Thor: Love and Thunder’s cracked Mjolnir may be hiding something cooler

Marvel Studios

It felt like Mjolnir's days in the Marvel Cinematic Universe were over, but that is not the case. In her brief appearance in the movie's first trailer, Jane's new armor and ability to call a reformed Mjolnir suggests that she, along with Chris Hemsworth's Odinson, will bear.

The story of how the original THOR is pulled out of his adventurous but relatively chill retirement by the arrival of a killer on an intergalactic crusade to rid the universe of god-like aliens is told in the movie. Rather than relying on the God Butcher to deal with him, he turns to his old allies, including the king of New Asgard, and the woman who wields the enchanted hammer, Jane Foster. It's not clear how much of Jane's comic book path will be taken from the events of the movie, but what is clear is that her Mjolnir appears to have been formed from the fragments of the hammer destroyed in the movie.

Mjolnir has been broken and put back together many times, but the new one feels like a nod to the War of the Realms event and how comics Jane ends up with a far more fascinating signature weapon.

Russell Dauterman, Matthew Wilson, Joe Sabino/Marvel

Jane and Odinson were forced to confront War THOR at the end of War of the Realms because he was driven mad by another universe. Jane was powerless to stop the strange energies from bonding with her when she took his cursed weapon into battle, knowing full well that it was on the verge of breaking.

By the end of War of the Realms, Jane was convinced that she had more to offer the universe than her time as Mjolnir. Jane became the newest Valkyrie, an official job title in the comics, and learned that the War THOR's hammer was one of the many forms that could be assumed by Undrjarn, the All-Weapon. One of the many characteristics that sets Jane apart is her ability to fling Mjolnir about in clever and complex ways. Jane's ingenuity with the hammer has been translated into a much more expansive and imaginative fighting style because she can now use any weapon she wants.

She is depicted as being far more in touch with her normal human instincts than Jane was. It's not clear whether Love and Thunder will dig into the newer elements of Jane's lore, like Undrjarn and the skills she develops as a Valkyrie. Jane Foster could potentially take on a larger role in the MCU going forward if she were to do so.

Ron Garney, Matt Milla, Joe Sabino/Marvel

It's not likely that Jane Foster will come back just to show everyone how she decides to stop being THOR. With this being the fourth movie in the series, Love andThunder has a lot of work to do in order to keep the story moving forward. Jane Foster is going to help with her big-screen debut as the Mighty Thor. The question is whether her return to the MCU is just a one-off thing or if she is just the beginning of her reign as Asgard's newest defender.

July 8th, 2022, is when the movie "Love and Thunder" will be released.