The Development Hell of The Incredible Hulk 2

The Incredible Hulk, released in 2008 and directed by Louis Leterrier, was at the time generally well received by critics and fans alike. As the second film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it also signified the calm before the storm of superhero popularity in the build-up to The Avengers in 2012. Interestingly, despite the positive reception it gained, and despite the MCU’s habit of producing sequel after sequel, The Incredible Hulk has yet to receive an authentic follow-up film. Rumours of a sequel have been lurking around since the debut of the first film, and Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios and producer of the MCU films has discussed the possibility of a sequel continuously.

So, what’s preventing the development of The Incredible Hulk 2?

The ratings of the initial film in comparison to the rest of the MCU could be an indicator into why we haven’t seen a sequel. Over the years as the MCU has expanded, The Incredible Hulk has been outshined by subsequent films in the franchise that have quite literally broken records. Now, 10 years later it remains the lowest rated film in the MCU on IMDB at a 6.8 and the second lowest-rated on Rotten Tomatoes at 67%. Nothing suggests here that a sequel wouldn’t be beneficial however as its score isn’t low by any means, but it may be the reason we only see the Hulk re-appear in non-self-titled films. The Incredible Hulk did make clear implications of a sequel too, especially with Samuel Stern’s (Tim Blake Nelson) headwound making contact with Hulk’s blood, heavily implying the arrival of ‘The Leader’: a super-intelligent villain of the Hulk comics. Even Doc Samson (Ty Burrell) was introduced with a role that could have been much larger in future instalments.

Furthermore, we know Tim Roth (The Abomination) and Nelson were signed on to return for at least one sequel. Edward Norton, who played Bruce Banner, on the other hand had met contradictory statements from both producer Gale Anne Hurd and Leterrier, who claimed he was and wasn’t signed on to stay in the franchise. Perhaps it was Norton’s uncertainty to remain as the character that held back development of a sequel for at least phase one of the MCU. Granted, only 2008’s Iron Man saw a sequel in this phase, but The Incredible Hulk was released in the same year meaning there was every opportunity for one. It was eventually announced that Ruffalo would take the mantle of Hulk in July 2010, but at that time, development of a sequel was hindered by the production of The Avengers set for a 2012 release.

Feige stated in April 2012, one month before the release of The Avengers, that there were no plans for a sequel to The Incredible Hulk, yet months later after having seen the positive reception of Ruffalo’s performance as Hulk, was now in discussions to create new stories for the character. In September 2012 when asked about these stories, he noted:

“Do I think Hulk can carry a movie and be as entertaining as he was in Avengers? I do believe that. I do believe he absolutely could. We certainly are not even going to attempt that until Avengers 2. So there’s a lot of time to think about it.”

Evidently, this meant that production of The Incredible Hulk 2 would not even be considered until at least phase three of the MCU, which we know now has yet to come into fruition. What Marvel has instead opted to do is give Hulk an overarching narrative beginning with Thor: Ragnarok, continuing into Avengers: Infinity War and ending with the untitled fourth Avengers film in the following year. The question really, though, is why did they decide to go this route for Hulk instead of simply developing The Incredible Hulk 2? Well it could potentially be that Universal owning the film distribution rights to the character is getting in the way, which Ruffalo mentioned in 2017.

“I just want to make one thing perfectly clear today, a standalone Hulk movie will never happen, because Universal has the rights to the standalone Hulk movie and for some reason, they don’t know how to play well with Marvel, and they don’t want to make money.”

Suggesting some major disagreements between both companies, Ruffalo’s words imply that a true sequel to The Incredible Hulk will never see the light of day until Marvel can regain the film distribution rights to the character (which is unlikely considering Universal’s deal seems to be everlasting). For the meantime, fans will have to make do with the over-arching narrative incorporated into phase three.

Ultimately, The Incredible Hulk’s shortcoming of a sequel may have been disappointing for some, but it has had its benefits. Sparse appearances for the Hulk have allowed for some anticipation to build up before his next arrival(s), something most Avengers lack. The story arc beginning in Thor: Ragnarok provided him with a prominent role that is going to remain this way through into Avengers: Infinity War and its sequel, giving him an extended period of time in the spotlight. It also formed a narrative that allowed the chemistry of both him and Thor to expand in a number of interesting ways. Of course, had The Incredible Hulk gained a sequel there would have been new concepts introduced for the character, but the ones currently revolving around him would never have come into fruition, which are debatably the better route for Marvel to go at this moment in time.

Hulk is set to return later this month in Avengers: Infinity War releasing in cinemas April 27th 2018.