With She-Hulk: Attorney at Law on the horizon, the eyes of MCU fans are turning back toward all things green and mean. While there’s plenty to be excited about regarding Tatiana Maslany’s take on Jennifer Waters, plenty will be tuned in to see what Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner has been up to.
As of now, Banner hasn’t been given a film of his own due to licensing issues with Universal. While there had been speculation that things had cleared up and a World War Hulk film was in the works, there hasn’t been much info since.
Though Ruffalo has done an excellent job bringing the character to life in his many appearances across the MCU, plenty are still waiting for the day he can take the spotlight. Unfortunately, a new rumor seems to indicate that that day may still be a long time coming.
A Year Without World War Hulk Updates
In a new post to Twitter, scooper Charles Murphy commented on what he knows about the status of the rumored World War Hulk project, and the news isn’t encouraging. Murphy reports that he hasn’t heard “a single thing on [World War Hulk] in over a year.”
Of all the MCU’s heroes, Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk occupies an interesting position. He remains as one of the few remaining original Avengers but is the only one who has yet to headline his own project. Edward Norton portrayed the character in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, and Ruffalo’s version has come to be the definitive take since he assumed the role for 2012’s The Avengers.
As things stand, if the World War Hulk project isn’t moving, She-Hulk may very well end up being the closest thing fans get to a Hulk-centric project for quite some time. While the MCU certainly isn’t starved for the Hulk’s presence, there are a great number of potential storylines that could center on the character—far too many for him to be continually used in only a supporting role.
Ruffalo’s take on Bruce Banner is a truly iconic one, and the passion he brings to all the projects he’s involved in is clear. He would do a fantastic job headlining a project, be it a film or Disney+ show, so it really is just a matter of time before he takes his rightful place (the issue with Universal not withstanding).
In the comics, World War Hulk followed the Planet Hulk storyline, much of which was adapted into Thor: Ragnarok. Seeing as Banner made his return to Earth in Avengers: Infinity War and had seemingly come to an understanding with his other half as of Endgame, it’s possible the route to including an adaptation of the World War Hulk storyline has been muddled. The current state of Banner and Hulk really don’t set the stage for a World War Hulk adaptation, so the status quo may need to be shaken up more before it can happen.
Whatever the status of the solo Hulk project, fans of the character won’t have to wait long to see him in action once again. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law debuts its first episode on Sunday, August 17.
