The Hulk is closer to getting his own movie than he has been since 2008.
Some big rumors have recently emerged regarding Marvel’s green giant. It may soon be possible for Disney to acquire the movie rights to two characters currently owned by Comcast.
According to The Wrap, a Wall Street analyst, Jason Bazinet, said in a note to clients that Disney’s recent results made him think that the company will look to divest Hulu, the hybrid subscription/advertising supported streamer that the entertainment giant has owned since 2019.
Selling its 67% stake could be a step toward securing the rights to the Incredible Hulk and Namor movies, which is estimated to cost Disney a cosmic $10.7 billion.
For comparison, the budget for Avengers: Endgame was $365 million, and the cost of the deal exceeds that by more than 30 times.
The movie rights to the character were sold by Marvel to Universal Pictures in 2003, long before the birth of the Cinematic Universe. With only one solo film as part of the MCU, The Incredible Hulk (2008), starring Edward Norton as the titular character, Marvel has been able to use the green giant only in team-up films since then.
With the recasting of Edward Norton with Mark Ruffalo, the character later appeared in several MCU installments, most notably The Avengers (2012), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War ( 2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019).
Ruffalo’s portrayal of the character has been warmly received by fans, further fueling their desire to see their favorite character in a solo film.
Now, with the latest rumors, it may finally be time for their wish to come true. The most obvious choice for a movie would be the World War Hulk story arc from the comics.
The plot follows the Hulk as he returns to Earth seeking revenge after being tricked into space by the Illuminati and a life model decoy of Nick Fury.
It serves as a sequel to the Planet Hulk storyline, elements of which have already been adapted to appear on screen in Thor: Ragnarok.
However, it remains just a rumor for now, and it is still unclear what choices Disney will end up making. Nevertheless, it is the closest the character has come to getting a solo movie in more than a decade.
