WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for War of the Realms #6 by Jason Aaron, Russell Dauterman, Matthew Wilson and VC's Joe Sabino, on sale now.
"Whoever holds this hammer, if they be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor." These are the words found on the magical Asgardian hammer known as Mjolnir. Thor spent the majority of his youth obsessed with lifting Mjolnir, but once he became worthy enough to hold it in his hands, his life would never be the same again.
In the 2014 Marvel crossover Original Sin, an evil Nick Fury whispered one sentence, "Gorr was right," in the God of Thunder's ear that was enough to leave him unable, or "unworthy" of wielding mighty hammer. Shaken by the words that played on his insecurities about deities, Thor left Mjolnir on the moon, where it would eventually find a new owner in Jane Foster, turning her into the Mighty Thor.
Though her identity remained a secret, Thor (now going by Odinson) learned Jane had replaced him as the God of Thunder, and gave her his blessing to continue fighting the good fight. However, the Unworthy Odinson could still defend the Ten Realms, which were under siege from Malekith the Accursed. Part of the Dark Elf's machinations brought the Mangog to Asgard, where its rampage would have destroyed the kingdom if not for Jane using Mjolnir to send Mangog into the center of the sun.
While the original Thor armed himself with an array of different hammers, no replacement hammer can hold a candle to good ol' Mjolnir. But in order to win the War of the Realms, Thor found a way to make himself worthy of reuniting with what was lost.
A Reunion Five Years In The Making
War of the Realms #6 begins with Thor still impaled on the World Tree in the middle of the sun, looking for any clues to help him defeat Malekith. But in order to gain the key to victory, Thor sacrifices his left eye and his last remaining piece of Mjolnir. He also brings with him the Young Viking Thor from the past, King Thor from the future and Jane Foster as the Mighty Thor.
The battle to save Odin and Frigga gets pretty intense, especially with Malekith combining the Venom symbiote with Black Knight's Ebony Blade. However, what the participants don't notice until the last moment is a powerful storm brewing in the background, which is revealed to be the Mother Storm that helped give birth to Mjolnir many eons ago. Through this storm, Thor has been secretly been forging his trusty hammer, Mjolnir.
Jane Foster used Mjolnir to hurl the Mangog into the sun, where it was believed to be destroyed. Even when Mjolnir was still around, Thor wasn't worthy enough to lift it. But as he tells Malekith, "It's only the struggle that counts." And coming to terms with the knowledge that "Gorr was right" all along, is what makes the God of Thunder strong.
As he lifts Mjolnir again, one mighty swing is all it takes to knock Malekith out and end the War of the Realms, once and for all.
The new Mjolnir has undergone a slight facelift, with the handle now made out of parts of the World Tree that were destroyed during the rage of the Mother Storm. Reunited at last, Thor and Mjolnir must embark together on the next phase of their relationship when Odin names Thor the new All-Father of Asgard.