Planet Hulk

**Planet Hulk** is a 2014 superhero film set in the Marvel Media Franchise, the twenty-fifth film in the universe. It is also a sequel to *The Hulk*, *The Hulk: Team Hulk*, and *Captain America: Civil War* . The film stars Ryan Reynolds and was released worldwide on February 7, 2014. The film ran 144 minutes and grossed $956 million on a $250 million budget.

## Plot

Bruce Banner is sent to space after causing damage on Earth. He is sent through a wormhole that lands his spaceship on a distant planet in the universe. He transforms into the Hulk during the crash. Hulk steps out of the ship only to be attacked and fixed with an obedience disk to keep people in check and then taken into slavery. Hulk discovers that he is on Sakaar, a planet ruled by the Red King. Hulk is forced to fight in gladiator battles. However, Hulk manages to befriend several fighters to form a pack; Elloe Kaifi, Korg, Miek, No-Name, Lavin Skee, and Hiroim. Skee, Hiroim, Miek, and Elloe are all Natives of Sakaar, while No-Name is a Brood, an insect-like creature, and Korg is a Kronan, a rock-like creature. The team name themselves the Warbound and become very popular in the fights, especially Hulk, who several people see as a hero.

However, a group of insurgents working to overthrow the King recruit Hulk to their cause. He declines, though Elloe, having overheard their conversation, joins the group. During their next fight, Skee is killed. The Red King's lieutenant, Caiera, arranges for the Warbound to fight the Silver Surfer, a galactic hero. Hulk recognizes the Surfer as a friend of Sue Storm's. In the fight, Hulk breaks the Surfer's disk, freeing him from their control. The Surfer then breaks all of the disks in the arena, freeing everyone. Surfer offers to return Hulk to Earth, though he chooses to stay behind. Hulk and his Warbound realizes they can easily escape without the King noticing, as he is caught up in what the Surfer did. The Warbound escape, though Caiera realizes they have left and orders a manhunt for the team. The Warbound escapes into the distant villages.

When the King refuses to send anyone after the Warbound for the time being, Caiera goes to do it herself. In the village, the Warbound tries to get through. However, the villagers ask the Hulk if he has saved them. The entire Warbound is confused and they talk with the villagers. Hulk discovers they believe is the savior of Sakaar from a prophecy, "Sakaarson". Hulk denies this title. Elloe returns to the Warbound after finding them and supplies them with an army to fight the King. However, they discover several villagers yelling outside of the houses. The Warbound find Caiera murdering several villagers to draw the team out. Caiera fights the Hulk, and manages to be a worthy challenge. However, as they fight, deadly "spikes" fall to the ground. The spikes cause monstrous mutations and then death to anyone they touch.

Caiera pleads with the Red King to send assistance, though she discovers that he has ordered to deploy. Caiera, disturbed at what her King has done, joins Hulk and his Warbound. After resting, the Warbound and the Insurgency decide to raid the Capital. After several fights, Hulk manages to find the Red King and a battle ensues. After being nearly defeated several times, Hulk smashes the King's head into the chopper used to threaten the gladiators, killing him. The Hulk is named the new King and he takes Caiera as his wife. They finally manage to have peace throughout the planet and end the gladiator battles. Caiera first has twins and then after a year, becomes pregnant again.

Four months later1, the spaceship that landed Hulk on the planet begins a self-destruct sequence and explodes, destroying most of the capital, including Caiera and her unborn child. Hulk discovers his twins have survived and places them in the care of his trusted advisers. He finds another spaceship among the discarded wreckage and starts it up. He reveals he is going to Earth to enact revenge on the Avengers for sending him here. Elloe, Korg, Miek, No-Name, and Hiroim join the Hulk on his quest and the Warbound set the coordinates for Earth. They discover that it is a month's journey without a wormhole and they agree. They then fly off to get their revenge on the Avengers. In a mid-credits scene, the Warbound comes up on Earth, only to be attacked by a large ship. In a post-credits scene, the surviving twins are named the Kings at age 1.

1This places this event around May 2015, then in the month's journey to Earth, they would arrive in June, the same month that *Avengers: Secret Invasion*  was released.

## Cast

* Ryan Reynolds as Bruce Banner/The Hulk
* Kenneth Branagh as The Red King
* Rachelle Lefevre as Elloe Kaifi
* Colin Farrell as Korg
* Isla Fisher as Caiera
* Zach McGowan as Miek
* Liv Tyler as No-Name
* Jared Leto as Hiroim

## Production

An official sequel to *The Hulk: Team Hulk*  was announced in May 2011. Reynolds had been the only cast member to sign on for a third *Hulk* film, though the other cast members were open to appearing. Kevin Coster expired his contract after appearing in *Captain America: Civil War*. In November, the film was given the title *Planet Hulk* and was confirmed to follow the comic plotline of the same name. Speculation occured about Bruce possibly being sent to space in , though this was proved to be false after the film was released in 2012. Reynolds announced he would be the only cast member from the MMF as a whole to appear in the film. Peter Jackson was hired to direct the film in July 2012. A release date was set for the film as February 7, 2014. Zak Penn returned from the first two films to write the final film in the trilogy. Reynolds revealed this would be the final film on his six-film contract, though he renewed for *Avengers 3* and *4*. In November, Kenneth Branagh, Rachelle Lefevre, Colin Farrell, Isla Fisher, Zach McGowan, Liv Tyler, and Jared Leto were announced as part of the cast, with their roles revealed in December. Filming began on March 4, 2013 and concluded on May 30.

## Reception

### **Box office**

Like its predecessors, *Planet Hulk* became a financial success. It grossed a total of $255.1 million in North America and $700.9 million in other countries for a worldwide total of $956 million

### **Critical reception**

MTV reported that early reviews for *Planet Hulk* were "generally positive" with critics praising the film "for its energy and satisfying closure". According to IBT, reviews for the film were mostly positive, with critics "praising director Peter Jackson's effort at continuing the themes of the series while adding his own touch". According to CBS News, critics said the film "will satisfy fans" but "otherwise, it may be worth waiting until it's available to rent". Oliver Gettel of the Los Angeles Times said the critical consensus was that the film is "a flawed but fitting finale to *The Hulk* trilogy". The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 60% approval rating based on 239 reviews, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The website's consensus reads "Though somewhat overwhelmed by its own spectacle, *Planet Hulk* ends *The Hulk* trilogy on a reasonably satisfying note." The film also holds a Metacritic score of 59 out of 100 based on 45 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". In CinemaScore polls conducted during the opening weekend, cinema audiences gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale