There probably won’t ever be a solo Hulk film, and that’s not a bad thing

Mark Ruffalo said at D23 that it’s a no-go for a solo Hulk film anytime in the near future. We’re here to talk you off the ledge

Pretty much since The Avengers, fans have been clamoring for another solo Hulk film. It’s not that Incredible Hulk was terrible (it wasn’t great either); it’s just that Mark Ruffalo’s portrayal of Bruce Banner was so fantastic.

Fans have been disappointed ever since that Marvel’s slate of movies over the next four years doesn’t include a solo outing for the green dude. And over the weekend, Ruffalo didn’t help matters. In a quick little interview with Variety, he said a solo Hulk film “will never happen.”

You can watch the whole clip below:

I won’t lie, it is disheartening to hear this. But does it surprise any of you? The deal Marvel struck with Sony over Spider-Man was always thought of as an impossibility. And just because it’s happened once doesn’t mean everyone else will follow suit and offer up their own assets. Especially Universal.

Which is why Hulk’s just been thrown into the mix with the rest of the Avengers.
But maybe this isn’t such a bad thing.

Sure, we want to see more of Bruce Banner. But he’s also a character that works better when he’s part of a larger story. He worked well in The Avengers when he got to play off everyone else, and the same can be said for Age of Ultron. Or the post-credits scene for Iron Man 3.

We wanted Planet Hulk to be its own thing, too. Yet we’re still getting it in the form of Thor: Ragnarok, and from the trailers, it looks epic and ridiculous and everything we want it to be.

This news shouldn’t feel so doom-and-gloom, as the future looks bright for Hulk. In the same snippet, Ruffalo says that Hulk has a “major” storyline for both Infinity War and the still-unnamed Avengers 4. Just because he doesn’t have his own solo movie doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy what’s coming.

Next: 10 of the dumbest things Luke Skywalker has ever said or done in a Star Wars film

Maybe just tone down the Bruce/Natasha romance a bit.