The Hulk To Appear In Thor: Ragnarok

After the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Bruce Banner quietly slipped away from everything, and with his notable absence from the upcoming Captain America: Civil War it has fans wondering...where's the Hulk during all of this?

It looks like we will find out when Thor: Ragnarok is released, and from the sound of it, it won't just be a cameo appearance, either.  The movie is being billed as a "cosmic adventure" of sorts.  According to Birth.Movies.Death. the two will come across the Valkyries during their adventure, and it will also be the introduction of Brunnhilde to the MCU.  Here's what BMD had to say about the Valkyries:

"The Valkyries, in the Marvel Comics and Norse Mythology, are the goddesses who choose the worthy fallen warriors from the battlefield to bring them to Valhalla.  There they feast and prepare for Ragnarok (the end of the universe).  And from what Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige said last year when announcing the title Thor: Ragnarok, the movie will have a major impact on the Marvel Cinematic Universe as its name implies."

They also said that if Brunnhilde is introduced in the movie, this could solve Marvel's problem with the Thor franchise.  Chris Hemsworth's contract is up after Avengers: Infinite Wars, and if he doesn't resign a contract, then they could replace him with Brunnhilde, or introduce a new female Thor like they did in the comic book.  In the comic book, the new female Thor is actually Jane Foster, which is played by Natalie Portman in the films.  The chances of her taking over the role is pretty slim, though.  It was reported that Portman was upset with Marvel when they removed the original director, Patty Jenkins, from the film, so the chances of her renewing her contract with Marvel doesn't seem likely.  If they do go this route, they can use one of the Valkyries instead.

So what do you think about all of this?  Are you excited that the Hulk will be returning in 2017?  What do you think about a female Thor taking over the franchise?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.