thor ragnarok

According to Marvel’s Kevin Feige, Thor: Ragnarok won’t be spending much time on Earth, unlike the two previous outings with the mighty thunder god. Instead, the new sequel from What We Do in the Shadows director Taika Waititi will focus more on some of those oft-mentioned and previously unexplored other realms, which should provide plenty of possibilities for Thor’s little space-road trip with the Hulk. But with Earth mostly left behind, it’s been unclear which human characters will appear, and while we’re thinking mostly of Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster, we now know at least one human who won’t be making the trek to Ragnarok.

Samuel L. Jackson won’t be appearing in Captain America: Civil War, and with only two films left in his Marvel contract, we’ve been wondering when we might see Nick Fury again. We may have an answer, as a new report suggests that Jackson has a role in Thor: Ragnrok, which is filming in Australia at the same studio where the actor recently filmed scenes for Kong: Skull Island with his Marvel co-star Tom Hiddleston.

We’ve heard Hulk grunt and pant and do all the things big guys do when they’re Hulk-smashing their foes, but we’ve yet to hear the giant Avenger speak. That may change in Thor: Ragnarok, as Mark Ruffalo previously hinted that we’ll finally see Bruce Banner and the Hulk interact — something that’s already happened in the comics. Lending credence to that idea is Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi, who has a few things to say regarding whether or not Hulk will have a few things to say.

Let’s get this out of the way first: no, a Hulk standalone/spinoff movie is never happening any time in the near future. The rights are all mucked up with Universal and Marvel and creatively it just doesn’t seem like something Marvel is willing to take the risk on right now. But. BUT! Mark Ruffalo has said that you’re about to get the next best thing to a Hulk movie in Hulk’s storyline that plays out over Thor: Ragnarok and the two-part Avengers: Infinity War finale.

We are still about a year and a half away from the release of Thor: Ragnarok, but the rumors just keep pouring in. In addition to last week’s report on Cate Blanchett’s potential villainous role, another report has surfaced, this time suggesting how Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk may enter the picture, and it sounds just crazy enough to be true.

Taika Waititi delivered the funniest comedy of 2015 with What We Do in the Shadows, the vampire mock-doc that rightfully drew comparisons to This Is Spinal Tap. He’s back at Sundance this year with his follow-up, the indie comedy Hunt for the Wilderpeople, which is already earning rave reviews. His next project will take him into the mainstream to helm Thor: Ragnarok, but will Waititi bring some of that signature sense of humor to Asgard? You bet.

Earlier this month, Mark Ruffalo may have accidentally let slip that Cate Blanchett is playing a “baddie” in Thor: Ragnarok, and although the actress has yet to be officially confirmed for the sequel, we may have some new intel on just which baddie she’ll be playing. A new report suggests the identity of Blanchett’s character — and it’s one that has potential to play a huge part in the future of the MCU.

Mark Ruffalo loves to talk about Thor: Ragnarok. He’s previously called it a “buddy picture” between his character, Bruce Banner, and Chris Hemsworth’s Thor. And he’s also previously said in the wake of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Banner is “removing himself from humanity altogether” to keep society safe from the Hulk. Now he’s chatting the movie up again, this time with the folks over at Empire, where he sort of expounds on the whole “buddy picture” concept by getting even more specific about the film’s look and feel.

And in other Marvel news… Although Cate Blanchett has not yet been confirmed for Thor: Ragnarok, that isn’t keeping one of her potential co-stars from gushing over her role in the upcoming sequel. Mark Ruffalo has maybe-possibly spilled the beans on Blanchett’s part in the film, revealing that she’s in talks to play the “baddie.”

Many fans seem to agree that the Thor films are the weaker installments in the MCU, which should make Marvel president Kevin Feige’s latest comments about Thor: Ragnarok seem fairly promising. For starters, Feige says the new sequel will be “totally different” from its predecessors, and you shouldn’t expect the mighty thunder god to spend much time hanging out on Earth.