While Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man laid a strong foundation for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to be the billion-dollar mammoth it is today, there are a few other films that contributed to the same. One of them is The Incredible Hulk, starring Edward Norton as Bruce Banner.
After the release of the film, reports came out about Norton’s interference with the script, something that the actor is infamous for, and he was eventually replaced by Mark Ruffalo. Ruffalo continues to play the role to this day, but, there has not been a solo-Hulk film since The Incredible Hulk. However, director Louis Leterrier has revealed some of the plans that he had for a sequel.
A Sequel To The Incredible Hulk Involved Multiple Hulks
With the replacement of Edward Norton as the Hulk and Mark Ruffalo’s casting as the man who is ‘always angry’. Ruffalo’s version of Dr. Bruce Banner made his debut in The Avengers and was immediately received well by the fandom. He went on to appear in multiple films as Banner and Hulk such as Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Captain Marvel. He also appeared in the series She-Hulk: Attorney At Law.
Even after the re-cast, there were multiple plans for a sequel. Despite good reviews and box office success, as well as the director setting up the first film for a sequel, plans for the film did not go further. MCU architect Kevin Feige mentioned at many stages that the production was considering more solo Hulk films, especially centered around the Planet Hulk storylines. After Avengers: Endgame, the potential to film a standalone film to explore Hulk and Banner’s integration into becoming Smart Hulk was also considered. However, none of them materialized.
Another obstacle that the MCU faced was distribution rights. Though Marvel had the production rights for the character, NBCUniversal still possessed distribution rights and the right to first refusal of any future solo Hulk projects. This would be quite risky for a film that could cost at least $200 million.
In 2023, Marvel and Disney gained back the distribution rights for Hulk as they had a 15-year deal with Universal. With Marvel gaining back all the rights to Hulk, there are speculations that a solo Hulk offering could be on the horizon. Louis Leterrier, the director of The Incredible Hulk recently revealed some of his plans for the sequel they had in mind initially.
Hulk v/s Red Hulk
In The Incredible Hulk, William Hurt plays Thaddeus Ross, the US Army General who is responsible for Bruce Banner turning into the Hulk. Although Ross makes multiple appearances as a diplomat in future MCU films, in the comics, he becomes the Red Hulk.
Red Hulk, in the comics, has an immense hatred for Hulk and spends his career hunting him down. When Ross transforms into the Red Hulk, he produces intense heat, sometimes even through his eyes, and is capable of melting Spider-Man’s webs. He can even absorb energies including Gamma radiations, the cause of Banner’s transformation. He also possesses a S.H.I.E.L.D gun which is capable of piercing through the Hulk’s skin.
In 2023, director Loius Leterrier revealed some of the plans that he had for a sequel to The Incredible Hulk. As Ross had already made an appearance, the next obvious path was to introduce him as Red Hulk. Talking about the shelved sequel, the director said,
“Yeah, there was like a whole sequel… there was like Grey Hulk, Red Hulks – there was a lot of good stuff that we were planning.”
Other variants of Hulk were also in the mix. The director also expressed his opinion on how the MCU took Banner’s character. Leterrier’s first choice for Banner was Mark Ruffalo, who was eventually cast. While he appreciated the fun direction of the character, he did mention how it was different from his plans. Variants of Hulk were also explored in the series She-Hulk: Attorney At Law and the upcoming film Captain America: Brave New World is set to feature Harrison Ford as Ross.
Source: CBR
