After six years, Avengers: Age of Ultron. As the Avengers bickered with one another, Vision sprang into action, casually picking up Mjolnir and handing it to Thor. As a newborn synthezoid, Vision had no understanding of the significance of the act, but the other Avengers certainly did, and Vision picking up the hammer was all the proof they needed to trust him.
Mjolnir has a long and storied history in the comics and the MCU alike, and though its history is vast, the one aspect of it most people are familiar with is the fact that only the "worthy" can lift it. As its inscription says, "Whosoever holds this hammer, be he worthy, shall possess the power of Thor." In the comics, Thor's hammer has been lifted by various characters over the years, leading some to question how the hammer determines worth. Some have speculated it's Odin's personal determination, while others have posited an interesting theory that the wielders themselves decide whether or not they're worthy. However, in both the comics and the MCU, it's usually able to be possessed in a moment in which the character is at their most noble, their most stalwart, and their most selfless.
Those qualities culminate in Vision's actions in WandaVision episode 6, "All-New Halloween Spooktacular!" in a scene that pays off Mjolnir's faith in Vision all those years ago. Vision discovers Scarlet Witch's magic hex barrier around Westview, and forces himself to break through it at the expense of his own well-being as his body starts to deteriorate once he's outside the protective bubble. Even as he breaks down, however, he keeps pleading with the SWORD agents to save the people of Westview. As he's dying, his thoughts aren't of himself, but of the people he's trying to save. It's an entirely selfless act on Vision's part, and a clear example of the factor historically most often used in storytelling to determine a person's worth: their willingness to sacrifice themselves to save others.
Why Vision Is Worthy Of Holding Mjolnir
Yet Vision's actions throughout his time in the MCU have shown he's been worthy of lifting Thor's hammer all along, not just in that moment. Multiple times has he shown a willingness to sacrifice himself. In Age of Ultron, he flew back into a plummeting Sokovia to save Wanda, and, in a later scene, Avengers: Infinity War, he was willing to die to destroy the Mind Stone that powered him if it meant stopping Thanos. And in WandaVision, he was ready to die to save the people of Westview, and it's clear that he will willingly give up his borrowed life again if it means the innocent citizens of the town can be set free.
Why Some Other Heroes Are Worthy To Wield Mjolnir
The latest Thor: Love & Thunder footage revealed Mjolnir only responds to those who are considered "worthy." What makes someone worthy is their willingness to sacrifice their own safety to counter a significant threat to the Ten Realms and lead with integrity and bravery for the greater good.
The throughline of Vision's character from the start has been that of nobility. Tony Stark and Natasha Romanoff may have sacrificed themselves to stop Thanos, and Steve Rogers may be the world's most inspiring leader, but Vision has always been the team's moral com. There is not a single moment in the MCU in which he's had to make a decision that he hasn't made the selfless one. It goes beyond the cold calculation of Vision's synthezoid computer brain. His decisions have, in many ways, been the most human of all the Avengers, and the scene in WandaVision thoroughly drives home that point. Vision, like a select few others, has always had worth beyond measure, and Mjolnir recognized it in him all those years ago.
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