Hulk News You Need - 10/16/15

THOR INVITES HIS BETTER TO THOR: RAGNAROK

It's been in the rumor mill for a few days and now Deadline is reporting that Mark Ruffalo is in talks with Marvel Studios to appear in Thor: Ragnarok as Bruce Banner/The Hulk.

Along with his supposed potential appearance in the third Thor film, Bruce Banner is heavily rumored to meet Thor somewhere "on a distant planet." This is more fuel for the rumor practically as old as the Marvel Cinematic Universe itself that Marvel Studios is planning something that mirrors Greg Pak's fan-favorite "Planet Hulk" storyline.

TWO THEORIES:

1.  In Avengers: Age of Ultron when Black Widow proposes they run away together, Banner says, "Where could I go where I wouldn't be a threat?

Later, the last person to see Bruce Banner as Bruce Banner (i.e., pre-transformation) before he flies away in the stealth quinjet is Black Widow; the second-to-last person is Thor. Thor blasts into Ultron's base and Banner follows him through the hole in the wall. Soon afterward, Banner frees Black Widow and asks her to go away with him somewhere. 

Taking both of these things into consideration, I wonder if Banner spoke to Thor off-screen, told him about his intention of leaving, expressed his concern that there was nowhere on Earth he could go that would keep people safe from the Hulk, and asked if Thor could both facilitate some transportation as well as keep the whole thing to himself. If that were the case, Thor would know exactly where Banner is and so would know where to go looking for help in Thor: Ragnarok.

2. There are only two Infinity Stones left we haven't seen. One of them is the time gem.

Considering Thor left Earth at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron with the intention of learning what was going on with the Infinity Stones, it's possible if not likely Thor: Ragnarok will give us one of the remaining two stones. If so, it has at least a 50/50 chance of being the time gem.

I would be very surprised if the introduction of the time gem didn't accompany some kind of time travel story, especially since time travel is one of the few big sci-fi elements that's so far been completely unused in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

On the comic book side of things, we know that Amadeus Cho will be the new Hulk in Marvel's Totally Awesome Hulk title. We also know that Marvel's All-new, All-Different comics will prominently feature the Maestro; an evil version of the Hulk from the future.

Put all these things together...Thor vs. Maestro? Maybe?