer VC's Joe Sabino. The issue is on sale now from Marvel Comics.
Source: Marvel Comics