With Thor: Ragnarok set for release this fall, everyone is hyped for the reunion of Chris Hemsworth's son of Odin and Mark Ruffalo's Hulk-ing green rage monster. Of course, our warriors are going to fight before they make up, and the trailers so far have been teasing that huge showdown with some epic footage. And they're pretty much just as awesome in the reenactment that Ruffalo himself has posted online, which you can see in all of its plastic majesty below.
So there's a lot that can be unpacked from this Thor: Ragnarok flavored tease, starting with the obvious question on everyone's minds: is The Hulk going to win this clash of the Marvel Cinematic titans? It surely looks like that's the result, judging by how Mark Ruffalo has his toys positioned. Then again, it's kind of obvious he has a horse in this race, and as such his version of events contradict what looks like a KO of Bruce Banner's alter ego in the Thor: Ragnarok trailer.
The second question: Are "raging fire" and "smoldering fire" new nicknames for Thor and The Hulk to throw around during their battle against Cate Blanchett's Hela? Perhaps their big gladiatorial fight in the middle of Thor: Ragnarok will inspire both participants to recognize the fire that burns in each other, leading to the superb team-up that will await then after their "fight of the century" has settled. But it all comes down to that first thought that comes to mind when discussing Thor v Hulk: who really stands to win this battle?
If Thor had Mjolnir in his employ, it'd be a more evenly matched fight. We saw that in The Avengers, when the fight between the two opponents and shaky team members ended in somewhat of a draw. Albeit that fight was kind of interrupted while the plot of the 2012 film was moving along, and the heroes have become friends since. But with The Hulk looking to have reverted to a more primal state of mind in Thor: Ragnarok, that killer edge just might give Banner the advantage, considering Mjolnir has been destroyed. We're not saying we know who'd win per se, but the home field advantage Thor enjoyed so many years ago is gone, and that does count for quite a bit.
Granted, the Thor and Hulk conflict is probably the act I closer for Thor: Ragnarok, which probably won't have too much of a bearing on the film's plot. But it's still one of those superhero match-ups that's always proposed when breaking out the proverbial (or in Mark Ruffalo's case, the literal) toybox of Marvel Comics heroes. So long as there's writers and directors that frequent that sandbox of the mind, as well as actors like Ruffalo that commit their scenarios to the records of Instagram, there will always be a market for big ticket comic book movies.
Thor: Ragnarok continues the comic movie madness on November 3rd. To find out what else Marvel has up its sleeve in Phase 3, check out our full guide.
