Thor: Ragnarok will, of course, primarily be focused on the eponymous God of Thunder, but Bruce Banner, a.k.a. The Hulk, will also plenty of moments to stand out. Several reports earlier this year indicated that the third Thor installment would incorporate elements from the Planet Hulk comic book storyline, and at San Diego Comic-Con this past summer, Marvel displayed armor that the Green Goliath will presumably don in the movie. It appears that will indeed happen, as a new piece of art has come out online showing Hulk fully armored for Thor: Ragnarok. Check it out!
The above Thor: Ragnarok artwork has been making the rounds online today, showing the main hero and Hulk charging into some kind of battle. As you can see in the right hand corner, it looks like this was originally shown in Thailand. While it's business as usual to see Thor himself donned in battle gear (although it is peculiar that he's holding a sword instead of Mjolnir, his trusty hammer), Hulk wearing armor is a new look for him in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's worth pointing out that it's unclear whether or not this is an official release, with some wondering if it's fan art. That said, the helmet does at least match the one shown at San Diego Comic-Con (not to mention the Facebook version post including some plot details that pan out), so for now, it's likelier than not that Hulk will be going into battle wearing extra protection, just like his comic book counterpart did in Planet Hulk. By the way, am I the only one who thinks Thor's face looks a little weird in this image?
In the Planet Hulk storyline, Hulk wore armor while he was on the planet Sakaar, usually when battling fellow combatants in the gladiator ring. Marvel has yet to officially disclose what the deal is with the armor in Thor: Ragnarok, but it's strongly implied Hulk will have it for similar reasons. It was reported in May that both Thor and Hulk will be forced to fight in gladiatorial games on an alien planet, but in this continuity, they're being presided over by Grandmaster (played by Jeff Goldblum). If that's not enough Planet Hulk goodness for you, it's also been confirmed that Korg and Miek, two characters from the original storyline, will also appear.
Hulk was last seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron flying away from the battle with the eponymous villain to keep Black Widow safe, and his whereabouts are still unknown. Whether we find out what Bruce Banner was up to during the Civil War remains to be seen, but eventually Thor will discover his location and bring his former Avengers teammate along on his latest journey in Thor: Ragnarok, which we'll see them battling the likes of Hela, Skurge and Surtur...and probably Loki, too, assuming he double crosses them.
Thor: Ragnarok storms into theaters on November 3, 2017.
