Warning: Article Spoils 1 Detail From She-Hulk Episode 2
Mark Ruffalo has teased where he would like to see the Hulk’s story go in the MCU following the end of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law episode 2. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is focused on Bruce Banner’s cousin, Jennifer Walters played by Tatiana Maslany. Both the first two episodes of the series have shown Ruffalo reprising his role as Bruce Banner and the Hulk, yet the end of the latest episode seems to suggest he won’t be a regularly recurring character on the series.
At the end of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law episode 2, Smart Hulk is on a Sakaaran spaceship going off into space to deal with something, likely tracking down whoever tried to kill him and Jennifer in the attack that led to her becoming She-Hulk. This seems to indicate Marvel Studios is leaning in the direction of the Hulk cosmic storylines, two of the most famous being written by Greg Pak in 2006 to 2007’s Planet Hulk and the 2007 event comic World War: Hulk. Rumors of a Planet Hulk movie have circulated for years, and it appears that a Hulk-led space adventure is on many people in Marvel’s minds including Ruffalo.
In an interview with Variety, Ruffalo revealed what he would like to see of the Hulk’s story following the reveal at the end of the latest She-Hulk: Attorney At Law episode. The actor is not quite sure what the tease is meant but did say he could see it leading to some type of Planet Hulk or World War Hulk storyline. The other story Ruffalo wants to explore is The Hulk’s two years on Sakaar before Thor: Ragnarok and how Bruce Banner and the Hulk merged before Avengers: Endgame. Read Ruffalo’s full quote below:
“There has been some conversations about what happened in the two years where Hulk abandoned Banner and the Avengers [on Sakaar], and the emergence of Smart Hulk, which hasn’t ever fully been answered. I think maybe we’ve given four sentences to that time period since then. It’s really an interesting, exciting part of the Hulk story and Banner story. I do think that the trip to Sakaar is a good place to start and what that means to the idea of what the fans have been asking for — this idea of Planet Hulk or World War Hulk or just the journey that Banner and Hulk have to make to come to peace with each other. That’s really interesting to me, and I do feel like there is some interest in exploring that down the line.”
While elements from Planet Hulk have already been heavily adapted into Thor: Ragnarok, a World War Hulk storyline seems like a possibility. No new Hulk film was announced as being part of Marvel’s Phase 5 or 6, however with the Marvel panel at D23 coming up there is a chance they might make a surprise announcement. Due to a prior agreement, Universal Pictures owns the film distribution rights to a solo Hulk film and it appears that they and Disney are not going to come to an agreement anytime soon.
For most of the MCU, the Hulk has appeared as a supporting player in other characters’ films or shows as is the case with She-Hulk: Attorney at Law so that could be how Hulk’s storyline can be wrapped up. Hulk going into space means he could cross paths with any number of cosmic Marvel superheroes, possibly even the Eternals. Eternals also ended with a big cosmic cliffhanger, and while Patton Oswalt has hinted at an Eternals 2 no official announcement has been made. Marvel could combine The Hulk and Eternals storylines into one film, putting two of their lowest-performing box office properties together to possibly raise the profile of each and further connect the various corners of the MCU in the lead-up to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
