Thor 4 set video changes one crucial part of Avengers: Endgame

Thor: Love and Thunder is bringing back a familiar weapon. Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, was famously destroyed in the first act of 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok by Cate Blanchett’s Hela, leading to Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder forging a new weapon known as Stormbreaker in Avengers: Infinity War. Mjolnir was brought back in Avengers: Endgame, thanks to some wonky time travel mechanics, but that film ended with Chris Evans’ Captain America returning the hammer to the past.

However, it looks like that may not be the whole story, as new details from next year’s Thor: Love and Thunder confirm the hammer’s unexpected return in the film.

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The News — Chris Hemsworth’s Thor stunt double, Bobby Holland Hanton, seemed to officially confirm the return of Mjolnir in Thor: Love and Thunder recently. In a now-deleted TikTok video, Hanton can be seen practicing stunts as Thor with none other than Mjolnir in hand — a possible confirmation that Hemsworth’s God of Thunder will wield the familiar weapon again in Love and Thunder.

Mjolnir’s return?

Given how Avengers: Endgame concluded, with Captain America taking Mjolnir with him on his quest to return all the Infinity Stones to their rightful timelines, it’d be fair to assume that the hammer had been more or less retired from the MCU. Knowing that Mjolnir is returning in Thor: Love and Thunder raises some interesting questions about the film though — namely, how the heck does Thor get Mjolnir back this time?

The answer may lie not with Hemsworth’s Thor but with another Love and Thunder character: Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster.

The Thor 4 stunt video isn’t the only hint fans have gotten that Mjolnir will be returning in the film. In fact, during an interview with espnW last year, Natalie Portman teased that her character, Jane Foster, will get to hold the hammer in Thor: Love and Thunder. That could mean Mjolnir’s return has something to do with Jane's transformation into The Mighty Thor in the film. Is it possible that Mjolnir is brought back, or a new version of the hammer is created, specifically for Jane?

In the Marvel comics, Jane is diagnosed with breast cancer at the same time Thor is off battling Gorr the God Butcher — a character that will be played by Christian Bale in Love and Thunder. But after hearing Mjolnir's telepathic call, Jane eventually finds the hammer and, upon lifting it, transforms into The Mighty Thor. Since we know that the plot of Thor: Love and Thunder is partly inspired by the comic book run that turned Jane into The Mighty Thor, there's the strong possibility that Mjolnir could be recreated in the film just for Jane.

The Inverse Analysis — So much of what Marvel has in store with Phase 4 remains shrouded in mystery, so it’s hard to guess exactly how Mjolnir returns in Thor: Love and Thunder. It could just be the result of Jane’s transformation, or it could be a version of Mjolnir from another universe — especially since both WandaVision and Doctor Strange 2 promise to delve more deeply into the Multiverse.

Either way, fans will probably have to wait to get their answers until Thor: Love and Thunder is (hopefully) released next year.

Thor: Love and Thunder is set to hit theaters on May 6, 2022.