The latest issue of Eternals introduces a hammer that is even more powerful than the enchanted hammer of Thor in a peculiar way.
WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Eternals #4 by Kieron Gillen, Esad Ribic, Matthew Wilson, and VC’s Clayton Cowles, on sale now.
The Marvel Universe is home to more than a few iconic and mythical hammers. Thor has Mjolnir, Beta Ray Bill has Stormbreaker, and the Eternal known as Phastos has his own golden hammer. Unlike the others, Phastos’ hammer doesn’t do much when it comes to delivering devastating blows. Instead, this latest addition to the ever growing list of powerful artifacts in the Marvel Universe has an entirely different set of abilities, ones that feel much more at home in the world of family friendly entertainment.
The Eternals’ Hammer Builds Better Than Mjolnir Destroys
The Eternals have been hard at work trying to figure out just who the traitor among them is that helped Thanos kill the Prime Eternal, Zuras. Unfortunately, that isn’t the only problem they are facing, as the world itself is on the verge of total collapse from the inside out. Phastos, first introduced in 1985’s Eternals #1 by Peter Gillis and Sal Buscema, has long served as a teacher and technologist to the Eternals of Earth, not to mention having crafted many of their iconic weapons by hand. His own is far less destructive than the blades Phastos has forged in the past, just as it is unlike anything Mjolnir has ever been.
As Phastos strikes the massive machine, his strikes let out a lingering “KNNNNKK” sound, indicative of the tool uploading a precise set of instructions into the machine. It’s hard to think of any time that Mjolnir was used to build or repair something, but there is another hammer in the wider Disney tapestry that has a surprisingly similar set of characteristics.
The Eternals’ Hammer Vs. The Modern Disney Classic, Wreck-It Ralph
2012’s Wreck-It Ralph starring John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, and Jane Lynch became an instant success upon release, and Jack McBrayer’s Fix-It Felix Jr. just so happens to have almost the exact same job that Phastos has undertaken in Eternals. Not only that, but Fix-It Felix Jr. is set on repairing his world with his own brand of magic hammer.
In his titular game within the film, Fix-It Felix Jr. follows Ralph up an apartment building, repairing the windows broken by Ralph with his magical hammer, which is a bright gold much like Phastos’ own, though it’s yet to be seen if the Eternal’s hammer can repair physical wounds to living beings the way Felix’s is used in the film.
Eternal vs. Asgardian – Which Are the Better Craftsmen?
As intriguing and exciting as the prospects of Phastos’ golden hammer and its abilities are, without knowing the full extent of them it is impossible to say whether the Eternals have a leg up on the Asgardians in this particular matchup. While Mjolnir has suffered from being broken and destroyed in the past, its pedigree and powers are both well known, and rarely has a God of Thunder ever stayed down for very long. It has even survived or been rebuilt over the years to the point where it is still playing an important role in major crossover events to this very day.
Aside from all of that, it can also safely be assumed that if someone worthy really wanted to, they could probably build a house using Thor’s hammer. That’s far from programming the machines that keep an entire planet running properly, but that one has never been used to slay ancient creatures either.
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