Marvel’s The Avengers franchise star Mark Ruffalo says he is hopeful about starring in a new Incredible Hulk stand-alone movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
While appearing on the red carpet for his new movie Poor Things, Ruffalo — who plays Bruce Banner/Hulk in the MCU — was asked by ComicBook.com if Disney’s recent purchase of NBC Universal’s stake in Hulu has changed the legal rights surrounding future solo Hulk projects in the MCU.
“Not that I know of,” Ruffalo said. “I’ve been asked not to comment on it, that specifically. Hopefully one day though they’ll work it out. I think it could be really cool and I’ve been putting a lot into what it could be to be cool, but I don’t know yet.”
The legal issues surrounding the Hulk
Before the release of 2008’s The Incredible Hulk starring Edward Norton, the newly formed Marvel Studios had obtained the production rights from Universal, which would hold on to worldwide distribution as well as the theme park rights to the character. Though Incredible Hulk proved successful at the box office, the mixed critical reception and issues between Marvel and star Norton prevented a Hulk sequel from being made. Ruffalo took over the role beginning with 2012’s The Avengers and continued his tenure through 2022’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law on Disney+.
Recently, there was a breakthrough in a potential new Hulk project when Universal reverted the distribution rights to The Incredible Hulk back to Marvel. This led to the movie’s release on Disney+ this past summer. While the Hulk’s next MCU appearance remains unknown, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige revealed in 2019 that he talks frequently with Ruffalo about the big green guy’s future.
“Many years ago, Mark came in for a meeting with us at Marvel Studios to discuss ways in which the Hulk could grow and evolve in upcoming films,” Feige said. “He pitched a lot of cool ideas, some of which led to what you saw in Thor: Ragnarok, Infinity War and Endgame, and some of which would still be cool to see someday.”
