One of the biggest lingering mysteries hovering over the Marvel Cinematic Universe has nothing to do with the events that unfold onscreen, but rather the status of the rights to a certain jolly green giant. Now that The Incredible Hulk is streaming on Disney Plus at long last, there are many fans willing to pop the cork and celebrate a momentous day, but it isn’t quite that simple.
While it’s entirely true that Universal’s claim to Louis Letterier’s comic book adaptation expired 15 years to the day after its theatrical release on June 13, 2008 – which allowed Disney to swoop in and almost immediately bolster its Marvel collection on streaming – that’s pretty much where the story ends.
A quick glance at social media finds many Marvel maniacs rejoicing that Bruce Banner and his gamma-radiated alter ego have finally come home, with plenty of them already daydreaming about a Mark Ruffalo solo movie, a World War Hulk adventure made flesh, or even that Hulk vs. Wolverine project the rumor mill has been perpetuating for years.
Unfortunately, Kevin Feige is now in charge of the rights to The Incredible Hulk, and that’s it for the time being, with it being noted by Variety that “the company held the rights to the title for 15 years,” not the other guy himself. The overall control of the character remains with Universal as things stand, although that might go some way to explaining why the recently-retitled Captain America: Brave New World has been incorporating several notable elements of Edward Norton’s stint under the ripped shorts.
Of course, the rest of the bells and whistles could come eventually, but for now it only pertains to the standalone feature and not all things Hulk.
