Headscratchers / Samaritan

• The whole detail about forging a special hammer which is the "only thing that can harm the likes of Samaritan" is superfluous, given that it was demonstrated that Joe had clear limits to his superdurability. A simple ram from a car at full speed easily took him out of commission, and even the Healing Factor that saved him threatens his well-being too. Logically speaking, any villain could have just wore Samaritan or Joe down with superior numbers or firepower, and that's exactly what Cyrus did to Joe, allowing him to give Joe a tough fight. There's no need for any special hammer other than the symbolism it supposedly represents of Nemesis.
  • To be honest, the hammer was supposed to harm Samaritan (And Nemesis) in their prime. The main source of the drama is that Joe is way past his prime.
  • Another point to make is that, in the prologue, the hammer was powered by Nemesis's blood, and it was meant to enhance his existing super-strength against Samaritan. However, because Cyrus is an average human, the hammer gives normal humans equal footing against superhumans like Joe (Nemesis), making them more of a threat to Granite City.
  • Barring material outside the movie. Joe never says the hammer actually has any special abilities. Just like those thinking Nemesis (had a master plan but actually didn't), it could be Nemesis said he made it with his rage and others mistook that to mean it literally had power to hurt the two. It's just a regular old hammer and Nemesis intended to bring down Samaritan the old fashioned way. Actually the fire may have been his card, overheating+fire.
    • However, given the hammer's unusual glow and the properties it possesses, the whole being "made with his rage" might be more literal than figurative. How else could someone like Cyrus have been able to easily break down a solid steel door and take on Joe Smith in a one-on-one?