For months now, speculation has swirled around the rumor that Hulk will appear in Marvel’sThor: Ragnarokin some fashion, especially sinceCaptain America: Civil Waris already too packed full of heroes to make room for the big green meanie. Now a new rumor has surfaced that explains the Hulk’s absence over the next few Marvel movies and his reappearance in late 2017. Keep in mind that the script for the thirdThorouting is currently being worked on byChristopher Yost(Thor: The Dark World),Craig Kyle(Iron Man: Armored Adventures), andStephany Folsom, and that directorTaika Waititimight punch up the film’s comedya bit, so all story elements are in a state of flux.
That being said,Geekhas a delightful theory that delves into the comic book history of both Hulk and Thor, one that, if their sources are legitimate, could bring two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most powerful heroes to blows. We’ve seen these two go at it inThe Avengers, but if this rumor pans out, fans can expect a wildly different scene inThor: Ragnarok. Let’s get into it.
Image via Marvel[/caption]
Mark Ruffalo, who plays Bruce Banner/Hulk, has been pretty chatty aboutThor: Ragnarokeven though he hasn’t read the unfinished script just yet. In addition to describing the film as a “universal road movie” and the relationship between Thor and Hulk as being cast in the mold ofMidnight Run, Ruffalo has also described his character as one that’s starting to merge the personalities of the uncontrollable Hulk and the scientifically minded Banner. These tidbits, coupled with the banishing/disappearance of the Hulk at the end ofAvengers: Age of Ultronand unsubstantiated rumors of a standalonePlanet Hulkhave all coalesced into this new theory.Potential spoilersfollow.
Geek’s sources state that, inThor: Ragnarok,Chris Hemsworth’stitle hero will get wise to the devious plans set forth byTom Hiddleston’sLoki andCate Blanchett’sHela, but he catches on too late. The villains somehow manage to destroy Thor’s hammer Mjolnir and banish the prince from Asgard, which sets up the journey that Thor must undertake. This banishment, and his resulting quest, drops him squarely on the alien world of Sakaar, a world in which Thor has his head shaved and is forced into gladiatorial combat to survive. Even without his hammer, Thor is able to best his opponents, at least until he fights his way to the arena champion: Hulk.
From there, the theory goes that Banner’s recollections of his time cooperating with Thor will lead the two heroes to team up once again - after an entertaining skirmish, one would hope - in order to secure some sort of powerful weapon/MacGuffin that will help them defeat Loki and Hela.
This train of thought follows the rumors that we’ve been hearing lately to their logical conclusion, but there’s still little if any official news backing any of it up. This take on the plot would certainly be a great way for Marvel to include theirPlanet Hulkstoryline inThor: Ragnarokwithout devoting resources (and possibly infringing on copyright claims) for a standaloneHulkmovie. It’d also be fun to see these two tangle again before buddying up in a road-trip adventure, but we’re still a long way away from the August 02, 2025 release. Perhaps the most shocking part of all of this would be for Thor to lose his long, flowing locks! (Oh, and the hammer, too, I guess.) Let us know what you think about this theory in the comments below!
Here’s more of our previous and ongoing coverage of bothHulkandThor: Ragnarok:
