When it comes to the main Avengers, there is now just one who hasn’t had his own movie. At least, not in the form of “Avengers” actor Mark Ruffalo. It’s all about The Hulk.
The iconic green giant has had two standalone movies leading up to “Avengers.” In fact, the 2008 “The Incredible Hulk” had an end-credits scene that involved Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, which hinted that he would end up becoming part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
A ‘Hulk’ Solo Movie Hasn’t Always Been Possible
GettyHowever, for years, a solo movie with Ruffalo as the character wasn’t possible. Director Destin Daniel Cretton explained that some of that was linked to licensing issues with Universal Pictures and costs, and for some time, Ruffalo didn’t seem all that interested. Instead, he would appear in other standalone movies for MCU and Sony characters, with the most recent being a cameo in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”
Things are starting to shift, as Ruffalo has shared that he is interested in telling Hulk’s story. While fans know of the story both Eric Bana and Edward Norton told in 2003 and 2008, there is something missing between those two movies and “Avengers.” Eventually, Bruce Banner shares that he’s “always angry,” but there is no indication how he figured out that was how he needed to be have control over his green alter-ego.
There is also the development between “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Thor: Ragnarok.” While there were some mentions of how Hulk ended up where he was, he didn’t go into full details, and it wasn’t fully explored afterward, which could open the door for some backstory.
The Hulk isn’t one of the easiest characters to include in the movies, due to the CGI budget that is needed. That doesn’t mean there isn’t an interest.
Mark Ruffalo Has Ideas for a Standalone ‘Hulk’ Movie
GettyCretton has shared with Variety, via DiscussingFilm on X, that Ruffalo isn’t giving up on the idea of a standalone movie for his character. He continually pitches new ideas, which Cretton says are “pretty good.”
This doesn’t mean one is going to be in the works any time soon. “VisionQuest” is coming up in October, with “Avengers: Doomsday” ending 2026 in style. There will be another “Avengers” movie at the end of 2027, this one being “Secret Wars,” and there are plans for standalone movies for Black Panther, Ghost Rider, and Shang-Chi. There’s also another “X-Men” movie in the works.
So far, release dates (or at least, rough ideas of dates) have been planned up to the end of 2028. Other movies still have a TBD date connected to them, and this could allow for a movie focused on the green giant to slip in there.
For now, fans get to see Hulk in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” which has scenes taken straight from the comics. There’s a look at Hulk and Spider-Man battling against each other, as they find themselves on opposite sides of a fight. “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” reaches theaters on July 31, 2026.
