Warning: contains spoilers for Hulk #7!
Marvel's latest fight between the Hulk and Thor have fought plenty of times in the past (and even in the Marvel Cinematic Universe), and after each fight, the two usually make up and band together to fight the next supervillain that threatens the Earth. But Hulk #7 reveals the two characters are no longer holding anything back - and deadly consequences may result.
Both characters have experienced intense trauma in recent years. Thor has recently lost his father Odin in a bitter, brutal fight with Mangog (who also possessed Thor's hammer Mjolnir), and the battle has left him demoralized and weary. For his part, Bruce Banner has emerged from a world in which he was forced to push his newly-controlled Hulk to the absolute limit, fueling his 'engine room' with the Hulk's pure rage. When Thor discovered Banner had killed 17 people at a bar in El Paso, Texas, the new ruler of Asgard knew only he had the strength to stop the Hulk's rampage once and for all.
In Hulk #7, written by Donny Cates with art by Martin Coccolo, the fight that began in Hulk vs. Thor: Banner of War Alpha #1 continues, but with a markedly different tone. The previous issue began with the Watcher and a collection of odd aliens watching the bout - but here, "What comes next will have no witnesses. No Watchers. None save Thor." With the spirit of Odin trapped in Mjolnir, Thor is driven to true anger, and though he holds no joy in what he must do, he does it anyway: attack the Hulk viciously, again and again. Even Iron Man's intervention in armor derived from a Celestial isn't enough to stop him.
This fight is depicted quite differently from the one-sided battle in Thor: Ragnarok, in which the Hulk easily won. That fight and the one in the earlier issue was largely depicted as comedic; the audience knew both characters would survive with only minor scrapes. The outcome isn't so certain here - Iron Man's intervention led to a disaster in which a massive gamma explosion was triggered, causing Thor to unleash a Hulk of his own.
What happens next is entirely unpredictable. Will Thor be able to control his new Hulk rage? Will Banner become his new mentor? The absence of the Watcher and his bucket of popcorn (from which he ate in the previous issue) signifies the writers have placed the focus squarely on the characters. It is well within the realm of possibility that Hulk and Thor's latest fight will end with only one of the heroes surviving.
