Warning! Spoilers ahead for Thor: Lightning & Lament #1
In the Marvel Universe, the Hulk and Thor are usually depicted as friends and sometimes rivals, but the two Avengers are more alike than fans may realize.
Although there are many different Hulks in the Marvel universe, there is nothing quite like the original, who was created when Bruce Banner was caught in the blast of a gamma bomb. As a mythological being from the realm of Asgard, Thor had a very different origin. In order to teach his son a lesson, Thor's father Odin banished him to Earth and caused him to live a life under the human identity of renowned surgeon Donald Blake. In order to transform out of this mortal shell, Dr. Blake had to strike his cane, which became the hammer Mjolnir and turned him back into the God of Thunder.
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An adventure during Thor's early days on Earth that is depicted in Thor: Lightning and Lament #1 by Ralph Macchio and Todd Nauck shows how similar he and Hulk truly are. In this story, Thor has to team up with his fellow Asgardians in order to repel an invading force. During the battle, Thor’s lover Sif is gravely injured. He hands her off to Asgardian medics, but she is suffering from too much blood loss to be saved. So Thor has to transform into his human persona, Donald Blake, to use his surgical skills to save her.
This is an interesting situation as the Hulk is usually the one associated with having two personalities that can both be useful. When fighting a big foe, the Hulk comes in handy for being able to throw a strong punch. But there are times when Bruce Banner's intelligence and expertise in gamma radiation are needed. In these cases, the Hulk must transform
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Ralph Macchio