Marvel’s cinematic sound effects are instantly recognizable to fans, from Tony’s iconic metal hammering to the sound of Thor’s hammer, Mjölnir, being thrown and returning to his hands. One YouTuber, Zach “The Speed Square” King, has discovered that a carpenter’s speed square tool, ironically triangular and used for measuring and marking projects, makes the same sound as Mjölnir when thrown.
The creator made his first video with the tool in 2024, and since then, most of his content surrounds the throwing and the “satisfying” sound. He seems to be one of the only people making this kind of content, too.
And the sound is pretty on-point. Adam Savage from Mythbusters spoke with Samson Neslund, a sound designer from Skywalker Sound, the studio that works with Marvel. Neslund discussed using the familiar tone of Mjölnir to create dopplers for when it is thrown. Even when the object moves back and forth, fans can instantly recognize the sound.
Marvel has its own sound library at Skywalker Sound, containing over 1,600 sound effects. The sound of Mjölnir flying through the air is that of “metal resonance,” like a meditation bowl. While Neslund didn’t reveal the actual objects the Foley artists (that’s artists that create ambient noise for movies) used to create the tone and the whoosh of the hammer, he did note that the sound for it returning to Thor’s hand is actually the throwing sound in reverse.
Needless to say, the Foley artists probably didn’t use a speed square for Mjölnir. Despite that, Zach “The Speed Square” King managed to find a near-perfect copy of the sound. The sound is created by throwing the “square” against an object and letting it return, boomeranging as Mjölnir does.
Mjölnir has been on quite a journey. After being broken in Ragnarok, reassembled in Love and Thunder, and wielded by Jane Foster, it has now returned to the God of Thunder. During the hammer’s absence, Thor wielded Stormbreaker, a battle axe. Now, it seems Stormbreaker will make a return, as seen in the Doomsday trailer. Luckily, if you are a fan of Mjölnir, it also makes its Doomsday appearance during the return of Steve Rogers. Both weapons will be featured in the highly anticipated Marvel movie.
And hey, if you love Mjölnir, you too can try to recreate its sound.