As we previously reported, the movie rights to ‘The Hulk’ are a tad more complicated than many realized. A part of the rights still remain in the hands of Universal, the studio that produced the disappointing 2003 film simply entitled ‘The Hulk’, directed by Ang Lee and starring Eric Bana as the size-changing title hero. Even though it appeared that Marvel had regained the rights to the character, that isn’t completely true. Though Marvel produced the 2008 film ‘The Incredible Hulk’ as part of its overall cinematic universe, they can’t produce any more solo Hulk flicks without Universal’s input/permission and right now… well, things aren’t friendly between the two studios.
But even though Marvel can’t parlay Mark Ruffalo’s popular spin on the emerald behemoth into another solo film, they can still use him in pretty much whatever films they want and he’ll be popping up in a sizeable role in 2017’s ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ which is being described as a superhero buddy road trip film.
When he was last seen, Ruffalo’s Hulk was in a runaway spacecraft, which led fans to speculate where he would next appear, leading some to guess he’d be crossing over with ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’. But now we know that isn’t correct, but Ruffalo offered a vague clue as to Banner and the Hulk’s status when moviegoers next see him:
“He’s on the run. I think that we carry that through. It’s not just a matter of taking himself to some remote place and hiding. Now he’s removing himself from humanity altogether. I’m not sure where we’re going to head with that, but I’m sure that’s probably still very much alive within him. It’s very subtle, but the Banner/Hulk consciousness is beginning to meld a little bit. Who decided to leave? Was it Banner or Hulk? It’s not really in the cinematic mythology of Hulk up until that moment to be that conscious and pro-active.”
In the comics, The Hulk/Banner has covered the spectrum, from the rampaging monster Hulk most are familiar wit, to Banner’s consciousness being in control of the green monster and everything (and nearly every color) in between. It may be intriguing to see the movies explore different aspects of the character’s personalities.
What do you think? Are you happy with angry Hulk? Or would you be interested in a more rational monster?
Ruffalo returns as The Hulk in ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ on November 3, 2017.
Source: Screen Rant
