What Is Planet Hulk? What ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Fans Should Know About Sakaar From The Comic Books

“Thor: Ragnarok” is going to take viewers to more places than just Earth and Asgard. Sakaar is also confirmed to be a setting, and it seems that’s where comic book fans will recognize a particular storyline. The Planet Hulk arc is officially confirmed as being part of “Thor: Ragnarok.”

As previously reported, Director Taika Waititi revealed the news to Total Film. “Sakaar was an insane, far-off, futuristic place which was the biggest shift for the film and these characters,” Waititi said. The magazine confirmed that the story taking place there will mirror the “Planet Hulk” comics.

Sakaar is a pretty desolate planet that’s located near a wormhole, according to Marvel. It seems like a pretty good spot to hide, and many powerful beings have done just that there. The planet is also populated by barbaric tribes, and the nearby wormhole often gives Sakaar new technology, like the robots and androids that live there.

It isn’t just barbarians and androids on Sakaar, though. The Red King once ruled the planet, and he forced Hulk to fight in gladiator battles as his slave. This will indeed be part of “Thor: Ragnarok.” Hulk’s (Mark Ruffalo) gladiator armor was already on display at San Diego Comic-Con over the summer.

Eventually, Hulk overthrows the Red King and meets his wife, Caeira, on the planet. Unfortunately, there aren’t really any happy endings for the Hulk. His wife and her unborn child die in an explosion from his ship self-destructing. He heads back to Earth to seek revenge on the Avengers, who built the shuttle.

Obviously, some things will change from the comics. While Hulk battled the Silver Surfer in the source material, the 20th Century Fox-owned character probably won’t show up in “Thor: Ragnarok.” However, with the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum), Hela (Cate Blanchett) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) set to appear in the film, Hulk could find himself up against different powerful aliens. Similarly, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) wasn’t really involved in the comics, but obviously, the movie will change that.

It also still isn’t clear how Hulk will get to Sakaar. In the comics, the Illuminati were trying to send Hulk to a planet with absolutely no intelligent life. Navigation errors led them to leave Hulk on Sakaar. Movie fans know that Hulk was last seen in a quinjet. He was angry that Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) had brought out the Hulk against his will in “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” and he made the jet invisible. He still hadn’t been found by the time “Captain America: Civil War” happened. Can the small S.H.I.E.L.D. plane also function as a space ship?

Audiences will have to wait a while for more answers about how the third “Thor” film will adapt the Planet Hulk story. The film doesn’t come out until Nov. 3, 2017, so Marvel will be keeping many spoilers locked up for a while longer.