Will The Hulk Be Separated From Bruce Banner in Thor: Ragnarok?

As the year drudges on, we get closer to the premiere of Thor: Ragnarok. And with the premiere fast approaching, more footage is being released. The latest footage to be released came in the form of several images of the cast of Thor: Ragnarok in action.

Within the gallery of images released, a number of new characters were glimpsed for the first time, including Grandmaster, Hela, and Valkyrie. And while these new images introduced us to a number of new characters in the MCU, we still haven't seen any images of Hulk.

Early on, we knew Hulk would have a central role in Thor: Ragnarok but we've yet to see any images of Hulk. However, some images taken from the set of Thor: Ragnarok may have given us a hint at what the Hulk is up to in the new film.

Will the Hulk Be Separated From Bruce Banner in 'Thor: Ragnarok'?

In the set images captured, the scene appears to take place on Asgard with Mark Ruffalo filming a scene. Nearby, a prop used as a placeholder for the CGI-Hulk is being filmed within the same shot. What's interesting here is that Ruffalo filming alongside a prop for the Hulk implies the two will be separated from each other during Thor: Ragnarok rather than portraying one character.

Some may be skeptical of the aspect of Hulk and Bruce Banner separating since there's no evidence in the comics but there is a precedent for it taking place in another medium, the animated Hulk Vs.Thor movie.

In the animated Hulk Vs. Thor, Loki uses his magic to separate Bruce Banner from the Hulk. The result left a mindless Hulk wreaking havoc on Asgard and a newly freed Bruce Banner. Loki then proceeded to kill Bruce Banner in signature villain fashion.

That being said, evidence is pointing towards Hulk Vs. Thor influencing the events of Thor: Ragnarok, at least in some regard. With Loki being an antagonist in the film, he probably won't kill Bruce Banner but he could be responsible for separating Banner from the Hulk. Loki has the magic and know-how to perform the task so he could be responsible for separating Hulk from Bruce Banner.

All Signs are Pointing to a Separation Between Hulk and Banner

Another piece of evidence that points towards the animated Hulk Vs. Thor influencing the events of Thor: Ragnarok are the similar character cast. It's actually Hela's role in Ragnarok that could see a portion of the film mirroring the animated Hulk Vs. Thor movie, mainly because it was Hela who reunited Bruce Banner's mind with the Hulk in the animated Hulk Vs. Thor movie. So, reasonably speaking, the new version of Hela being introduced to the MCU could fill a role similar to the one played by Hela in Hulk Vs. Thor.

We also need to remember that details on Hela's role revealed that she'll be leading an invasion on Asgard in Thor: Ragnarok, so a mindless Hulk leading the invasion would be a perfect way to ensure her victory.

Regardless of theories, all we know about Bruce Banner / Hulk's role at the moment is that he'll fight against Thor in a gladiatorial arena. That said, we still don't know for a certainty that Bruce Banner will be separated from his monstrous counterpart, the Hulk but it seems likely to happen with all the characters needed for that scenario to play out being present in Thor: Ragnarok.