A couple of weeks ago I followed up JoBlo's original report that Hulk would be in Thor: Ragnarok with some details, specifically that Hulk isn't a cameo but rather a co-star, and that he and Thor go on a Hope and Crosby style road trip. Now Mark Ruffalo is confirming this, saying to the Daily Mail:
“I don’t really know that much about it, but I think it’s going to be a buddy picture with Thor and Bruce Banner,” Ruffalo said. “I think they’ll probably fight. There’s no doubt, everyone wants us to fight at one point.”
A fight between Thor and Hulk is a foregone conclusion - this is a Marvel movie, after all! - but I love getting this piece of confirmation. I'm hoping my info on Valkyrie gets confirmed next.
Hulk and Thor make a great team, because the dynamic between Thor and Banner and Thor and Hulk is so different. I can actually imagine Thor preferring the company of the quiet, unquestioning Hulk over the chatty Banner, which could be fun.
In another interview Ruffalo said he would like to see Banner meet the Hulk, and I have to say I would love that moment to be onscreen. Banner and the Hulk have been separated before, and on a cosmic odyssey anything is possible. Of course it could also happen in a dream/hallucination, but I like the idea of Banner and the Hulk actually being apart and then having to choose to come back together to save the day. That's your classic Hulk tragedy right there!