Avengers: Endgame is full of standout moments, from the incredibly tense time heist to the intro where Tony Stark and Nebula are saved from certain doom by Captain Marvel. That being said, if we were to look at the entire movie, the final battle against Thanos and his Chitauri army is perhaps the one scene that stands out from the rest.
There were plenty of nail-biting, pulse-pounding twists and turns, but the most surprising moment was when Captain America shocked audiences all over by summoning and wielding Thor’s mighty hammer, Mjolnir. Longtime MCU fans were, of course, a little confused by this particular revelation.
Switching back to Age of Ultron, you might remember the party scene, where a few of our favorite Avengers – after having enjoyed a few drinks, it seems – each tried to lift Mjolnir for themselves. No one got remotely close to pulling it off, save for Cap, who was able to wiggle the hammer slightly, which elicited a look of worry from Thor.
There’s been plenty of speculation as to why Steve Rogers wasn’t able to lift Mjolnir during Age of Ultron but had seemingly gained the ability to do so during Endgame‘s finale. Thankfully, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige shed some light on the matter.
During a recent Reddit Q&A session, one user asked when Captain America had become worthy enough to wield Mjolnir. In response, Feige explained that the creative team assumed he was always able to do so, and was just being polite during Age of Ultron‘s party scene. This explanation certainly makes sense, considering Thor yelled out “I knew it!” when Cap summoned the mighty weapon during Endgame.
Though it might surprise some fans, this also ties in with what the Russo brothers said recently as well, when they told us the following:
“He didn’t know that until that moment in Ultron when he tried to pick it up, but Cap’s sense of character and his sort of humility and sort of out of deference to Thor’s ego, Cap in that moment realizing he can move the hammer, decides not to.”
So, while it was a shame that we had to wait a while to see Steve finally pick up that damn weapon, we’re happy that it happened in Avengers: Endgame, as it was a truly awesome moment and one of the film’s many, many highlights.
