Mark Ruffalo is the only one of the original six Avengers actors who hasn’t headlined a solo vehicle for his character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The franchise’s lone standalone Hulk movie, The Incredible Hulk, featured Edward Norton in the titular role. Ruffalo replaced Norton for The Avengers and has reprised the role numerous times in the years since, appearing as part of an ensemble in team-up movies or in a supporting role in someone else’s movie (Thor: Ragnarok). Ruffalo is set to appear in next summer’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but fans remain curious if there will ever be another solo Hulk movie. According to Ruffalo, such a film remains a topic of conversation.
Speaking with GQ, Ruffalo discussed the possibility of him leading a Hulk movie. “Yeah, I’d love to have a solo Hulk movie. I don’t know if you know the story of that, but it’s not really owned by Marvel; it’s a Universal property,” he said, explaining the rights issues that complicate the matter. “I don’t know if it’ll ever really come to be, honestly. We keep talking about it, what it would be. There’s been so many Hulk movies already, it’s like, does anyone really want another one? But I’d love one, and I do think the audiences would be into it if we could crack the nut of it.”
Will There Be a New Hulk Movie in the MCU?
If Ruffalo and Co. ever did crack the narrative for a standalone Hulk movie, Disney/Marvel Studios would first have to work something out with Universal, which seemingly still retains distribution rights to new movies featuring the character. Disney was able to come to terms on an agreement with Sony to bring Spider-Man to the MCU, so there’s precedent for something like this. However, that isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison. Marvel Studios was unable to use Spider-Man in its movies prior to the Sony deal. Marvel can still use Hulk in Avengers movies and other productions, so there arguably isn’t as much of a necessity to work with Universal. Disney/Marvel can avoid the headaches of negotiating a deal by just choosing to not make solo Hulk movies.
That strategy has worked out fairly well so far, as Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner quickly became a fan favorite. Despite not having his own film series like Iron Man or Captain America, Hulk’s still been able to have a character arc across his MCU appearances. Granted, elements of that journey may not have been as fleshed out as his fellow Avengers’ arcs, but Hulk’s still had plenty to do in various movies and TV shows. Marvel’s made the best of the Universal situation, incorporating aspects of Hulk storylines from the comics in other films.
This isn’t to say there wouldn’t be any benefit to making a new solo Hulk movie at some point. Making the character the main focus of a feature would allow the filmmakers to do a deep dive into his character — something that isn’t truly possible within the framework of an Avengers film or another hero’s solo movie. The She-Hulk finale introduced Bruce Banner’s son Skaar, a major development that shouldn’t be ignored. Too many reveals in the Multiverse Saga have gone nowhere, and it would be nice if Skaar became a fully formed character. A new solo Hulk movie could explore Bruce’s relationship with his son, presenting him with a new set of challenges.
As intriguing as that prospect sounds, it might be too late for a new Hulk movie to get off the ground. The Multiverse Saga is gearing up for its conclusion with Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. After that, Kevin Feige has confirmed there will be a soft “reset” of the MCU, and it’s unknown which elements or characters will carry over. It looks like the X-Men are going to be the main attraction of the MCU’s next saga, so some of the franchise’s legacy characters could get a proper send off in Doomsday and Secret Wars. Ruffalo hasn’t been confirmed for those Avengers movies yet, but it would be odd if such a vital hero was missing from the fight against Doctor Doom.
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