Meanwhile, MCU Phase 4 saw Stormbreaker being wielded by Thor, Gorr the God Butcher, Love, and anyone else who was strong enough to actually lift and swing it. This is because of the respective origins of both legendary Asgardian weapons.
Unlike Mjølnir, however, the weapon is not enchanted to prevent those deemed "unworthy" from holding it, making anybody with sufficient strength capable of using the weapon.
Unlike Mjolnir, Stormbreaker was never enchanted by the forefathers to only be held by the “worthy”. It was simply a powerfully forged weapon with near-indestructible properties. Cliff G. Anybody can pick up Stormbreaker.
Mjolnir is a hammer, and was enchanted by Thor's father, Odin, so that only those the hammer deemed "worthy" are capable of wielding or even lifting it. Stormbreaker is an axe, and although it does not have such a worthiness enchantment, its power is such that a mere mortal attempting to wield it would be driven mad.
Gorr the God Butcher possesses enhanced strength, durability, and agility due to his alien physiology and absorption of divine energy. Stormbreaker, a powerful enchanted weapon forged by Eitri, allows beings of sufficient strength, like Gorr, to wield it.
Thor Awakens His Power Scene | Thor Ragnarok (2017) IMAX Movie Clip HD 4K
How did Thanos lift Thor's Stormbreaker?
Now, the Stormbreaker was made after the destruction of Asgard and the death of Odin. It is NOT enchanted. Most people make this mistake but it was confirmed by the directors that anyone who possesses the ''physical strength'' to lift the weapon can lift it.
Although Stormbreaker and Mjolnir have very similar properties and powers, Stormbreaker is the most powerful weapon wielded by Thor so far. The obvious reasons are that Stormbreaker is the physically larger weapon out of the two, and not to mention that it is an axe, which could well be more dangerous than a hammer.
As Thor described in Infinity War, Stormbreaker was a “Thanos-killing” weapon. Like Mjolnir, Stormbreaker is one of the most powerful weapons in the universe, and both Uru hammers nearly deal killing blows to Thanos in both Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
During a conflict between Beta Ray Bill and Thor, who had been turned into an Herald of Galactus, Bill prevented Mjolnir from returning to its bearer's hand. Seeing no options to reach an agreement, Thor called Stormbreaker and destroyed it by hitting it against Mjolnir.
During a Vudu Viewing Party for Avengers: Infinity War, co-directors Anthony and Joe Russo revealed a key difference between Thor's hammer Mjolnir and his new ax Stormbreaker: the latter doesn't require worthiness. That's why Groot was able to lift the ax, not because he was worthy but because he didn't need to be.
Thor's hammer Mjolnir was defined by the fact that only the 'worthy' could lift it – so basically no-one except the god of thunder (and Vision, for some reason). But when it comes to the weapon's replacement, Stormbreaker – which Thor forges in Avengers: Infinity War – Groot is able to lift it too.
Because it could kill thanos, is more powerful and thor panicked. Had he thought to call Mjolnir thanks would have gone to catch it and it would have knocked thanos on his bottom or something similar. But because thor was reliant on stormbreaker because it was more powerful he did it without thinking.
Many viewers have pointed out that Thanos was able to lift Stormbreaker without a problem, but this is because the ax isn't enchanted as Mjolnir is. Others believe Thanos lifted Mjolnir (although briefly) and have even argued that he would be worthy of doing so.
Rune King Thor is perhaps the strongest version of Thor we have ever witnessed in the Marvel Comics. In the desperate need of power, Thor makes the ultimate sacrifice of his life in the Mighty Thor #80–85. He hangs himself from the tree of Yggdrasil to get his hands on Rune Magic and he literally died.
In Thor: Love and Thunder's ending, Love carried it into battle alongside Thor, who was once again wielding Mjolnir. The movie doesn't explain Thor's motivations for giving up Stormbreaker, but it makes sense that Chris Hemsworth simply wanted Love to have a powerful weapon to aid her in battle.
But as it turns out, it was not just Thor's strength. After all, no weapon in existence should be able to stop the combined power of the Infinity Stones, no matter how powerful the wielder is. Turns out, Thanos was taken unawares. He had just incapacitated all the heroes who tried to stop him.
Stormbreaker survived a full blast from the IG utilizing all of its stones. Actually, not only did it survive, it overpowered it. Unless you think Hela's grip and innate powers is more destructive than all those stones combined then the answer is no, she can't destroy Stormbreaker.
In the MCU, Stormbreaker was forged by Eitri at the behest of Thor, as a weapon to use against Thanos and his Infinity Gauntlet. In the comics, however, Stormbreaker was still made by Eitri, but pretty much everything else is different.
Mjolnir, Thor's primary weapon, is the most easily recognized symbol of the thundering hero. Bestowed with a blessed enchantment, this hammer can only be picked up by those who have been proven worthy of its immense power.
