Thor's Avengers: Infinity War Weapon, Explained

WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Marvel's Thor: Ragnarok, and potential spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War, arriving in theaters May 28.

If you were to ask casual fans to pick their favorite weapon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor's enchanted hammer Mjolnir would undoubtedly land near the top of the list. Of course, that just makes its destruction in Thor: Ragnarok all the more devastating.

The God of Thunder didn't let the loss of his trusty hammer slow him down, however, as he was still able to defeat the Goddess of Death Hela, and save his Asgardian brothers and sisters. The next time we see Thor will be in this summer's Avengers: Infinity War, where it will be an all-hands-on-deck situation as Earth's Mightiest Heroes and the Guardians of the Galaxy must work together to stop Thanos from collecting the Infinity Stones.

To stand up to a villain like the Mad Titan, of course, will require every weapon in our heroes' arsenal, to which Thor is currently down his primary asset. Luckily, that may be about to change, after a photo surfaced on an Infinity War Funko Pop! figure of Thor brandishing an ax that may very well be the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of Jarnbjorn, the weapon he wielded before he gained Mjolnir. Although Infinity War concept art that surfaced in February hinted at Jarnbjorn's MCU debut, the leaked Funko Pop! figure seems to confirm it is indeed on the way.

Now, many of you may be wondering, what the heck is a Jarnbjorn? Don't worry, because you came to the right place. Here you'll find everything you need to know about Thor's mighty ax before it makes its grand Marvel Cinematic Universe debut.

Jarnbjorn, Young Viking Thor's Battle Ax

For those not familiar with Thor's comic book history with Mjolnir, here's a quick summary: The hammer used to belong to his father, Odin, and was set aside until Thor proved himself worthy to lift the powerful weapon. The majority of Thor's adventures in the Marvel Comics Universe always showed him with Mjolnir, until 2013's Thor: God of Thunder -- from writer Jason Aaron and artist Esad Ribic -- came onto the scene. The first issue of the series introduced what is known as Young Viking Thor, nicknamed for the fact that the young Odinson spent much of his time partying and fighting alongside Earth vikings around the time of 800 A.D. It was here that we got our first glimpse of Jarnbjorn, as Thor came to the defense of his drinking buddies.

When it comes to choosing weapons, if a big, mythical hammer is off the table, an even bigger ax is obviously the next best option. Much of Aaron and Ribic's run on Thor: God of Thunder included flashbacks to Young Viking Thor and Jarnbjorn. The ax even played a crucial role in another Marvel Comics series, Uncanny Avengers.

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Thor vs. Apocalypse

Thor was a member of the Avengers' Unity Squad in the pages of Uncanny Avengers, and the sixth issue of the series flashed back to an encounter between the young Odinson and the celestial caretaker Apocalypse in 1013 A.D. Defeated by the villain, Thor learned the only way to pierce Apocalypse's celestial armor was through an enchantment performed on Jarnbjorn.

The spell was a success, but was also part of a larger scheme by Kang the Conqueror. The time traveler used the Apocalypse Twins in the present-day to kill a Celestial, using the enchanted Jarnbjorn. This sparked an even deadlier string of events, highlighted by the celestial executioner Exiter destroying the Earth in retaliation. Thankfully, with this being comics, the Earth was restored. Though this does display the type of power that Jarnbjorn possesses.

The Unworthy Thor

Finally, that brings us to the current day, where Thor is no longer the God of Thunder, nor is he the owner of Mjolnir. Those honors go to Jane Foster (played by Natalie Portman in the MCU), which leaves Odinson a god without a name, title or weapon. This leads him to return to his trusty ax Jarnbjorn, where he's carved out a role for himself as the Unworthy Thor.

If Thor does decide to pick up Jarnbjorn in Avengers: Infinity War, the film's first trailer might have provided us with its origin. There was a scene of Thor standing inside a circular device in space, using all of his strength to prop it open. Behind him, what is possibly a star shines brightly in the background. Though the ax was forged by dwarves in its Marvel Comics incarnation, it would play into the cosmic storytelling of the MCU to see Thor himself using the power of a star to forge the weapon.

While it remains to be seen if Jarnbjorn will have the power to fell a Celestial in Avenger: Infinity War, it will be fun to see how it's adapted to the big screen. Sure, it's no Mjolnir, but who knows -- it could be the key factor in turning the tide against Thanos.

Avengers: Infinity War will arrive in theaters on May 28. Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, the film stars Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Anthony Mackie as the Falcon, Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch, Tom Holland as Spider-Man, Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther, Chris Pratt as Star Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Vin Diesel as Groot, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, and Josh Brolin as Thanos.