Hela Didn't Originally Break Mjolnir, She Used It To Beat Thor

While Thor: Ragnarok saw Hela break Mjolnir - in the comics, she actually used it against Thor himself. The destruction of Thor's hammer Mjolnir is one of the most striking moments in the MCU to date. Thor, who is used to considering his weapon invincible, throws it at Hela without a second thought. To his horror, Hela actually catches Mjolnir in her outstretched arm, and shatters it with ease. It is a tremendously effective way to demonstrate just how powerful Hela really is.

Thor: Ragnarok gradually reveals the truth about its version of Hela; she is Thor's older sister, and her power seems at least equal to that of Odin the All-Father itself, explaining why she is able to destroy Mjolnir with contemptuous ease. It's a very different portrayal from the comics, of course, where Hela is the Goddess of the Dead and a constant threat to Asgard as she seeks to expand her rule and reign. Surprisingly, though, the scene in which Hela catches Mjolnir is actually lifted straight from the comics.

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The story is told in the Thor: Son of Asgard series, written by C.B. Cebulski (under the pseudonym 'Akira Yoshida') and featuring art by Greg Tocchini. This is something of an origin story for Thor, and it builds to a climax in which Thor comes face to face with Hela for the first time. The God of Thunder has finally proven himself worthy to wield Mjolnir, and he throws it straight at Hela, eager to defeat her. To his surprise, Hela catches it in her outstretched arm, using her dark magic to manipulate the enchanted hammer, and then turns Mjolnir upon him.

There is a sense in which this scene is frankly far more shocking than even Thor: Ragnarok. In the MCU, Thor has used Mjolnir for centuries before he learns that Hela is its equal; here, he has only just proved worthy to use Mjolnir, and yet he is seeing it turned against him. What's more, Thor associates Mjolnir with Odin's own power - understandable, given he knows Odin used to wield Mjolnir. To Thor, then, Hela's easy deflection of Mjolnir indicates she is actually greater than Odin the All-Father.

Thor survives Hela's wrath, of course. He achieves this because she is shaken at his self-sacrificial character, when he offers himself in the place of the Lady Sif. The same worthiness that allows Thor to lift Mjolnir makes him a source of deep frustration for Hela, because she knows she will not be able to claim the soul of someone so pure of heart. Similarly to Thor: Ragnarok, Thor's first victory over Hela comes not from Mjolnir, but from his own character.