What's Up With The Armor?!?

[Mowgli]

Did I miss the memo? I'm referring to the memo that explained why the Hulk and Thor would wear armor. The most basic physica would say that any armor they wore would be destroyed long before they even got a scratch on them.

- The Hulk is wearing armor, at least on one arm and shoulder, in the World War Hulk deries... what gives?

- Thor is pictured in previews wearing armor, that looks like Collosus's arms, in his comeback issue due out in a couple of months... whu?

I'm sure I missed some explanation as to why either of these powerhouses would wear armor. Anyone?  :blink:

[Midnight]

Hulk was shot into space and landed on a gladiator planet a while back. He had the armor through the handful of stories I read, so they're probably very durable. :P Dunno about Thor.

[thanoson]

I have always believed that Thor is not impervious to harm. He just has a lot of health. Where as, a high anti tank shell would bounce off of Hulk, Thor would certainly feel that pain.

[zuludelta]

- The Hulk is wearing armor, at least on one arm and shoulder, in the World War Hulk deries... what gives?

He got blasted off to an alien world where they hold galactic gladiator matches during the year-long Planet Hulk storyline, and he ended up being one of the gladiators. One of the reasons for the armour is that he was in a slightly weakened state after his trip through space, so it was legitimate protection (although he did get back to his previous strength and resistance levels as time wore on). Also, the guys he was facing off against  were pretty powerful, Hulk-level types of threats, so it's safe to assume that the armour was designed to withstand more damage than even Hulk could sustain.

About the new Thor armour... I don't know if you've seen pics different from the one I've seen but the new look seems to be based on scale armour/lorica squamata (what many people mistakenly refer to as chainmail... which is something else entirely), similar to what you see on Captain America's upper body costume. As to why he would wear armour, heck I dunno, I suppose the threats an Asgardian comes up against are dangerous enough that they could harm him, so he needs to wear some type of enchanted armour to protect him.

[GhostMachine]

Thor is now wearing a combination of leather and metal armor so he actually looks like a Viking warrior god instead of a superhero. I'm not too thrilled about the color scheme of the outfit, but I think the costume design - especially the helmet - is a vast improvement.

[MyndVizion]

I'm willing to bet the armor on both the Hulk and Thor is due to a "cool factor".

We all know the Hulk is a freaking awesome powerhouse. The Hulk doesn't *need* armor per se. Putting armor on him adds a sense of, "Oh look at that." Folks that read comics on occasion may be inticed to pick up World War Hulk because they've seen a different looking Hulk and may want to know what's going on.  I also see the Hulk's armor as a badge of accomplishment when he faces down the Illuminati. "You shot Hulk into space. Hulk smash and conquered. Now you see that Hulk is returned."

Speaking of which. I'm a bit nervous about the first issue of World War Hulk. I believe that's the one with Hulk on the Moon battling Black Bolt where Hulk tells him to scream.  Anyway, there's been a lot of buildup for this event to take place. Hulk is obviously raging. In my opinion Hulk pretty much has to kill Black Bolt in order for the event to gain teeth. If Black Bolt can walk after dealing with the Hulk and Hulk just bounces back to Earth, I think Marvel will turn an OMG event into a what's-the-point event.

As far as Thor goes, I think it has more to do with his re-emergence in the Marvel U. It's a new look for a returning character. A re-imagined Thor. This is another way to entice occasional readers to pick up the comics.

[Mowgli]

Well, I can see the armor if Hulk was weakened for a bit, but after that...

... in both cases, it's the equivalent of me wearing tissue paper to a fist fight. It just ain't gonna help.

As far as World War Hulk goes, I may have to check that out. I didn't know he was going to fight Black Bolt. That would a be huge, knock down, drag out fight. It won't be, because the story is titled "World War HULK" and this is how it will start. Hulk has to win. As far as power levels go, that's kind of a standoff. Hulk gets madder, heals and gets stronger. Black Bolt is just ridiculously powerful with his control of electrons and of course, his scream (which supposedly could hit with the force of a nuclear warhead when he screams). It's a shame that we know how it has to end.

[Sword]

Here's Hulk's Line after Black Bolt whispers at him:
"I Didn't come here for a whisper. I want to hear you scream"