The Incredible Hulk has had a rocky history on the big screen. While it did have a memorable TV show back in the 1980s, big-screen success has eluded it. And then we got Mark Ruffalo’s take on the Bruce Banner/Hulk character in 2012’s The Avengers. He may not have been a direct focus of the movie, but fans instantly fell in love with him. The MCU continued using him in films, and he even got a co-starring role in Thor: Ragnarok. 

But with his arm getting shredded in Avengers: Endgame and with him turning smart, it’s hard not to feel like he’s run his course. Is this truly all we can expect from the green giant? Is there no more path for the character to tread going forward? 

“There’s nothing completely at a place where it’s a done deal,” Ruffalo said in an interview with Variety. “There’s some talk of having Banner/Hulk show up in [the Disney+ series] She–Hulk. If we come up with something good, that would be really interesting. Right now that’s about it. That’s all there is on the table.”

But would Ruffalo actually be up for a standalone movie? After all these years, is the world ready to see him lead an entire film?

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“There’s an idea that I think could be really interesting,” Ruffalo said. “We’ve never really followed him into his life. He’s always kind of off on the side. He’s like the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern of the Avengers. It’d be interesting to fill in all the blanks about what happened to him in between all these movies.”

I find myself torn on this front. While I do want to see more of Banner in the MCU, I also think he has been handled remarkably as a side character. I’d hate to lose that just so he could lead his own movie. And, additionally, I’m not entirely sure it’s even possible without Universal’s involvement.

From what I understand, Marvel Studios has the right to make the movies, but Universal still has the distribution rights. And, as we know, Disney doesn’t like to share. Between the uncertainty of the success of Hulk-led movie, and the idea that they’d need to share success, I don’t see it happening. It’s worked well for them to utilize Hulk as a side character, and so long as they continue pairing him with bigger Avengers, he’ll be a better box office boon in that way.

“Maybe Hulk and Wolverine could hook up,” Ruffalo suggested.

But what do you think? Are there any specific Hulk-specific stories that can only be told with him in the lead? Let us know your thoughts down below!

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SOURCE: Variety