Marvel’s old tactic of selling off the screen rights to its most popular characters has come back to bite them in recent years as they haven’t been able to put all their toys in the same box. With the X-Men and the Fantastic Four acquired thanks to the Fox merger and the Spider-Man/Sony deal continuing, though, the toy box is fuller than ever. Two of the last to completely come home, however, are Hulk and Namor, who have their rights split with another studio. Or at least, that used to be the case.
MCU Cosmic’s Jeremy Conrad is reporting that he’s heard a rumor from a “very reliable” source that Marvel has now got full control over both the Jade Giant and the Sub-Mariner. Fans will know that though Bruce Banner can be freely featured in team-up films, Universal’s first-dibs agreement has prevented further solo movies from happening since Disney bought the company. Likewise, Universal at least partially holds the rights to Namor, too, a situation Kevin Feige has described as “complicated.”
According to Conrad’s intel, though, these troubles are a thing of the past and Marvel is now free to do whatever they want with the pair at last. It’s speculated that another Hulk standalone film is likely on the way, then, but that Marvel wouldn’t make a Namor movie given the character’s overt similarities to DC’s Aquaman. Instead, MCUC writes that he’ll be featured as either a hero or villain in other parts of the franchise.
Again, this is just a rumor at present, but there has been a fair amount of evidence of late that supports this story. A lot of reports have pointed to Namor appearing in either Black Panther 2 or Doctor Strange 2, for example. We know Marvel is also working on expanding the Hulk corner of the MCU in Disney Plus’ She-Hulk TV show. So, a more official confirmation of this news could well be on its way. Watch this space for more.
