With the third installment in the Thor Franchise, Ragnarok, nearly a month into filming, little is known about the potential planets or races that Thor and Hulk might encounter on the “universal road trip” the pair are reportedly going on in the film. The gladiator planet Sakaar and its inhabitants the Sakaarans (the ugly dudes that helped Ronan in Guardians of the Galaxy) have been rumored, and pretty much confirmed after Marvel revealed Hulk’s gladiator armor at SDCC last month, but outside of that it’s anyone’s guess as to what we can expect. Luckily, a source at Marvel was able to reveal an interesting detail to us that helps fill in some of the gaps – as Hulk comes to recognize Thor,the duo will take off in search of whatever maguffin it is that’s driving the story. Our source tells us that while they are chasing the plot, they will in some way encounter the Cotati, one of the oldest species of aliens in the Marvel Universe, as old as the Kree and Skrull races.
The Cotati is best known as the race of aliens to awaken powers within Mantis, who will be making her debut in Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2. While the comics version of the Cotati are portrayed as a mostly stationary plant-like species who rely on their telepathic abilities, it appears the cinematic version will be more similar to what Mantis looks like in the comics.
Our source was fairly vague, so we have no reason to believe that Mantis herself will be making an appearance. But with the Cotati originating from Hala, the home planet of the Kree, it wouldn’t be that big of a stretch to assume that the Kree home-world will be one of the stops on the road trip. Also, the revelation that Mantis has spent her entire life with Ego, the Living Planet makes you wonder if Ego, who first appeared in the pages of a Thor comic, may not appear as well! One thing for sure is that Marvel Studios seems set to expand their cosmic cast of characters in a big way in 2017 as they prepare for 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War.
