Why is Thor more worthy to wield Mjolnir than Cap?

[leahcim]

@Chronos

It’s not immobile by virtue of being heavy; it’s immobile by virtue of being immobile. Notice that it doesn’t tip over, either, despite being in an unbalanced position. If you moved the coffee table out from under it, the hammer would remain in the same spot, suspended in mid-air.

But in the Thor film, Thor immobilized Loki by placing Mjolnir on his chest. It certainly seemed like it was “heavy” then. If it was just immobile, Loki could have probably wriggled out from under there.

[QUOTE=tripthinket]
And so we come back around to the notion that the hammer can’t be moved, but the ground it rests on (or the quinjet, the helicarrier, an ice cream truck) can.
[/QUOTE]

It’s probably the same property that prevents Kitty Pryde from falling to the centre of the earth, even though she can pass through anything and is otherwise still affected by gravity. Superpowers know what the locally relevant “ground” is and take pains to make an exception for it .

[Ethilrist]

@Skald_the_Rhymer

Odin defines what worthy means, for one thing. Cap’s values are not necessarily Aesir values.

Also, I expect that the hammer is freaking heavy. Cap is probably the strongest non-superpowered human on Earth, but he’s still just a guy. Wouldn’t surprise me if an uru hammer weighs over a ton.

That’s one tough coat hook in Thor 2.

Going purely by what’s in the movied, Thor’s virtues are the result of his upbringing and the experiences he had in New Mexico, and he has developed into the person who is worthy of Mjolnir. Cap may have started out as a really great guy who hated bullies and fought for the underdog, but the Captain America-level virtues were imposed on him by Erskine’s procedure. If Erskine hadn’t been shot, there’d be a thousand people with that level of ability, and having that many people artificially able to wield Mjolnir just ain’t right.

[gytalf2000]

@Tom_Tildrum

When is the hammer just lying around for someone to pick up? I thought it would come flying back to Thor after being thrown. I remember a scene from an old Team-Up where Spider-Man webs the hammer in flight, thinking he’s going to slow it down, only to get pulled along as the hammer crashes through wall after wall of a building. Then at some point he sees the hammer flying the other direction back at him, he gets flipped around as it passes him, and he gets pulled back through the same series of holes. Eventually Thor catches the hammer and then bemusedly catches Spider-Man with an arm across his middle (basically punching him in the stomach).

ETA: Found it!

I remember that old scene from Marvel Team-Up. Hilarious!

[Chronos]

Rogers gained his abilities from Erskine’s serum, but the serum didn’t do a thing to his virtues. That’s why Erskine was so insistent on the careful selection process: Before, the serum wasn’t completely right, but more importantly, neither was the man, and the result was Red Skull.

[Bryan_Ekers]

So the hammer, the Juggernaut, and Thor are standing in a line. Juggernaut starts walking toward the hammer just as Thor summons the hammer. Will Juggernaut be able to keep walking with the hammer pushing against his chest? Will the hammer yield and go around Juggernaut? Will Thor get pulled toward the straining hammer?

[Skald_the_Rhymer]

@Chronos

Rogers gained his abilities from Erskine’s serum, but the serum didn’t do a thing to his virtues. That’s why Erskine was so insistent on the careful selection process: Before, the serum wasn’t completely right, but more importantly, neither was the man, and the result was Red Skull.

When was that established? Last time I checked–admittedly more than a decade ago–the Red Skull started off as a bellboy Hitler picked to prove that he could mold anybody he felt like into an evil geniusl

[Love_Rhombus]

@Chronos

Rogers gained his abilities from Erskine’s serum, but the serum didn’t do a thing to his virtues. That’s why Erskine was so insistent on the careful selection process: Before, the serum wasn’t completely right, but more importantly, neither was the man, and the result was Red Skull.

Yes, the serum probably amplified his mental abilities and general clarity, but inside it was all Steve, and his experiences in WW2 just added to it. The better you are, the more good you do, so you’re better, so…

[Ethilrist]

@Bryan_Ekers

So the hammer, the Juggernaut, and Thor are standing in a line. Juggernaut starts walking toward the hammer just as Thor summons the hammer. Will Juggernaut be able to keep walking with the hammer pushing against his chest? Will the hammer yield and go around Juggernaut? Will Thor get pulled toward the straining hammer?

Was the Juggernaut’s power forged in the heart of a dying star? I don’t think so.

[MrDibble]

@Oakminster

Movie-Thor isn’t really a god, apparently.

Yes, but does Mjolnir know that?

[kenobi_65]

@Skald_the_Rhymer

When was that established? Last time I checked–admittedly more than a decade ago–the Red Skull started off as a bellboy Hitler picked to prove that he could mold anybody he felt like into an evil geniusl

It’s the Red Skull backstory in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which may or may not bear any resemblance to the comics.

Here’s the clip from the first Cap movie, with Dr. Erskine explaining all of this to Steve. (Schmidt’s story starts at around 1:10.)

“The serum amplifies everything that is inside. So, good becomes great. Bad becomes worse.”

[Cat_Whisperer]

@Ethilrist

Was the Juggernaut’s power forged in the heart of a dying star?<snip>

Isn’t all matter in the universe forged in the heart of a dying star?

[Finagle]

@Cat_Whisperer

Isn’t all matter in the universe forged in the heart of a dying star?

Not the hydrogen. But yes, most of the consumers goods and durable items are.

[FordTaurusSHO94]

And which Juggernaut? Colossus seems like a scarier version, since he already had his powers.

[Zebra]

@Skald_the_Rhymer

Odin defines what worthy means, for one thing. Cap’s values are not necessarily Aesir values.

Also, I expect that the hammer is freaking heavy. Cap is probably the strongest non-superpowered human on Earth, but he’s still just a guy. Wouldn’t surprise me if an uru hammer weighs over a ton.

I don’t think so. It sits on that coffee table with no problems. (in the new trailer)

[Bryan_Ekers]

Not an IKEA product, clearly.

[kenobi_65]

@Bryan_Ekers

Not an IKEA product, clearly.

The coffee table, or the hammer? Because “Mjölnir” sure looks like the name of an IKEA product.

[dropzone]

@MrDibble

Yes, but does Mjolnir know that?

You could ask him. I think he’s still posting, but under a new name.

[TBG]

Eric Masterson could lift Mjolnir, you aren’t gonna get very far claiming he’s more worthy than Cap.

But yeah, as mentioned Cap has lifted it in the comics, and the only one* to have done so without turning into an ersatz Thor in the process. That’s pretty fuckin worthy to not even have to transform, IMO.

*well, besides Odin, but you can’t really count him, he’s got access to the source code

[The_Tooth]

@Alessan

Cultural context - I suspect Viking “worthiness” differs from American worthiness. It’s probably more about bravery, fierceness and alcohol consumption.

Wenching. Steve Rogers doesn’t wench.

[Broomstick]

Are you sure? As he said in Winter Soldier he’s 95, he’s not dead.