Though a standalone Hulk movie has essentially been rendered a pipe dream by Mark Ruffalo in the past, we recently learned that Marvel is cooking up the next best thing: a three-film arc that begins with the launch of Thor: Ragnarok in November.
It’s one that’ll seemingly stretch through until the arrival of Avengers 4 in 2019, by which point Marvel Studios will be ready to usher in the much-touted Phase 4. So far, only Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and the untitled Spider-Man: Homecoming 2 have been name-dropped, though Kevin Feige and Co. have teased that the Marvel Cinematic Universe could take on a new form in two years’ time, which is to say that the current arc of Thanos vs. the Avengers will be all wrapped up.
And while Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk has fast become one of our favorite characters on the Marvel roster, something that’s reaffirmed by the frankly hilarious Ragnarok, Feige recently conceded that the chances of a standalone movie involving the Jade Giant are slim to none.
Perhaps more than anything else, the producer believes the apparent shift from tertiary character to bona fide fan-favorite is a testimony to the MCU’s rousing success, which continues to go from strength to strength as its 10th anniversary looms.
Per IndieWire:
I think that back and forth continues, and I don’t know if it will ever happen. But I will tell you, it makes me very, very happy going from a world, ten years ago, when people were questioning the viability of Hulk in a standalone film, to getting asked every other interview, ‘When will there be another standalone Hulk?’
That question will likely continue to echo around the Internet for years to come – ditto for the possibility of a female-led Thor movie – but Marvel fans are now within an arm’s reach of Thor: Ragnarok, which is poised to enter theaters on November 3rd. Box office forecasts predict a suitably thunderous debut in the region of $90m-$100m, and we’ll be bringing you all the latest as time wears on.
