When they were acquired by Disney, though, they gained the House of Mouse's own distribution channels. And there was no way Disney would pay to produce The Incredible Hulk 2, but allow Universal to profit from the distribution.
Mark Ruffalo says another standalone Hulk movie would be too expensive. “I'd love to do a standalone Hulk, I just don't think that's ever going to happen,” the actor said, going on to add that bringing the Hulk to life is a costly endeavor.
Don't hold your breath for a Hulk solo movie. According to Mark Ruffalo, who plays the big green guy in the MCU, Marvel boss Kevin Feige has ruled out Bruce Banner ever getting his own movie. "Kevin [asked me] 'What would you like to do?'
The Incredible Hulk was released before Marvel was purchased by Disney, and the film was originally distributed by Universal Pictures. While Marvel still has rights over the character and is technically allowed to make a Hulk solo film, Universal would get first refusal for any project.
Back in 2003, the top-of-the-line CGI still wasn't good enough to pull off an ultra-realistic Hulk, something that Hulk actor Josh Lucas has even admitted. While more money may have made the CGI slightly better, the subject and time period mean that it was doomed to suffer.
The REAL Reason Marvel Won't Make A Hulk Sequel (Hulk Rights Explained) | FandomWire Video Essay
Why is the new Hulk so weak?
There have been criticisms about how the MCU has nerfed the Hulk, especially since he became more humorous as a character in the process. However, this change in power levels can be traced back to being Smart Hulk since Avengers: Endgame, meaning Banner has had a better handle on his emotions for quite some time.
Why The Incredible Hulk 2 Didn't Happen & Why The Hulk Was Recast. The relationship between Norton and Marvel Studios, unfortunately, soured during the editing of The Incredible Hulk because it became clear the actor and studio had very different visions.
While Ruffalo has starred as Hulk in Marvel movies, the rights to the character are actually owned by Universal Pictures, predating Disney's 2009 acquisition of Marvel Studios, which means Universal has the right of first refusal to distribute any stand-alone Hulk movies.
After the mixed reception to Universal's 2003 film Hulk, Marvel Studios reacquired the rights to the character, though Universal retained distribution rights.
Because Universal had produced and released Ang Lee's Hulk movie in 2003, the studio retained the cinematic rights to the character at a time when Marvel was just beginning to make its big screen plans.
This upset the actor, who wanted a more focused look at the Hulk's personal traumas, but Marvel wanted something else. As a result, Norton left the franchise badly and the studio was left without a Hulk until Mark Ruffalo took over the role in 2012, appearing in 'The Avengers'.
“The Incredible Hulk” only grossed $264 million worldwide, a sharp decline from “Iron Man's” $585 million. It's well known by now that Marvel scrapped all the follow-up plans it had for Norton continuing as Hulk. He was later replaced by Mark Ruffalo.
The film was initially released and distributed by Universal on June 13, 2008, and the company held the rights to the title for 15 years. Now, in a notable shift, the rights have reverted to Marvel Studios, leading to the film's release on Disney+.
Universal Pictures actually owns the rights to any movies focusing solely on Hulk, predating Disney's 2009 acquisition of Marvel Studios, meaning that Universal has the right of first refusal to distribute any solo Hulk movies.
Since then, there have been talks about The Incredible Hulk sequel, but nothing really materialized. Leterrier told Comicbook in August 2023 that the sequel would have featured different versions of the Hulk. “Yeah there was like a whole sequel…
So while the MCU's Hulk may never go back to being angry the same way he was before, Bruce has a new set of personal demons to deal with that can have lasting repercussions on the MCU.
Robert Downey Jr is open to returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In an interview with Esquire, the actor said he'd happily play Tony Stark aka Iron Man in future movies if Marvel gods want him to. (Also Read – Robert Downey Jr on his journey 'from uninsurable actor to Oscar winner': Father thought I got robbed…)
In a 2024 interview with GQ, Ruffalo stated that it's financially tricky for Marvel Studios to make a Hulk movie, saying that "it's very expensive if you did a whole movie, which is why they use the Hulk so sparingly." As valid and accurate as that statement is, there is also the matter of the Hulk distribution rights.
So why hasn't he gotten his own solo film? Ruffalo revealed that, because Universal Pictures still has rights to solo Hulk films, he won't be getting a standalone anytime soon. He spoke to Collider about it: “As far as a Hulk movie, a standalone Hulk movie, Marvel doesn't really have the rights to that yet.
Marvel confirmed rights involving Hulk and Namor are still with Universal, meaning the Disney-owned characters will probably never get solo movies. Both Namor and the Incredible Hulk are characters that Disney owns the right to use in stories, films or television.
Why Marvel Couldn't Make A Hulk Movie. The reason why Marvel can't make a Hulk movie is that they don't own the rights to do so. While Marvel owns the film rights to the Hulk franchise, the distribution rights are owned by Universal Pictures, so a Hulk movie can only be made if Universal Pictures puts it out.
The events of The Incredible Hulk take place in 2010, five years after Bruce Banner's first transformation into the Hulk. This eliminates the possibility of the MCU Hulk timeline lining up with Lee's Hulk, which was released in 2003.
Remember that Gray Hulk might be the weakest version of the Hulk of all-time but there was one other time that Hulk went gray after that original appearance. This was when he turned into Mr. Fixit.
