‘The Incredible Hulk’ almost had a sequel and it wasn’t just Red Hulk to get excited about

The MCU fandom is consistently astonished by details of Marvel‘s shelved projects and canceled sequels to the most fantastic, yet underappreciated MCU movies. Now, the director behind the very first MCU Hulk feature in 2008, Louis Leterrier has presented some intriguing ideas that were in consideration for a potential sequel to The Incredible Hulk.

The film marked the debut of Marvel’s beloved green poster boy, and featured Edward Norton in the role of Bruce Banner, bringing the character to life with his portrayal of the brilliant scientist plagued by his monstrous alter ego. But after 4 years, the torch was passed to Mark Ruffalo to continue Hulk’s story in The Avengers.

Interestingly, during the gap between The Incredible Hulk and The Avengers, director Louis Leterrier had envisioned plans to expand the Hulk’s world further. In a recent interview with ComicBook, Leterrier revealed that there was a whole sequel planned and The Incredible Hulk 2 would’ve seen various versions of the titular hero.

“There was like Grey Hulk, Red Hulks – there was a lot of good stuff that we were planning.” 

So, fans would have been treated to a huge world of Hulks featuring Bruce Banner’s alternate Grey Hulk persona along with multiple Red Hulks and maybe even a few more. Leterrier wanted to take his time with the sequel, but sadly, the idea fell flat “because there are so many characters” that Marvel wanted it all fast.

Leterrier continued by stating that although “Hulk is a complex character within the Marvel Universe,” the audience prefers to see “the primeval Hulk… the rage Hulk.” The plans, however, were never put into action, and the Hulk we see today differs from what the sequel would have made the character into.

“Hulk is a complex character within the Marvel Universe. You want the primeval Hulk… the rage Hulk. And then when you go Grey Hulk and Smart Hulk you lose that a little bit and you get a little bit more kiddish with it.”

Although the 2022 Marvel miniseries She-Hulk: Attorney at Law did expand the Hulk Universe, we’re yet to see Red Hulk, who is currently rumored to be portrayed by Harrison Ford in the upcoming Anthony Mackie-led Captain America movie Brave New World. The speculation arose after a photo featuring Ford in ripped pants surfaced, leading some fans to theorize that it could hint at such an appearance. Whether said rumors pan out, only time will tell.