WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Thor: Ragnarok, in theaters now, and for Marvel Comics Planet Hulk storyline.


Fans likely already know that Thor: Ragnarok borrows heavily from Marvel Comics' "Planet Hulk," but just how much is actually taken from that fan-favorite 2006-2007 storyline?

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To understand how director Taika Waititi's sequel pays homage to those comics, we'll need to briefly revisit the storyline by writer Greg Pak and artists Carlo Pagulayan and Aaron Lopresti: Before the events of Marvel Comics' Civil War, a group of superheroes called the Illuminati (Doctor Strange, Tony Stark, Professor Charles Xavier, Namor, Reed Richards and Black Bolt) banished Hulk from Earth after he nearly destroyed Las Vegas, believing him too dangerous to remain free. He's tricked onto a space shuttle that's supposed to rocket him to a peaceful world, where he would be left alone, but the vessel went off course, traveled through a wormhole and crashed on the savage planet Sakaar.

Fixed with an obedience disk, Hulk is enslaved and thrust into gladiatorial combat for the amusement of Sakaar's ruler, the Red King. He eventually becomes the strongest being on the planet, then the leader of an uprising and, ultimately, Sakaar's new king. It all goes wonky when the ship he crashed in explodes and kills the woman he loves. Hulk then returns to Earth to vengeance in the subsequent "World War Hulk" storyline, but we won't get into that here.

warbound from planet hulk

Throughout "Planet Hulk," the Green Goliath gains some powerful allies called the Warbound, composed of fellow former gladiators; they're heavy hitters on par with the Hulk himself: Korg, Miek, no-name Brood, Elloe Kaifi, Lavin Skee and Hiroim. Some of those characters appear in Thor: Ragnarok, while others don't, because of changes to the storyline.

Now we can dive into where, and how, the plot of Thor: Ragnarok intersects with that of "Planet Hulk."

When we last audiences saw the Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he was alone aboard a Quinjet on stealth mode at the end of 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron. The aircraft was later transported, with Hulk on board, to Sakaar. It's similar to how he ended up on the planet in the comics, but the filmmakers took some creative license; when Hulk explains to Thor (Chris Hemworth) what happened, he does so by pantomiming a crash with his hands. It's funny and it works.

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When Thor lands on Sakaar after being thrown from the Bifrost Bridge en route to Asgard, he lands in a junkyard, where he's capture and then sold to the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum), who rules Sakaar in the film. The thunder god finds Loki (Tom Hiddleston) there, and learns that he landed weeks earlier due to time dilation and the convenience of storytelling that places the trickster in the Grandmaster's favor.

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Thor is then transported to a holding area, where other gladiators are either resting or lying dead on the floor. He then meets two of Hulk's Warbound (although they're not so affiliated in this film). The insectoid Miek is a bit different in Ragnarok: His hands are swords, or else he has them grafted onto his wrists, and he doesn't say anything. Korg, on the other hand, has a lot to say. He's brilliantly portrayed by director Taika Waititi, who uses the rocky alien as comic relief. His matter-of-fact way of speaking is surprising and hilarious, and most definitely not what you would expect from a giant rock monster.

korg and miek in thor: ragnarok

When we first see Hulk in the film, he's wearing armor and carrying weapons similar to those in "Planet Hulk." He never fought Thor in the original storyline, but that's something we can forgive. The two battle it out before becoming roommates in a nice nod to The Odd Couple. Thor attempts to convince the Hulk that he should accompany him to Asgard to help him defeat Hela and prevent Ragnarok, essentially the end of the world. However, Hulk doesn't want to leave, as he's enjoying his stay on Sakaar. It's also revealed at this point (and confirmed a little later) that he's been in Hulk form for a long time. That's similar to "Planet Hulk," in that Hulk is the dominant being throughout the storyline, with Bruce Banner contained within him. He only ever reveals his Banner form once, to his beloved.

Later in the film, when Banner surfaces and the Hulk takes a nap (or whatever he does when Bruce is in control), we learn he's been out of commission for two years. Banner isn't too happy to learn that, as he fears he won't be able regain control if the monster emerges again.

Shortly after that revelation, the group finds its way off Sakaar, and most of the similarities between Thor: Ragnarok and "Planet Hulk" end. However, there is one more: We later see Miek get stomped and carried around by Korg, who admits he stomped on him. He thinks Miek is dead, but we find out he's still alive and kicking. In the comics, Miek underwent a similar metamorphosis before becoming much more powerful. That's going into the "relatively similar" category, and we are glad the character wasn't killed, as Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige recently acknowledged there are plans for Korg and Miek beyond Thor: Ragnarok.


In theaters nationwide, director Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as Hulk, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Cate Blanchett as Hela, Jeff Goldblum as The Grandmaster, Idris Elba as Heimdall, Anthony Hopkins as Odin, and Karl Urban as Skurge.