Why does Jane have Mjolnir? Fans were shocked when the highly-anticipated trailer for Thor: Love and Thunder dropped because one thing it revealed was that Jane Foster, a scientist and Thor’s former lover, would be wielding Mjolnir: giving her the power of Mighty Thor.
In the first Thor movie, Odin enchanted Mjolnor so that only those worthy of the hammer would be able to wield it and channel its power. In the case of people like Steve Rogers, who does not have the power of an Asgardian, wielding the hammer also gave him the enhanced strength and durability of the Mighty Thor: making him more powerful in combat despite ultimately not being a match for Thanos alone. Aside from Cap, Jane Foster is the only person in the MCU alongside the Odinson who is deemed “worthy” of wielding Mjolnir.
Going from scientist to superhero might have seemed like a surprising move for the character, but like a lot of MCU storylines, the on-screen journey of Jane Foster, who is played once again by Natalie Portman, is one that is mirrored in the Marvel comics.
Why does Jane have Mjolnir?
As we know, Mjolnir was destroyed by Hela in Thor: Ragnarok — but the pieces were preserved and displayed in New Asgard as a tourist attraction. Thor 4 reveals that while Thor and Jane were together, he unwittingly enchanted Mjolnir, instructing it to “always protect” Jane.
Years later, when Jane was diagnosed with terminal cancer, she decided to travel to New Asgard with the hope that wielding Mjolnir would cure her of cancer as well as giving her the superhuman strength of Mighty Thor. She told Thor in the movie that she heard Mjolnir “calling” to her, which may well be the result of its enchantment, before fusing back together and being summoned by Jane, giving her the power of the Mighty Thor.
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She then wielded the hammer and acted as the protector of New Asgard for some time before reuniting with Thor when Gorr the God Butcher arrived and kidnapped all of New Asgard’s children. However, while Mjolnir enhanced Jane’s strength and combat skills while she wielded it, the weapon didn’t cure her cancer.
The hammer also prevented her from responding to cancer treatment, as she was using all her strength to wield Mjolnir and so had no strength left to fight the disease. During Thor’s final battle with Gorr, she made the ultimate sacrifice by deciding to wield Mjolnir one last time before succumbing to her cancer.
Thor: Love and Thunder is now available to view in cinemas.