Thor has wielded quite a few hammers over the past few years. For most of the MCU’s history, he had his trusty companion Mjolnir, which ended up being destroyed by Hela in Thor: Ragnarok. In order to cope with his loss, the God of Thunder then forged a new hammer, Stormbreaker, in Avengers: Infinity War, before snagging an alternate version of his original weapon in Avengers: Endgame.
The hammers, it should come as no surprise, are set to play an important role in the character’s fourth feature film, too, Thor: Love and Thunder. Although little is yet known about the project, we do know that Jane Foster – Thor’s love interest from the MCU’s earlier Phases – will return to wield Mjolnir. Which version of the hammer she’ll be wielding, however, is up for debate. That being said, a new theory may shed a little light on things.
You see, after the events of Endgame, Captain America volunteers to travel back in time to return the Infinity Stones to their proper timeline in order to prevent the space-time continuum from rupturing. And among the things that he takes with him is another artifact which the Avengers stole from its original timeline: Mjolnir.
Here’s where things get a bit tricky though, as Jane needs to get her hands on the hammer. Thankfully, this theory has an answer for how it can all work out, and here’s how it reads:
With Thor 4, Love and thunder well on its way, We have a bit of a problem to address. If Natalie Portman is going to get the power of Thor as in the comics, then we need Thor’s mighty hammer, Mjolnir, back. As it stands, Cap returned Mjolnir to the original timeline, Hela shattered it again, leading to Thor getting Stormbreaker again. Everything is back to where it is supposed to be. The hammer has to follow the same path to keep the events leading to Ragnarok. Both cap and thor know that the hammer has to be returned or there is no stormbreaker, no wakanda rescue . The hammer must go back .
But then how can Jane Foster get her hands on that hammer? A hammer that is integral to the story moving forward if they use the cancer storyline from the comics. Well, I think the answer is simple.
Captain America switched the hammer out with a fake.
So for Jane foster to claim the hammer and get the power of Thor, I believe the hammer has to survive. But how? So I think I have the answer. Cap goes back to the events of Thor: Ragnarok and making a quick switch. Perhaps at Dr. Strange’s mansion, He secretly gives Thor the replica, and that’s the hammer Hela shatterers. In reality, though, Cap has kept the hammer for decades, until the events of Love and thunder. Cap preserves the timeline while still keeping the hammer. I believe this movie will start with old Cap giving the hammer to Thor or Jane foster. I imagine a scene with old Captain America saying,” I think this belongs to you “as he hands the real Mjolnir back.
There are inherently going to be plot holes in this theory for sure. How come the hammer does not come to him when he calls? or how can Cap get his hand on a believable replica? But the fact remains that Jane Foster will need Mjolnir to start her transformation. i dont know if reforging Mjolnir will keep Odin’s blessing intact. Perhaps the hammer is reforged with Captain America going back to find the pieces. I like to think that Thor would want to find a way to save his most valuable possession. And perhaps with a little help from cap they can save it whether its from time travel or collecting the pieces.
I know this has a ton of holes but Jane does have to end up with the hammer at some point so let’s figure this out together.
Another theory which has been floating around the internet holds that Loki may have something to do with the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder. Sure, the Loki we know and love was killed by Thanos at the start of Infinity War, but when the Avengers revisited the ending of their original film in Endgame, another version of Loki escaped without ever getting his redeeming moment. As such, it’s not unthinkable that he could return in the upcoming sequel.