Avengers: Endgame officially confirmed that
Captain America is worthy of wielding the mighty, mystical Mjolnir but the film didn't
explain why it took so long for the Star-Spangled Avenger to summon the hammer, particularly
when he had the opportunity to do just that back in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Thanks to new intel from the masterminds behind
the biggest film of all time, we finally know why Cap didn't lift Mjolnir until Endgame. During an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit,
the Russo Brothers fielded a question about Captain America's ability to wield Mjolnir,
the square-headed sledgehammer only able to be utilized by those the Asgardian gods believe
is worthy. "Whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power! Whatever, man. It's a trick." Its most famous user is, of course, the Asgardian
God of Thunder Thor. Audiences got the first hint that Captain
America would be worthy of wielding the weapon in Age of Ultron, when Thor invited the rest
of the Avengers to try their hand at lifting Mjolnir. When Steve Rogers stepped up to the plate,
he was able to shift the hammer slightly, unlike the rest of the crew, who couldn't
even make it budge. This caused Thor to perk up in his seat and
look visibly concerned that Steve would genuinely end up swinging Mjolnir through the air. In Endgame, when Captain America summons Mjolnir
during the intense final battle against Thanos, "Bro Thor" is totally pumped: "I knew it!" This suggested that the God of Thunder had
known for years that Cap was worthy of wielding the hammer likely recognizing that fact way
back in Age of Ultron. It subsequently caused many, including one
curious Reddit user, to wonder whether Captain America could always wield Mjolnir, and was
thus able to lift it in Age of Ultron and simply decided not to, or if he accrued worthiness
over time. Anthony Russo explained on Reddit that, in
his interpretation, Captain America "always could" pick up Mjolnir, and realized that
during the party at Stark's place in Age of Ultron. Anthony wrote, "Our interpretation of the famous scene in
Ultron was that when he realized he could pick up Mjolnir he quickly chose not to, because
he didn't want to embarrass Thor." Why might Thor be embarrassed by his fellow
Avenger picking up and putting to use his famous weapon, you ask? Well, it's probably down to the fact that
anyone deemed worthy enough to wield Mjolnir instantly obtains all the powers Thor has
when they lift it. Combine the abilities Mjolnir grants its users
with Captain America's super-strength, durability, and near-indestructible Vibranium shield and
it's easy to see why Thor might have gone red in the face if Cap lifted Mjolnir in Age
of Ultron. Plus, there's the issue of Thor making a big
deal about being the so-called chosen one, not an Earthly mortal like the rest of the
Avengers. He's obviously pretty attached to ol' Mjolnir: "What am I looking at?" "Sometimes it takes a while, give it a second." Cap was sweet to save his Mjolnir-wielding
moment for Endgame, since it had much more emotional heft and caused Thor to be joyful
instead of embarrassed. There was a huge payoff in watching Captain
America lay the smackdown on Thanos using Mjolnir and his super-shield. The moment was certainly one of the most impactful
of the entire film, with audiences around the world cheering in their seats when it
happened. Seeing Steve Rogers lift Mjolnir in Age of
Ultron could have been funny but watching it happen in Endgame was infinitely more moving. Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Looper videos about the MCU
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