Back in 2013 when I ran my own site daily thepicreview.com, I reported on a rumor that Marvel Studios may have possibly had plans for a Planet Hulk film that never came to fruition. Six years later at SDCC 2016, it is good to get some vindication for that hunch. While Disney is not doing a direct adaptation of Greg Pak’s classic: Planet Hulk they are telling their classic spin on that tale in next summer’s Thor: Ragnarok.
First confirmed once Gladiator Hulk’s legendary armor was revealed earlier in the week at SDCC 2016, we got all the 
confirmation that just like Planet Hulk served the purpose of filling Bruce Banner’s gap during the original Civil War in the comics, Thor:Ragnarok will do the same in the MCU. The Hall H footage for those fortunate enough to see it featured multiple attempts by Tony Stark to recruit Banner for his side of the Civil War cause, while all but ignoring The God of Thunder (A bit ironic considered the original Thor was dead during the Civil War comic series!). The money shot however came when we saw a war paint littered Odinson in the midst of clashing with Hulk in full Gladiator Regalia, as I am sure Hall H went wild.
While it may seem odd to have the cinematic take on Planet Hulk take place in the third Thor Film, all these years later I am still impressed with Marvel’s ability to adapt these classic storylines without compromising the core mythos of the series. Was Captain America: Civil War the battle of Super Human registration? No, but all the core themes and undertones that made the comic great were there. I have no doubt that Patty Jenkin’s Thor: Ragnarok will do the same for the Planet Hulk storyline. I just hope that Marvel Comics continues to allow it’s talented and diverse creative teams to develop more original stories that can be adapted into film for years to come rather than writing big events that feel more like script treatments than a comic!
Thor: Ragnarok hit’s Theaters July 28th 2017
Please let us know how excited you are to see Gladiator Hulk face off with the Odinson in the comments below or tweet me @thereelbradbell