However, as Marvel Studios have not yet made any effort to do so despite Mark Ruffalo's Hulk being such an integral MCU character, it is unlikely to happen. After the events of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and the hints at Bruce Banner's MCU story, there were some rumors that Marvel Studios could make a solo Hulk movie after 2023. "We believe Disney may sell its 67% stake in Hulu," Citi analyst Jason Bazinet wrote in a new note . Disney will be able to make Marvel-based films with the deal. Well, its likely that Universal and Marvel could renew the contract like Marvel did with Sony in 2019. And since Universal appears to have just recently lost that fight, it's not inclined to work with Disney on rights to these characters. Now Lewis spends his time watching endless amounts of film and TV, gaming, and reading, all to further his work as a Screen Rant Features Writer as he tries to widen his knowledge to write about all aspects of film and TV. The Hulk might be coming home as rumors are spreading that claim Marvel now completely owns the rights to the big, green and angry hero, which could potentially lead to a new series of standalone films for the Hulk. Thor: Ragnarok is the MCU's way of getting around making a proper Hulk movie, but why actually can't Marvel make a standalone for Bruce Banner? These deals with Sony and Universal are beneficial for Marvel but it stands to reason they would rather have all their characters under the same roof. HULK: Marvel Studios May Finally Regain The Jade Giant's Theatrical There are also Marvel villains such as Doctor Doom and the Green Goblin. The company obtained film rights, intellectual property, and a production company in addition to Marvel movie rights. What do you think will happen regarding rights with The Hulk? For now, Marvel and Disney think the character works better as part of an ensemble. I'm Joel Watson and I'm a content manager at veryaware.com, an entertainment website. Marvel Studios has also been reported to bedeveloping aWorld War Hulkmovie following on from the events of Disney+'sShe-Hulkwith plans to shoot this year for a late 2023 or early 2024 release. These movies are full of action, adventure, comedy, and drama, and they always leave audiences wanting more. Also, given that Namor can be used as part of an ensemble, the character could make appearances in upcoming films like Avengers: The Kang Dynasty or Avengers: Secret Wars alongside the likely inclusion of Hulk in both. Marvel Studios Was Unhappy With How Universal Marketed Incredible Hulk (function() { These rights are typically granted by Marvel Entertainment, Inc. to theme park operators in exchange for a licensing fee and a percentage of the parks gross revenues. Universal owns distribution rights, which means they have the right of "first refusal" to any Hulk film. Black Panther: Wakanda Foreverwill introduce the Atlantean ruler, played by Tenoch Huerta, but his MCU future remains up in the air as of now. For the Fantastic Four and X-Men, Fox pays Disney a licensing fee and receives a share of Disneys merchandise revenue on these properties. RELATED: Is the Disney+ MCU Cutting Into Marvel Studios' Box Office Performance? So, naturally, the question becomes, will the man they call Kulk'ulk'an get a solo film? Those of you who are Disney fans will be perplexed as to why there are no Marvel-themed rides at Walt Disney World, particularly since Disneylands Avengers Campus is a huge hit. The ensembles allow the character to show his strengths, and not focus on the weaknesses that would come out in a movie devoted solely to Hulk. It is not possible to create Marvel-based versions of Universal characters. However, even under the Mouse House, Universal still has that "first refusal" clause. They have made great strides to do so and have been very successful in that regard. The situation is more of a standoff between Disney and Universal where neither wants to give, and so Marvel are just dealing with it. } However, Marvel could attempt to regain the rights to the characters for Phase 5 and beyond. Disney may sell its 67% stake in Hulu for more Marvel rights: Citi Disney has acquired the intellectual property rights to the characters, stories, and settings from Marvels comics. Hulk Hogan Signed Universal Champion Red Wrestling Belt | eBay Paramount also distributed the first Iron Man, Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor. This category includes She Hulk as well. According to Broussard, the Incredible Hulk was the clear winner when it came to placing second. Before the days of the MCU, the characters from the many Marvel Comics were almost shared out among other Hollywood studios. Universal Owns Namor's Rights, Too? Disney and Marvel made Iron Man 2 with Paramount distributing the movie. in a statement, a spokesperson for Universal Studios Hollywood said the park experienced a "brief power dip which resulted in exiting guests from some attractions", due to a "power interruption" from the utility Southern California Edison. As is evident with Marvel Studios' deal with Sony, there are ways the two studios could come together and work out a mutually beneficial deal for Marvel Studios to release solo films for the characters. He once asked Tom Cruise about his supposedly fake-butt in Valkyrie (he swore it was all real). The report notes that Sony and Fox have to pay to create and distribute the movies, while Disney still retains the merchandise rights. After being recast as Mark Ruffalo (a choice unrelated to rights issues - it was the result of Norton not wanting to return), Hulk's appeared in The Avengers, Iron Man 3's post-credits scene, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor: Ragnarok and will return in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4. Privacy | Its known that Marvel Chairman Ike Perlmutter had the Fox-Marvel characters killed off in the comics (Fantastic Four, Wolverine, etc.) They do own the distribution rights for Incredible Hulk (2008), currently, but not necessarily to Hulk as a franchise. And that's the minimum. Another has more recently been revealed to be Namor. At least that would give Namor the freedom Hulk never had. The Incredible Hulk - Owned By Universal. This was the case with Universals film The Incredible Hulk, which was part of the MCU. Many fans have been wondering if this is true, and what is going on with the rights between Universal and Marvel. Let us know in the comments. 3 (2016). However, a stipulation with Hulk's rights allows Marvel to use the Hulk in its movies, albeit only in team-ups. At Universals Islands of Adventure, you can find a wide range of Spider-Man toys. Right now, we're still years away from that happening. However, there is one type of movie that seems to be universally enjoyed by people of all ages and from all walks of life, and that is the Marvel movie. It's the reason there is only one stand-alone Hulk film. But that doesn't mean a solo movie won't ever happen. Counting in marketing costs and everything else that goes along with it, a solo Hulk movie would have to break $750 million worldwide to be economically viable. Universal currently holds the rights to several Marvel characters, including the Hulk, Namor the Sub-Mariner, and the Incredible Hulk. So if Marvel went ahead with a Hulk film on their own, they could either buy out Universal's distribution rights, make a deal with the studio that would be mutually beneficial, or just live. However, it is clear that Universal still holds the rights to several important Marvel characters. A film starring Hulk was first floated in 1990, with Universal having bought the movie rights. Phase three of the film series will begin with Captain America: Civil War, followed by Doctor Strange (2016) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. But with Comcast's NBCUniversal controlling the two superheroes' distribution rights, Bazinet suggested a deal could be in the offing. Beyond opening the doors to Hulk taking on a bigger role, Marvel Studios may finally be able to give Namor his own solo movie. Ruffalo explained the situation in a new interview with Collider: "As far as a Hulk movie, a standalone Hulk movie, Marvel doesn't really have the rights to that yet. Its been more than a decade since fans first saw The Incredible Hulk sequel starring Mark Ruffalo. While Disney and Marvel hold the rights to develop films starring The Hulk, the companies announced an agreement with Universal and Marvel in June 2008 to distribute The Incredible Hulk. According to a 2008 SEC filing, Universal has the authority to hold Hulk for up to 15 years, which expires in June 2023. Namor will make his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which will be released in theaters on November 11. Apex Legends vs Fornite which is better? Back then, Marvel Entertainment were an independent company and so the Studios operated as just production, working with outside distributors. ", The aforementioned SEC deal with Paramount notes its distribution agreement "for an initial period of 15 years commencing on the initial Theatrical Exhibition of such Picture:", "6. The future of both the Hulk and Namor rest solely on Universal. As Mark Ruffalo, who took over playing Bruce Banner/Hulk from Edward Norton after The Incredible Hulk, explained in 2017, Marvel Studios President/Chief Creative Officer Kevin Feige "pulled me aside before [Thor: Ragnarok], and said, If you were gonna do a if we were going to do a standalone Hulk movie, what would it be?" After Ruffalo told Feige what he had in mind, his ideas were integrated into not only Ragnarokbut also Infinity War and Endgame. The film audience for the title didn't grow between movies, which is seen as a bad sign. While Marvel Studios is able to include The Hulk and Namor in movies, they've been restricted from releasing solo outings due to Universal holding those rights. There has been speculation about a Marvel-themed park at Disney in the past, but nothing has come to fruition. Disney Might Trade Hulu to Comcast for Hulk, Citi Analyst Says So from all this, there's no official barrier to another MCU Hulk movie. The Incredible Hulk barely improved on that half a decade later, making $263M in a year when Iron Man brought in $585M and The Dark Knight topped $1B (this was when hitting that mark was a major achievement). Index | Spider-Man: Homecoming (2016), Thor: Ragnarok (2017, Black Panther 2018), Avengers: Infinity War (Fall 2018), Ant-Man and the Wasp (Fall 2018), Captain Marvel (2019), and Avengers: Marvel rides are some of the most popular rides at theme parks around the world. Unlike other Marvel characters in the MCU, such as Iron Man, Captain America, or Thor, Namor and Hulk are not solely owned by Marvel Studios. VeryAware document.write( new Date().getFullYear() ); Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Orlando Resort, and Universal Studios Japan all have amazing Marvel rides that are sure to thrill and excite any fan of the superhero franchise. Since 2008, Marvel Studios has also acquired the rights to Ghost Rider, Blade, Daredevil, and a slew of others. The Incredible Hulk Coaster. Disney has the ability to use this property in a variety of ways, including making new movies, TV shows, and games. Since The Incredible Hulk, the character has appeared in all four Avengers movies, as well as cameos in Iron Man 3, Captain Marvel, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and supporting roles in Thor: Ragnarok and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. This was typically Paramount, who released every film except Hulk up until The Avengers, by which point Disney had bought Marvel and set about distributing themselves. "While Disney owns all Marvel IP, Universal has distribution rights to Hulk and Namor," the analyst wrote. This deal was completed earlier this year between NBC Universal and The Blackstone Group, which owns 50% of Universal Orlando. Community Guidelines | Its the reason there is only one stand-alone Hulk film. If you have never seen a Marvel movie, I highly recommend you check one out. Exploring The Limits Of Supermans Power: Can The Man Of Steel Destroy An Entire Universe? The Security and Exchange Commission filing from 2008 allows Universal to hold Hulk movie rights for 15 years, which would expire June 2023. Besides Hulk, Namor, and Spider-Man, Disney owns the rights to almost every single character in Marvel Comics. For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today onTwitter,Facebook, andInstagram. How His Situation Compares To Hulk, Black Panther 2 Repeats An Infinity War Trick To Make Namor More Powerful, Marvel Was Right To Scrap Black Panthers Original Namor Credits Scene, Mark Ruffalo's Hulk being such an integral MCU, Marvel Studios could make a solo Hulk movie, Groot's MCU Future Can Explain Vin Diesel's Exciting Hulk Fight Tease. As we said at the start, Hulk isn't the most popular of the main Avengers. While Universal agreed to share the character with the main universe in MCU, it was still not allowed for Disney and Marvel to produce any solo movie on him. Never, Universal Studios permanently owns the distribution rights to any film in which Hulk portrays himself as the main character, as well as his related friends in his universe. RELATED:The Marvel's Release Date Pushed Back To November. If, or when, Universal chooses to forgo distribution, Disney will immediately pick up those distribution rights for a solo Hulk movie. This follows how Hulk has been utilized in the MCU. Marvel Studios finally explains its Hulk movie deal with Universal Pictures and how it affects the character's role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In 2009, Disney paid $4 billion for Marvel, and the agreement is a long-term one, as long as Universal keeps paying Disney. Based out of North East England, Lewis has a deep passion for all kinds of media that began at a young age. That means that when Marvel Studios wants to make a Hulk movie, they are contractually obligated to ask Universal if they want the distribution rights. Marvel Studios' Phase 4 and 5 slates may be filled to the brim for now, but there are still plenty of release opportunities left in Phase 6 and beyond. The past box office for these films does not justify that as a solid business plan. And both films failed to break even against their budget. This also ensured that Marvel Studios could use Hulk in "future multicharacter films," beginning with The Avengers in 2012 and continuing on to Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019).