Planet Hulk, Sakaar and Why Hulk Appears In Armor in Thor Ragnarok
This past week Marvel/Disney dropped a bomb with the release of the trailer to Thor: Ragnarok. While I thought about going into detail about what it means and all the speculation that goes with that, I couldn’t do it. There are plenty of other sites out there that do a remarkable job of that and if that’s what you’re looking for, here are a few:
Instead, I wanted to catch you up on why the Hulk is in the movie and what sort of inspiration this is drawing from.
You probably noticed around the orgasmic 1 minute, 30-second mark that our big green friend appeared wearing armor, right? Not only that, but you probably noticed that he wasn’t on Earth, right?
The question is, why?
In a story within the Incredible Hulk series (95-102), the Hulk is once again responsible for the senseless destruction of the city around him. Because of this, a secret group of superheroes known as the Illuminati (Dr. Strange, Mr. Fantastic, Namor, Ironman, Black Bolt and Professor Xavier (missing)) with the help of Nick Fury, come together to figure out exactly what should be done with him. They decide that the only logical thing would be to “trick” him into jumping on a shuttle so that they may ship him off to a peaceful planet to live out his days. By doing this, they ensure that he will:
- Not cause any harm to bystanders
- Not cause any harm to himself’
In the attempt, two things went very wrong. First, Hulk found out what they were up to. Second, the shuttle was sent off course and actually landed on the planet Sakaar. Think Russell Crowe and Gladiator.
Planet Hulk – Sakaar
Weakened by the flight and crash, Hulk is immediately fashioned with an obedience disk and forced to fight in a battle arena. As his wins piled up, many other combatants smartly aligned themselves with him.
Eventually, he and his friends would be offered freedom. The cost of freedom? They had to best the newly captured Silver Surfer in battle. Never one to miss a battle, Hulk accepted. During their battle, Hulk removed the Surfer’s obedience disk and in return, the Surfer removed his. Before leaving the grounds, the Surfer asked if Hulk wanted to go home.
His reply?
No.
Vengeance
His quest for vengeance took him into an encounter with Caiera, who had been sent by the Red King (ruler of Sakaar) to dispose of him. A battle between the two ensued. The battle was interrupted by an invasion of Spikes sent by the Red King (the Spikes have the powerful ability to inflict mutation on anyone they touch). Mortified that her own King would send such creatures, Caiera switched sides, opting to fight for Hulk.
The two marched on the Red King’s castle with the intent to overthrow the King. For obvious reasons, Hulk beat the Red King in battle and as a result of his victory was appointed as the new king of Sakaar.
Fun fact…Caiera and Hulk would go on to have a baby called Skaar.
Retribution
In Hulk’s world, nothing goes right and stays right. In Planet Hulk, the trend continues.
The shuttle that carried him to Sakaar began ticking and before he could launch it into space, it exploded. The explosion killed many around him including his wife. Now more angry than every, the Hulk amassed an army with the sole purpose of returning to Earth to destroy all those who destroyed him.
And that my friends is Planet Hulk. From here, the story continues in the following issues as the equally popular World War Hulk.
Cheers,
Jeff
