Donny Cates' 'Thor' #4 hints at Mjolnir's magic changing with Loki finally lifting the enchanted hammer
Spoiler alert for 'Thor' #4 by Donny Cates, Nic Klein, and Matt Wilson
The current 'Thor' series has completely upended the world of the Asgardian god in more ways than one. After defeating Malekith the Accursed during 2019's 'War of the Realms', Thor is now All-Father of Asgard and he has recently become a herald of Galactus, his already vast powers further enhanced by the Power Cosmic.
Yet even as he rises to greater heights than ever before, Thor's trusty mallet Mjolnir grows heavier in his hands. The mystery surrounding Mjolnir has been hinted at since the start of Donny Cates' 'Thor' run and it will be expanded upon properly in 'Thor' #7 but that said, 'Thor' #4 further complicates the whole thing by revealing that the hammer can now be lifted by Thor's adopted brother and eternal frenemy Loki.
Mjolnir's enchantment, placed on it by Thor's father Odin himself, clearly states that only the worthy may lift the hammer and access its powers, to the point where even Thor himself has lost the ability to wield it in the past. So how did Loki pull it off?
The obvious answer would be that Loki is now worthy, which is a possibility considering the heroic turn the character has taken in recent times. But that's hardly the only possible answer.
With Thor becoming All-Father, it appears a paradigm change may be in effect. In other words, the rules of Asgardian magic appear to be in flux after Thor's ascension and everything could be about to change, which is exactly what Cates hints at in the story.
Daniel Kibblesmith's 'Loki' books also hinted at Mjolnir's magic changing with a tease that at some point in the future, a weapon called Mjoltron would be forged. Is this some sort of Mecha-Mjolnir that Thor will be forced to resort to due to Mjolnir malfunctioning? It is a possibility though the only thing we know for sure right now is that Thor's most trustworthy weapon can no longer be trusted.
'Thor' #5 will arrive in stores on April 8.