That's true. Given Bruce's history with his own father, who was in many ways actually quite similar to Odin, I am not going to give Odin very good chances, unless Odin sees the error of his ways, maybe. And really, in both stories, (including some of the leadup from Ewing in both) a major theme has been the deconstruction of the traditional view of 'strength' and 'weakness' and showing how toxic those ideas can be, even if it hasn't quite reached the goalposts in that messaging yet under Cates. Though previously, I think it was on more of a personal level, even as it dealt with Thor being King. But given recent events, it got a whole lot more topical, sadly... I wonder if it will shift to be more political, particularly in Thor, in wake of that. I mean there were elements there, like how Thor, right on page 1 of Cates' run, was trying to keep the realms in line with threats of force and strong man posturing, I mean, I think that should probably be brought back up, for sure.
So yeah, I do think empathy will be a key here to getting a good outcome, though it doesn't look like it will be coming from Thor either, since he is all tied up in a physical confrontation. And while it could very well be that Thor beats Hulk, things go back and forth on that front on who can beat whom, between them, and now Thor has the All-Force. But that it is set in
a literal arena, besides being a callback to Thor: Ragnarok, kinda says to me that the fight is more spectacle than solution. I can't really see how either one of them winning a fist fight would actually solve anything here. While I would totally be down with Thor trying to talk some sense into Banner, or employ tactics other than force,
That being said, a good outcome may not be the goal. Yesterday on Cates' Substack, he shared some teases and it sounds as though only one of them, Hulk or Thor, will make it out of this alive. I'm not sure if i should share the link to the video, (it's unlisted) but, the transcript is as follows.
shhh. seekrit (kinda. i mean this was one of the free things you get just for signing up):
Now, assuming there isn't some loophole he isn't letting people in on,
which is entirely possible, and even likely, then it could go either way. Not that I am cheering on either one dying. Just trying to figure out which is more likely.
In Hulk, while i have not yet read the most recent issue, Cates has not been utilizing any alternate Hulks that I have seen, no Cho, or Betty etc. Which means killing off Banner would cause some PROBLEMS in terms of continuing the book, clearly. Hulk needs a Hulk. BUT, on the other hand, there is this:
https://www.marvel.com/articles/comi...ley-new-hulk-6 It might be that by 'killing' Banner, it lets loose this.... thing. But the problem remains that such a move could remove the protagonist of the book, which is going to be difficult to work around, given the lack of any alternatives used in the story so far. It could really play into themes of violence not solving the problem, if it in fact just makes things worse by unleashing this thing, assuming it is the fistfight with Thor that causes this. Kinda similar to what happened with the Void in Dr Strange, come to think of it. But it sounds as though this is a case of something overtaking control, so it may not be a true 'death' but it does still mean Banner doesn't end up walking away from the fight, so still technically true... but that doesn't seem to quite fit with a violence based solution. If anything it would fit with someone (Odin maybe) possibly locking Banner away in his own mind or something, which could kinda mess up the messaging.
In Thor, there is an established system for characters to take over a role, so Thor dying (or "dying") wouldn't mean the end of the book, as we've already seen with Jane. So the logistics there are not as bad, in that way. But Thor still hasn't chosen a new Champion, or stepped away from that role fully, so not like Thor dying is actually necessary this time, assuming he's going to fully step into the role of King, now that he has the full All-Force. And it seems really weird to give him a power up and then immediately kill him. That seems like cutting the story off at it's knees, just as it's entering a new phase. But you could say the same about Hulk, I mean why make him turn heel right at the beginning if you're just gonna remove him from the board almost immediately? so... I guess i am leaning towards Hulk, but there are pros and cons to each.
As for how this relates to Loki, I mean, I guess not much. But in the scenario with Hulk, it may be a silver lining for Loki if it is Odin that fucks things up by inadvertently releasing this worse thing, even if i think a confrontation between Loki and Banner that is more rooted in dialogue than violence would be so very very tasty to read. I guess we might get that later, at some point, if it doesn't happen here. I mean, Cates will still be writing both, not like he can't have the books cross over again in the future, even with no anniversary as an excuse. But I do still hope to see it here, even if it is looking like it may not end up making a lot of headway. I just think Loki being confronted with seeing someone going down the same path he did, and knowing where that path leads, and what it means to follow it to it's end, could be so interesting.