The Incredible Hulk was released in 2008 and was the second movie of the Marvel movie universe. The Hulk has been one of the most iconic Marvel heroes, and of the original Phase 1 lineup of heroes was probably the most famous and popular due to his long-running television series starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno. But while Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor all got multiple sequels, The Hulk didn’t. This certainly comes as a shock, not only considering the popularity of the Hulk, but how big the character has become in the MCU and the escape character was from The Avengers.
The Incredible Hulk is underrated in many ways and certainly has its fans, but the fact that the main star Edward Norton was recast with Mark Ruffalo meant it was a film destined to be overlooked. You have to wonder why Marvel Studios never went ahead with a direct sequel to The Incredible Hulk, though, opted instead to continue Bruce Banner’s story in other films. Here’s a breakdown of why there hasn’t been a sequel to it The Incredible Hulk and how Marvel Studios found a way to perpetuate the character’s legacy.
The lowest grossing MCU cash register
The Incredible Hulk open the same summer as Iron Man and started the MCU, but despite the Hulk being a more popular and well-known character, Iron Man dramatically improved performance The Incredible Hulk At the register. The Incredible Hulk grossed $134 million at the domestic box office, which was only $2 million more than in 2003 Hulk movie, which was seen as a disappointment. even worldwide, The Incredible Hulk grossed $264 million, barely bettering Hulk’s $245. The Incredible Hulk was defeated by mama mia as Universal Pictures’ highest-grossing film that summer.
As of this writing, The Incredible Hulk is still the MCU’s lowest-grossing film. While the Hulk is popular, his two solo films have shown that he hasn’t quite been the box office hit that other heroes are. It could be argued that the 2003 Hulk influenced the public’s enthusiasm for it The Incredible Hulk and the new version in the MCU probably rebranded his image to the public. However, there is another thing that gets in the way The Incredible Hulk sequel and those are rights issues.
Complicated movie rights with Universal Pictures
The movie rights surrounding The Hulk are complicated, as Universal Pictures held the rights for years and released director Ang Lee’s Hulk in 2003. Universal Studios would have lost the rights to the character if a new deal was not renegotiated. The deal was for Marvel Studios to finance The Incredible Hulk in exchange for Universal Pictures distributing the film. Since Marvel financed the movie, they could use the Hulk in other projects, such as the planned movie The Avengers. Universal retains the right of first refusal to distribute future solo Hulk movies.
While this may not have been a problem at first since Marvel Studios was an independent studio, in 2009 they were acquired by Walt Disney Pictures. Unlike Spider-Man, which shares profits between Sony Pictures and Disney, Universal Pictures would keep most of the profits from distribution The Incredible Hulk.
If there were to be a sequel, Universal Pictures would technically have the decision of whether to distribute it or pass it on to Disney. The character is probably more profitable now, so Universal Pictures would probably distribute the movie, but Disney doesn’t want to help a competitor make money and the past two Hulk movies have shown that the investment may not be worth it.
The Hulk has worked as a supporting character
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While the Hulk’s solo films struggled at the box office, his performance as a supporting character in the MCU was highly successful. Part of the problem with Bruce Banner as a character for many adaptations is that he’s a character who actively avoids situations, making him a passive protagonist, and also fights not to transform into the Hulk, which is what audiences want to see. Getting him to carry a movie was a tough job, but having him be a supporting player was good.
The Avengers establishes the Hulk as something scary seen through the eyes of other heroes, but also something triumphant. Avengers: Age of Ultron showed him in the context of a team and group of superheroes, something few adjustments have gotten him as they tend to stick with the man on the corner of flight.
Thor: Ragnarok showed an evolved Hulk and a fun comic comedy duo with him and Thor. She-Hulk: lawyer has shown him as a mentor figure that audiences accept because of the accumulation of stories they’ve seen him on. Marvel Studios has made great use of the Hulk, even without starring him in its own sequel.
Marvel has found solutions for Hulk sequels
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While Marvel Studios has yet to make a direct sequel to it The Incredible Hulk, they’ve found plenty of ways to continue the character’s storyline within the MCU. The story of Bruce Banner and The Hulk has been mainly told in the four Avengers films and Thor: Ragnarok but storylines and characters The Incredible Hulk have turned up in other projects.
William Hurt reprized his role as Thunderbolt Ross Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinite WarAnd Black Widow and despite the actor’s passing, the character will continue with Harrison Ford in the role of Captain America: New World Order And lightning bolts, rumored to become the Red Hulk.
Plot points from The Incredible Hulk have also lived on in other MCU franchises. One of the longest unanswered plot points revolved around Samuel Sterns, aka The Leader (Tim Blake Nelson), who will make his return to the franchise in Captain America: New World Order, which will arrive 16 years later The Incredible Hulk. The film’s primary villain, Abomination, appeared in a cameo role in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings before taking his entire storyline in a bold new direction She-Hulk: lawyer.
In fact, She-Hulk: lawyer is very much the future of the Hulk franchise in the MCU, as Marvel Studios has full creative control over the character and has used it not only to continue the Hulk’s storyline, but also to create a new fresh character to introduce the franchise that can move it forward. In many ways, She-Hulk: lawyer And Captain America: New World Order is a creative way to follow up on The Incredible Hulk.