Magic: The Gathering’s preview season for the upcoming Marvel Super Heroes set has officially begun, ahead of its full release on June 26. And one of the new cards revealed is a piece of equipment based on Thor’s iconic magical hammer, Mjölnir.
As many Marvel fans know, this hammer was forged in the heart of a dying star from a mystical metal called Uru, and its enchantments make it so that only those deemed worthy can wield it. Otherwise, it’s impossibly heavy. We saw this dynamic unfold in dramatic fashion in the Marvel Cinematic Universe where Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, wielded Mjölnir against Thanos in Avengers: Endgame. Now, Wizards of the Coast is bringing the storied weapon into Magic, where the scope of potential wielders has broadened out quite a bit.
When Mjölnir enters the battlefield, it deals four damage to up to one target creature, which simulates Thor calling upon the hammer to make it crash onto the battlefield. You can also pay three mana to discard Mjölnir to deal two damage to each creature — so I’m assuming that’s a lightning storm. Its most potent effect is that it doubles all damage that equipped creature would deal.
The “Equip Worthy” mechanic is interesting, to say the least. For the cost of one colorless mana, you can equip Mjölnir to any legendary non-Villain creature that is red and/or white. Wizards specifically chose those two colors so that various versions of both Thor and Captain America would be able to pick Mjölnir in the Marvel Super Heroes set.
“If you meet those criteria, then you are worthy, and you can pick up Mjölnir,” lead designer Mark Rosewater confirmed in the preview call.
But Captain America isn’t the only legendary creature in Magic who can now wield the magic hammer. Take a look at this motley assortment of Mjölnir wielders.
Naturally, I immediately started racking my brain for the weirdest possible wielders, particularly across Universes Beyond crossovers. Amy Rose from the Sonic the Hedgehog Secret Lair qualifies, and she has some equipment synergy. Both versions of Kratos from God of War qualify, which actually makes a lot of sense given he himself is a god (of war). There’s also Merry from The Lord of the Rings. Even Gandalf’s horse Shadowfax and the shark from Jaws can wield this thing, but they’d probably have to bite down on the handle to hold it, right? Some other peculiar wielders include Chief Jim Hopper from Stranger Things; Rick from The Walking Dead; and, somehow, Dwight Schrute from The Office.
Interestingly enough, various Universes Beyond characters placed into red and/or white do tend to be rather noble heroes, so for the most part this does resonate thematically. But there’s one glaring exception that stuck out to me: Hugo Kupka from Final Fantasy 16.
Technically, Hugo Kupka is a Final Fantasy: Through the Ages reprint of Bruse Tarl, Boorish Herder. Tarl is a large, muscly, hairy man with a big mustache from Zendikar, who once organized an army of nomads to fight the Eldrazi. Why was he ever chosen to represent Hugo Kupka, a homicidal maniac from Final Fantasy 16 who’s the Dominant of the Eikon Titan? Kupka and Tarl have very little in common, other than being beefy. Their card is a “Human Ally,” which is certainly off-brand for Kupka. “Human Berserker Villain” is probably the most accurate.
There’s no doubt about it, Kupka is a villain and arguably FF16’s most interesting one at that. After the death of his lover, he’s driven to seek vengeance on the protagonist Clive Rosfield (also a qualified Mjölnir wielder in Magic, by the way). So he transformed into a rock giant to massacre dozens upon dozens of mostly innocent people. Before that, he routinely used that same form against other opponents, obliterating entire armies in the process. Clive and Kupka’s inevitable battle is probably the single best boss fight in the entire game, and it’s depicted in both versions of the Magic card Clash of the Eikons. (Clive cuts off Kupka’s hands early in that fight, which would probably make it hard for Kupka to lift anything, let alone a magical hammer.)
Granted, most of the FF16 cast got reprints like this as part of the Through the Ages bonus sheet included in the Final Fantasy set. The art throughout the bonus sheet is excellent, but it also presents some real oddities in terms of creature typing. Clive himself appears as a Goblin Berserker. Clive’s brother Joshua is a Kobold Warrior. Kupka’s lover, Benedikta Harman, is a Bird Monk. Go figure.
Perhaps I’m taking a celebration of video game art in Magic a little too seriously, but I can’t shake how wrong it feels to consider Hugo Kupka as worthy of wielding Mjölnir.
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