Of all the comic book characters that feature in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s arguably the treatment of The Hulk that makes the least sense.
This icon of popular culture was the focus of the second instalment in the juggernaut franchise – 2008’s The Incredible Hulk – but has essentially been relegated to the status of supporting role ever since. Along with Thor, the hero was entirely absent from Captain America: Civil War, having flown off into the sunset as Sad Hulk at the end of Avengers: Age Of Ultron.
His absence will soon be explained in Thor: Ragnarok – due for release on November 3rd – but the frustration of Hulk fans around the world continues to grow. Yes, the sight of the character in gladiatorial garb is an exciting prospect – as is the incorporation of plot threads from the Planet Hulk story from the comic books – but, isn’t it time that Bruce Banner took centre stage for a change, with a solo movie that’s actually a true representation of the brilliant, but consistently underused source material?
Of course, the answer to that question is a big, huge YES, but unfortunately, it just doesn’t sound like it’s ever going to happen. The idea has been shot down time and time again and today, Mark Ruffalo once again crushed our hopes of ever seeing a Hulk film come to fruition.
Speaking at the ongoing D23 event in Anaheim, California, here’s what the actor said:
“I just want to make one thing perfectly clear today, a standalone Hulk movie will never happen, because Universal has the rights to the standalone Hulk movie and for some reason, they don’t know how to play well with Marvel, and they don’t want to make money.”
So, there you have it, folks. Straight from the horse’s mouth. It doesn’t get much more direct than that and due to legal/rights issue with the character, it seems like we’ll never get to see Ruffalo given the chance to lead his own standalone outing. Does that mean a solo Hulk movie won’t ever happen? No, not necessarily. But if it does, it probably won’t be for a very, very long time.
