The God of Thunder’s gigantic deception about what happened to the Incredible Hulk is at the center of Marvel’s hints of a third Civil War between Iron Man and Thor. Both Asgard’s king and Bruce Banner’s superpowers were on full display during their most recent conflict. Hulk #8’s climax reveals the fallout from their most recent brawl and how Thor’s colossal deception set the stage for a third Marvel Civil War with Iron Man.
After Hulk is blamed for the deaths of seventeen people in a bar in El Paso, Texas, Thor decides he must either reintegrate his old comrade into the Avengers or finally beat him. Meanwhile, Iron Man goes off on his own (without Captain America’s knowledge or permission) to try to calm down the Hulk.
Thor vs. Iron Man pic.twitter.com/gK9SlaozAU
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When Iron Man tries to stop the Hulk and Thor from fighting, he fails miserably. The two of them fight at the hand of a dead Celestial, the Hulk uses his gamma radiation to convert Thor into his own Hulk, and then Odin steps in to halt the fight.
Odin’s spirit is trapped inside Mjolnir, and in Hulk #8, written by Donny Cates and Daniel Warren Johnson and illustrated by Martin Coccolo, he is forced to release his real strength in order to “burn out” the gamma radiation inside his own son. A tremendous burst of mystical energy releases, transforming Thor and the Hulk back to their innocent, unaltered states.
Although Thor told Iron Man that Bruce Banner/the Hulk was killed because “the following explosion of energy was too powerful for all but a God to sustain,” this was not the case; rather, Thor simply let him go. Bruce is free, but he is far from destroyed; “I think in some sense, Banner let himself be destroyed. He wanted to be…free.”
Although the Hulk was not involved in the initial Civil War combat, he may become pivotal in the third. Thor’s deception concerning Iron Man’s friend’s death has the potential to cause a rift between the two heroes of the Marvel Universe if Iron Man confronts Thor about it.
![Iron Man vs Thor - Fight Scene - The Avengers (2012) Movie Clip HD [1080p 60 FPS]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kjiSVunIWpU/hqdefault.jpg)
The conflict may arise between those who feel the Hulk poses no threat to people around him and others who do, given that the Hulk has already shown to be a destructive force. The events of World War Hulk demonstrate that Banner can only keep the Hulk under control for so long.
At this time, Iron Man is convinced that the Hulk is dead and will likely inform the other Avengers of this. Because they are the only ones who know, Thor and Sift will try to keep the truth from everyone else for as long as they can. One way or another, Thor’s deception regarding the Hulk will be exposed, and it could lead to a battle reminiscent of the Civil War between Thor and Iron Man.