Captain America Fact — November 5, 2026

Today's Fact

The first time Steve Rogers ever lifted Thor's hammer he was not Captain America at all — he had quit, and another man was carrying the shield.

STEVE ROGERS FIRST LIFTED MJOLNIR AS 'THE CAPTAIN' — AFTER HE HAD QUIT BEING CAPTAIN AMERICA!

The Featured Fact

In 1988 Steve Rogers had surrendered the Captain America identity rather than serve as a government agent, and was fighting in a black, red and white uniform under the plain name The Captain, while John Walker wore the stars and stripes. Visiting the Avengers, he was caught in an attack by Seth, the Egyptian death god, whose forces overwhelmed Thor and tore Mjolnir from his hand in Thor Vol. 1 #390 (1988).

Hearing Thor scream — a sound Rogers said he had never heard before — he ran to the fallen hammer knowing a far stronger henchman, Grog, had already failed to budge it. He gripped it expecting nothing, and lifted Mjolnir clean off the ground, then threw it back to Thor so the god could rejoin the fight. The hammer did not care that Rogers had no title, no shield of office and no country's permission; worthiness was the whole résumé.

Thor understood exactly what had happened, and the issue closes with the two men drinking together, Thor honoured that his friend had been judged worthy. Rogers would not lift the hammer again in costume as Captain America until Fear Itself #7 (2011) — twenty-three years later — which is why the quiet 1988 lift, in the wrong uniform under the wrong name, remains the purer of the two.

Why It's Obscure

Endgame made the lift famous; the original happened in a borrowed identity, with no audience but a death god's army.

#390, 1988

The first lift — Thor #390: Rogers, as The Captain, picks up Mjolnir during Seth's attack and throws it back to Thor.

The Captain

The wrong name — He had quit as Captain America over government control; John Walker held the role while Rogers proved worthy without it.

Grog

The control test — Seth's brute Grog had already tried and failed to move the hammer, ruling out strength as the explanation.

#7, 2011

The sequel — Fear Itself #7, twenty-three years later, was the first time he lifted it while actually being Captain America.

Gallery

The original lift, panel by panel — Thor down, Seth's legions closing in, and The Captain reaching for a hammer that should not move.

Thor issue 390 panels, Thor attacked by Seth's forces while Steve Rogers reaches for Mjolnir — **He needs his hammer!** Panels from Thor #390: Seth's forces pin Thor down while Rogers, in The Captain's black uniform, reaches for the fallen Mjolnir.

Steve Rogers picking up Mjolnir in Thor issue 390 — **The lift itself** Rogers raising Mjolnir in Thor #390 — the first time any Captain, under any name, was judged worthy.

Thor comic art with Mjolnir — **The hammer's owner** Thor, the mentioned god whose weapon made the judgment: Mjolnir answered Rogers in 1988 and waited twenty-three years to do it again.

Sources

Every fact on this page was checked against at least two independent sources before publication.

Bullpen Bulletins

Every time Captain America wielded Mjolnir — CBR Records the first lift in Thor #390, with Rogers as The Captain, and Thor honoured by his friend's worthiness.
Avengers who have wielded Thor's hammer — ComicBook.com Confirms Thor #390: Thor knocked out by Seth's forces, Rogers lifts Mjolnir, then returns it the moment Thor wakes.
Thor #390 (1988): Cap lifts Mjolnir — Earth's Mightiest Blog Issue-by-issue account of Thor #390 and Rogers' first lift, in his Captain period after quitting the Captain America role.