Credit: Inside the MagicMarvel Cinematic Universe star (and frequent plot leaker) Mark Ruffalo says that chief Kevin Feige almost certainly won’t greenlight a sequel for him because the Hulk just plain costs too much.
Mark Ruffalo has been part of the MCU since The Avengers (2012) and quickly erased nearly all fan memory of Edward Norton and his performance as Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk (2008). Ruffalo’s chemistry with Robert Downey Jr. (as Tony Stark), world-weary attitude, and increasing humorful image quickly made him a fan favorite, which has made many wonder why there has not been another solo Hulk movie in nearly 30 years.
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After all, Captain America (Chris Evans) got three movies, as did Iron Man (Downey Jr.), while Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has made it to four and counting. If the Guardians of the Galaxy get a trilogy, why does Bruce Banner not get a sequel from Marvel Studios?
For years, Marvel fans have pushed for a World War Hulk movie, which would presumably adapt the 2007 Marvel Comics story arc of the same name. The story would see Bruce Banner return to Earth as an unprecedentedly angry (even for him) Hulk to take revenge on everyone who has wronged him, which is pretty much everyone. Hopes were raised when a key character from the comics run, Skaar (Wil Deusner), son of Hulk, was introduced in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, but Mark Ruffalo is here to dash them.
In a recent interview with GQ, Mark Ruffalo revealed that he thinks that Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige will probably never give him a solo Hulk movie because the CGI involved in creating the character is too expensive. Ruffalo said, “I’d love to do a standalone Hulk, I just don’t think that’s ever going to happen…It’s very expensive if you did a whole movie, which is why they use the Hulk so sparingly. I priced myself out!”
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It is worth mentioning that one of the main criticisms of Marvel movies in recent years has been their increased use of near-total CGI characters and environments, like in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023). So, it is clear that Kevin Feige is willing to shell out the big bucks for some CGI, just not Hulk 2.
Given the uncertain future of the MCU right now, it’s always possible that we actually will get a Hulk solo movie with Mark Ruffalo someday. But it all depends on the money, it seems.
Do you want a Hulk solo movie? Tell us why in the comments below!