Mark Ruffalo Likens ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ To A ‘Road Movie’ Format, Also Where Is Odin? [Spoilers]

Thor: Ragnarok is the third installment in the series of solo Thor movies and Mark Ruffalo was able to describe the pairing of Hulk and the Asgardian, according to Bleeding Cool. He likened them to that of a “road show.” An example of their pairing in the first Avengers movie was seen after they took out the Chitauri Leviathan during The Battle of New York.

Ruffalo cited Midnight Run, a movie from the 80s starring Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin. The premise there is that De Niro’s character plays a bounty hunter attempting to retrieve Grodin’s character who skipped bail.

With the Hulk bailing in a S.H.I.E.L.D. Quinjet in stealth mode. Col. Nick Fury said he landed somewhere near the Fiji in Avengers: Age of Ultron. So do you think Mark was referring to the plot of Midnight Run to that of Thor: Ragnarok? Since the Hulk went to the Pacific Ocean, would it be up to Thor to be the “bounty hunter” for the Avengers to retrieve Banner?

“There’s a little bit of Midnight Run, with [Charles] Grodin and [Robert] De Niro. I feel like that’s kind of where we’re heading with this relationship between Thor and Banner.”

Although Thor: Ragnarok’s Mark Ruffalo doesn’t consider it a road movie of a “classic” variety, but does follow the road movie format.

“It’s not where you’d think it will be, so it’s not your classic road movie but it has that structure, I think. It’s not an accident that we’ve been put together because we have a good time together and we goof off. The fact that we’re moving towards the smart-comedic bent plays into our relationship.”

There is an interesting theory, and Collider came up with some of the significant fights that happened in then non-live action Marvel universe. There was Journey Into Mystery #112 and in the 90s came Incredible Hulk #440. This is where an alternate future version of the Hulk exists calling himself Maestro. Collider questions whether or not this could be a version seen in Thor: Ragnarok and perhaps “isolating himself and catching the eyes of the U.S. Army once again.” That being said, will General Ross be involved?

Another thing that comes to mind, since Ruffalo compares their relationship to that of the two characters in Midnight Run and not the “classic road movie”, this would make sense that the two would be opposing each other since in the 80s film De Niro’s character is attempting to collect who he’s bounty hunting and the hunted, played by Grodin, is always trying to resist. So would this make Thor, De Niro and Hulk, Grodin?

Thor and Hulk also take on an opposition towards each other in the Fear Itself Marvel story line as well and there’s the straight to video Hulk vs. movie. Collider has come with a few “what if” situations if should these stories ever make it to the big screen in Thor: Ragnarok.

Now comes the role of Odin and his whereabouts. He was last left having been replaced by Loki on the throne of Asgard. Sources associated with Geek said he has made his way to Midgard (Earth) as a crazy homeless man, going on and on about the apocalypse, which translated to Asgardian, “Ragnarok.” In the Marvel series of movies at the end of Age of Ultron, Thor made his way back to Asgard to check on the status of the Infinity Stones.

RT @jm_acudor: 1970s to Now#ThorHulk pic.twitter.com/bgTEpNx7qn pic.twitter.com/5bhtKmYdej

— John Mittendorf (@jm_acudor) October 12, 2013

After Thor returns to Earth from Asgard, he then is said, per sources via Geek, to encounter Odin in his hobo-like state. Perhaps this impending apocalypse that Odin is raving about have any connection to the events about to happen in the Avengers: Infinity War movies? Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet, with the stones, could be pretty good comparison to an apocalyptic event, yes?

For starters though, one would have to see the movies in order. Thor: Ragnarok debuts on November 3, 2017.

[Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP]