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For years, Marvel Cinematic Universe waited to see if, like his comic book counterpart, Captain America would wield Thor’s hammer Mjolnir in battle, and they finally got that earlier this year in Avengers: Endgame. It was one of Endgame’s most exciting moments, and now one fan has noticed that Cap smacking Thanos around with Mjolnir mirrors when Thor delivered a stunning blow to an out-of-control Hulk all the way back in the first Avengers movie. Take a look.
Yep, you can definitely see the parallels between those two scenes (noticed by Twitter user Titan_Fou) that happened seven years apart in real life, approximately 11 years apart within the MCU timeline. The circumstances couldn’t be more different, but both scenes involved individuals worthy enough to use Mjolnir striking their opponents upwards with the ancient hammer.
One could initially dismiss these two scenes being so similar as coincidence, but how many callbacks there were to all the previous MCU movies in Avengers: Endgame, I suspect this was deliberate. After all, while it’s possible another Avengers movie could be released (if that happens, it won’t be until Phase 5 at the earliest), Endgame did mark the end of an era, so it’s quite appropriate to have a shot from this culminating story remind us of a moment that happened when Earth’s Mightiest Heroes first crossed paths.
As you’ll recall, Thor was forced to fight Hulk during The Avengers when Bruce Banner, affected by Loki’s scepter, lost control and started wreaking havoc aboard the Helicarrier in his giant green form. Thor was the only one anywhere close to physically matching Hulk in combat, and with Mjolnir, he was able to stun his future teammate for a bit.
Going back to Captain America, as mentioned earlier, him using Mjolnir was a long time coming. In Avengers: Age of Ultron, it was hinted that Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers could lift the hammer when he slightly budged it during the party at Avengers Tower. However, after Mjolnir was destroyed in Thor: Ragnarok, it looked like we’d never see this happen.
Fortunately, thanks to Avengers: Endgame’s time traveling shenanigans, Thor retrieved Mjolnir from 2013 and brought it back with him to the present. Later, just when it looked like Thanos was going to kill the Asgardian God of Thunder, Captain America called the hammer to himself and used it for the rest of Endgame’s climactic battle. Odin, The Vision and Hela are the only other individuals who have held Mjolnir in the MCU.
Captain America using Mjolnir couldn’t have come at a better time, because shortly thereafter, Steve returned the hammer and the Infinity Stones to their proper places, and then he decided to remain in the past, thus concluding his time as the Star-Spangled Avenger. As an old man in the present day, Steve passed his vibranium shield and the Captain America mantle to his longtime friend Sam Wilson, paving the way for the upcoming The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series on Disney+.
Given the announcement that Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster will become The Mighty Thor in Thor: Love and Thunder, it’s possible we could somehow see Mjolnir again, but Chris Evans’ time in the MCU is done, so let’s be thankful that writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeeley, and directors Joe and Anthony Russo, had Cap wield the hammer before he retired from the superhero life.
Avengers: Endgame is now available on Digital HD, and the Blu-ray and DVD release follows on Tuesday, August 13. Be sure to look through our Marvel movies guide to learn what’s on the way in Phase 4 and beyond.
