Last year’s announcement that James Gunn would be taking the helm of DC Studios alongside Peter Safran was met with a mostly positive reaction. While there were many other factors to considered at the time, such as the unpopular decision of Henry Cavill having his Superman return cut down almost the instant it was announced, Gunn’s subsequent plans for the DCU also gained a mostly favorable reaction among fans. It seems that someone who feels that people should getting excited is the MCU’s Hulk, Mark Ruffalo.
Having been a part of the Marvel Studios franchise since 2012’s The Avengers, Ruffalo has gone through a number of changes as Bruce Banner/Hulk, in a literal sense. However, while appearing at Emerald City Comic Con, Ruffalo was asked about Marvel’s comic book rival and what kind of advice he would give DC Studios. In his response, Ruffalo took the moment to acknowledge that Gunn could cause some problems for the MCU in future. He said:
“I would say, hire James Gunn, cause nobody does it better. And Marvel should be sweating because James Gunn is a really gifted filmmaker and I think he’s going to be amazing for that franchise.”
Of course, someone already made that decision, and Gunn is now very much hired to take the DCU to the next level. While Ruffalo seems confident that the Guardians of the Galaxy helmer has more than what it takes to turn around the DC franchise, fans will be more inclined to wait and see how the likes of Superman: Legacy land in 2025.
Where Does Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk Go Next In the MCU?
The Incredible Hulk was the second movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe back in 2008. However, due to some of those pesky and complex rights issues, that movie is the only time the Hulk has appeared in his own movie. Between that and Hulk’s next appearance in The Avengers, the character underwent a complete transformation when Edward Norton stepped aside and Mark Ruffalo took over as the long-term Hulk of the franchise.
However, in the two decades since, Ruffalo has yet to appear in his own Hulk movie. The reason for this is similar to why Marvel Studios and Sony have to agree on Spider-Man’s solo movies, with in this case the rights to the Hulk being owned by NBC Universal. Those rights have been rumored to be passing back to Marvel Studio for some time now, and it was recently reported that Disney’s upcoming sale of Hulu could even be used to ensure the Hulk, and another recent MCU addition of Namor, could be returned to Marvel Studios soon.
If this does happen, then it could pave the way to the long rumored World War Hulk movie. While there is no way of knowing exactly how this will pan out in the future, Mark Ruffalo is another of the MCU stars who could soon be looking to take a step out of the franchise. Many just hope that he gets the chance to bring back the not-so-jolly green giant for another solo smash one more time before that happens.
