Though the Marvel Cinematic Universe has given most of its Avengers the chance to shine in their own respective stories, the spotlight has all but evaded the team’s resident slugger, The Incredible Hulk. Though the Green Goliath was the star of his own movie back in 2008, the film’s middling response (and perhaps a tricky shared ownership of the character among Disney and Universal) has kept any new Hulk movies from coming to pass.
Still, that doesn’t mean the MCU doesn’t have big plans for Bruce Banner going forward. In an interview with Cinema Blend, Mark Ruffalo insinuated that Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers 4 will act as a pseudo-trilogy for the Hulk, as he and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige worked out a three-film arc for the character that will unfold over the next two years.
Ruffalo also implied that Hulk and Banner may begin to work separately of one another, stating, “Hulk speaking is the start to separating of these two individuals, these identities in this split-identity person.” While the two have always shared an antagonistic relationship, the films have not yet explored what happens when one of them outright rejects the other. This has happened a few times in the comics, most notably when Doc Samson separated the Hulk persona from Banner and created two separate entities, a scientist and a rampaging monster. This didn’t last long, however, with Bruce reintegrating with the Hulk to end the carnage.
In the “World War Hulk” arc, from which Ragnarok is taking cues, The Hulk simply took over, becoming super smart and leaving Banner trapped in his own mind. With The Hulk beginning to speak in the trailers, we think this is the direction the MCU is going, and we’re all for it. The only downside is that we won’t see as much of our little Ruffalo.
For more Marvel, check out this Thor: Ragnarok behind the scenes video, this South Korean poster for the movie, and a glimpse at Marvel’s Runaways.
Let us know what you think in the comments below, just please don’t Hulk out.
Image: Marvel Studios, Marvel
Want more Thor: Ragnarok?
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