As any Marvel fan knows, Thor’s hammer Mjolnir cannot be lifted by just anyone and can only be wielded by someone deemed worthy. To date, that’s only the God of Thunder himself and the android hero Vision. Captain America came close, though, as the Asgardian weapon budged slightly when he attempted to pick it up at a party in Avengers: Age of Ultron.
This makes a lot of sense, as Steve Rogers is one of the most noble and pure of heart of all the Avengers. But what stopped him from being worthy enough to properly wield it? Well, some fan theorists on Reddit have come up with a few ideas, as the topic arose recently during a light-hearted post about Cap’s total disregard for motorcycle road safety rules.
Featuring a pic of Rogers on his bike, it read, “Scofflaw Steve Rogers ignores mandatory helmet and face shield laws in New York. With such a disregard for authority, is it any wonder he didn’t sign the Sokovia Accords?” One user then jokingly suggested that this might be the reason he couldn’t lift Mjolnir, saying:
“Mjolnir;s like “Great track record dude! Heart of gol- YOU DIDN’T WEAR YOUR HELMET NO CAN DO MR AMERICA.”
Another comment then went on to offer that a genuine reason why Cap was deemed not worthy is because Odin’s original spell equated being worthy with being a good king. And Cap has the mind of a soldier, not a monarch. In short, he “sucks at putting the lives of the many before the lives of the few.”
User @Johnny_Quasar45, meanwhile, put forward that it might actually be because Steve was withholding an important secret from Tony Stark during the events of Ultron. During Captain America: Civil War, it’s revealed that he knew deep down that Bucky was responsible for the death of Howard and Maria Stark and never told his friend.
This character flaw could have been enough to cause a chink in Captain America‘s armor and mean the hammer deemed him unworthy. Either way, though, this as good a theory as any and just maybe, the topic will be addressed again and finally resolved in Avengers 4.