Marvel Silences Avengers Star From Talking About Solo Movie
It has been nearly two decades since the MCU first kicked off with a standalone Incredible Hulk film, with the franchise exploding into massive worldwide prominence in the time since. The 2008 film starred Edward Norton in the titular role, though the actor was subsequently replaced by Mark Ruffalo for all future MCU installments.
While Marvel Studios owns the rights to the character, Universal was responsible for distributing the 2008 film, and crucially, any direct sequels spawned by the film.
When asked about the film distribution rights for a new standalone Hulk movie, Mark Ruffalo explained that he has been specifically instructed not to comment on it, per a now-viral video circulating on social media.
This could explain why fans have yet to see Mark Ruffalo take on a standalone film, despite the actor faithfully bringing the comic book monster to life on the big screen since 2012’s The Avengers. While Marvel Studios owns the rights to the character, Universal was responsible for distributing the 2008 film, and crucially, any direct sequels spawned by the film.
With the MCU growing and expanding into a number of interwoven storylines, this has muddied the concept of what does and does not constitute a ‘direct sequel’ leaving the studios at something of a stalemate.
Ruffalo’s upcoming credits feature a rumored placement in 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars, but no credit for 2026’s Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
This also explains why Mark Ruffalo’s appearances as the Hulk have varied so wildly between films. By all accounts, 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok could easily have served as a standalone Hulk film, as much of the movie’s plot is adapted from the fan-favorite Planet Hulk comic book storyline. Of course, now that Disney and Universal have begun collaborating on a deal through their shared ownership of Hulu, it seems that a new Hulk-centric movie could finally be made possible.
Given the complex nature of the deal, fans naturally looked to Mark Ruffalo to clear the air on any upcoming projects under the brand, though the star expressed an inability to provide the public with details. Ruffalo’s refusal to elucidate suggests, however, that he may, in fact, have information regarding a new project, as he claims Disney executives specifically asked him not to comment on the merger.
There are still many different ways a stand-alone Hulk film could take shape, with Mark Ruffalo stating in his brief interview that he’s given a great deal of thought to how the best possible movie could play out.
Unfortunately, what little information the star provided suggests that no movement has been made on an Incredible Hulk feature, as he claims the Hulu deal has not changed anything regarding the sequel’s distribution rights to his knowledge.
Per Mark Ruffalo’s IMDb, the actor has nearly a dozen credits as Bruce Banner in the MCU, most recently featuring in three episodes of the Disney+ series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Interestingly, Ruffalo’s upcoming credits feature a rumored placement in 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars, but no credit for 2026’s Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
If a new Incredible Hulk movie does come to pass, the studio could use this as one of several films bridging the gap between the two Avengers movies, much like 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp connected the dots from Infinity War to Endgame.
Of course, there are still many different ways a stand-alone Hulk film could take shape, with Mark Ruffalo stating in his brief interview that he’s given a great deal of thought to how the best possible movie could play out. While there seem to be no active plans to bring a Mark Ruffalo-led Hulk movie to production, this could all change as Disney works out their distribution kinks.
