A big dream of many Marvel fans is actually set to come true: A new movie is reportedly planned for the Hulk – 15 years after his first solo adventure in the MCU.
The Incredible Hulk is strictly speaking one of the first Marvel Cinematic Universe films, but has always been somewhat neglected. A direct sequel never materialized (until now), numerous story strands were dropped or picked up again very late. And of course, not even lead actor Edward Norton remained in the MCU as Bruce Banner, but was replaced for The Avengers by Mark Ruffalo.
But since Hulk characters like General Thaddeus Thunderbolt
Ross (first William Hurt, now Harrison Ford) or even Emil Blonsky a.k.a. The Abomination (Tim Roth) returned to the MCU, the future looks pretty bright for Bruce Banner personally.
Marvel sees green for the future
This is how things are supposed to go with the Hulk now: After She-Hulk Mark Ruffalo is said to return as Bruce Banner a.k.a. the Hulk not only for Captain America 4: Brave New World and also the new Avengers movies . Reportedly, a new solo film is actually planned for the green behemoth in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – 15 years after The Incredible Hulk launched in theaters.
However, a whole range of questions remain unanswered at the moment: What it will be about, when the theatrical release is planned, who will be in charge of the project as director, is not known. Behind the decision to put more focus on the Hulk is, by all accounts, studio head Kevin Geige himself.
Where does this info come from? The news about the future of the Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is not officially confirmed, but it comes from a very reliable source. The two insiders CanWeGetSomeToast and MyTimeToShineHello have been talking about it on X (formerly Twitter), which are considered very reliable and trustworthy especially in terms of Marvel news.
We are getting a solo Hulk movie and Hulk will be in Kang Dynasty https://t.co/ORfMa8rhM3
– MyTimeToShineHello (@MyTimeToShineH) October 15, 2023
A licensing dispute prevented new Hulk movies
Why was there never actually a new Hulk movie? In fact, it was simply not possible for Disney and Marvel Studios to produce a solo movie for the Hulk. That’s because until now, a legal battle between Universal and Marvel over the character ensured that the Hulk would only appear in the adventures of other heroes or ensemble films – something that even frustrated Mark Ruffalo himself, as he revealed at D23 in 2017 (via Polygon).
Since Universal simply hasn’t used the Hulk license in recent years, the rights to the character are now back entirely with Marvel. And that actually gives the studio behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe a chance to get more out of the popular character
By the way: In fact, after the first Hulk MCU movie (still starring Edward Norton instead of Mark Ruffalo), there were plans for a direct sequel. This was revealed by director Louis Leterrier in an August 2023 conversation with (ComicBook).
What do you think about the Hulk getting a new solo movie 15 years after his MCU debut: Are you happy about this news or could you do without it in good conscience? Which hero (or villain, for that matter) would you like to see get a movie or TV series for the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Let us know in the comments!
