When it comes to translating their characters to the big screen, The Incredible Hulk has something that Marvel struggled to get right. Ang Lee’s 2003 film starring Eric Bana was a complete mess, and the 2008 reboot starring Edward Norton didn’t exactly set the box office on fire. But with The Avengers, director Joss Whedon finally managed to do justice to the big green guy, thanks in no small part to a stellar performance from Mark Ruffalo.
So where do we go from here? With two underwhelming solo films already in the can, a third seemed unlikely, but in a recent interview with Digital Spy, Ruffalo confirmed that the idea had been kicked around:
“I think they are, for the first time, entertaining the idea of it. When we did The Avengers it was basically ‘No!’, and now there is some consideration for it. But there’s still nothing definitive, not even a skeletal version of what it would be. I look forward to going down that road, if we could crack that nut.”
When talking about another solo adventure for The Hulk, one of the first options that comes to mind is Planet Hulk, an epic Marvel crossover story from the comic books. There’s already been an animated adaptation, and while fans would certainly love to see a live-action version, Ruffalo recently told MTV News that he doesn’t think it’s the right move.
But while a Planet Hulk standalone film may not be in the cards, that doesn’t mean certain elements from that story couldn’t be explored, and Drew McWeeny over at Hitfix has a pretty compelling theory, backed by information he learned from a visit to the set of Avengers: Age of Ultron.
WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT FORWARD.
Without giving away why and how, let’s look at the state of things for Bruce Banner at the end of “Age Of Ultron.” Banner continues to play a key role in things in this movie, and when the final war with Ultron spills onto the battlefield and out of the virtual realm, he has a major part to play. Unfortunately, that ends with him onboard a Quin jet on his way off the planet, with no way to immediately turn things around. He’s going to have to ride out the trip. It’s pre-programmed and he can’t stop it.
Here’s where I’d wager his spaceship is headed: wherever the Guardians of the Galaxy are located. If I was a betting man, I’d say there will be no Hulk solo film as part of Phase Three. Instead, Banner’s ship will take him to another planet, where he will end up meeting the Guardians and having an adventure with them. Hulk will definitely come out to play a few times. I suspect we’ll see some sequences that very much feel like they’re part of the Planet Hulk story, but that the larger story will be about the Guardians finding a way to get Banner home, only to end up going with him. That would move a big piece of the puzzle into place to get Thanos looking back at the Earth in time for the third “Avengers” film.
While we’re not expecting any sort of confirmation from the Marvel camp, everything about this makes sense. McWeeny is an intelligent, well-respected journalist with a ton of credibility, and if this is what he’s hearing, I’d be willing to bet it’s pretty damn close to the truth. Of course, with nearly a full year before we see Avengers: Age of Ultron, there’s plenty of time for speculation.
Marvel will no doubt have a major presence at San Diego Comic-Con in a few weeks, so it’s likely we’ll hear more information about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe at that point. As always, we’ll keep you posted.
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