So, Mark Ruffalo sent the interwebs into a tizzy earlier this week when he said that he would be interested in making another stand-alone Hulk movie. In an interview with Digital Spy (via Schmoes Know, because that's where I get all of my movie news), Ruffalo confirmed that Marvel is "entertaining the idea." He goes on to say that, prior to the Avengers, it wasn't even a consideration, but that since, it is a possibility.
Ruffalo was fantastic in his portrayal of Bruce Banner/The Hulk in the Avengers. Arguably one of the best parts of the film, his version of The Hulk was what we, as comic-book movie fans, had been waiting for. He managed to bring that perfect balance to the film, both as Bruce Banner and The Hulk. While I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to another stand-alone Hulk film, I completely understand Marvel's hesitation with the property.
So, let's see where we're at, shall we? First there was the The Incredible Hulk TV series that ran on CBS from 1978-1982. Starring Bill Bixby as Bruce Banner and Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk, it told the origin story of the character and showcased his race to find a cure for his affliction. The series ended with Banner still searching for a cure and running from Jack McGee, the reporter out to unmask his secret. A number of TV movies were made after the series run, culminating in 1990's Death of the Incredible Hulk, where Banner/the Hulk, did in fact die in the end. Generally thought of as a good depiction of the characters, it remains one of the best telling's of the Hulk's story arc.
For his next outing, we have 2003's Ang Lee directed, The Hulk. Starring Eric Bana as Bruce Banner, and for some unknown reason, Ang Lee as the motion-captured Hulk, the film was a disappointment for the studio. It's world-wide box office total was about $245M on a budget of $137M, making it just barely profitable. The reviews for the film were mixed, many citing the altered origin story, depressing story arc for the characters and poor CGI as the reasons for not enjoying the film. While I generally applaud studios for thinking outside the box when it comes to their properties, The Hulk went beyond that, right into off-the-rails territory. The addition of Banner's father and his mutated DNA and the fact that the angrier he got, the bigger the Hulk got were enough to turn even the most die-hard fan off. Which is too bad, because I thought that Eric Bana was the perfect choice for the mild mannered Bruce Banner. Overall, the movie was a huge disappointment to fans everywhere.
So, now it's 2008 and Marvel has begun to plant the seeds of it's cinematic universe with the release of the first Iron Man movie. Quietly on the heels of that release came The Incredible Hulk. Starring Edward Norton as Bruce Banner, this time Marvel skipped over the origins of the character, instead choosing to show how the Hulk came to be in a series of comic-book like panels at the beginning of the film and then jumping directly into the story. Officially considered canon in the MCU, this film had a more stream-lined feel to it, sticking with the more well known origins and motivations of the character. The film was a modest success, making slightly more at the box office than it's predecessor. Overall, I think this was a way better film, and Edward Norton was a competent Bruce Banner, although definitely not my first choice for the role. The villain of the film, The Abomination, was the perfect foe for our unorthodox hero and the fight scenes were out of this world. This film still didn't blow the masses away, however.
By the time that The Avengers rolled around in 2012, Norton had been given the boot, and Ruffalo had been hired to fill Banner's shoes. Playing both Banner and the motion-captured Hulk, Ruffalo stole the show. And that's when it started. Fans rumbling about a new stand-alone Hulk film, this time with Ruffalo at the forefront. Wouldn't it be great? He did such a fantastic job, he could do it again. The Hulk needs his own film... seemingly forgetting that the last two times the studio tried this, no one seemed to care.
There are a number of reasons why a stand-alone Hulk film doesn't work, no matter how hard the studio tries to make it happen. The first, and foremost, is the Hulk himself. When people go to see a superhero, or comic book based movie, if you will, they want to see the comic book character. That's difficult to do in a Hulk stand-alone, if you want to tell any sort of story that doesn't involve the Hulk doing nothing but smashing things for 2 hours. While Tony Stark is Iron Man, Peter Parker is Spiderman and Logan is The Wolverine, Bruce Banner is not the Hulk. They are two separate characters, with extremely different motivations. While they may share the same DNA, Banner has spent every waking moment of his life, since the accident, trying to eradicate the other part of himself. Shockingly enough, the Hulk doesn't want to be eradicated, which puts the two of them at odds with one another, right from the get go. Any significant character development or story arc has to be told from Banner's point of view, leading to more screen time for the man, and less screen time for the beast. While personally this doesn't bother me, I know there are a lot of people out there who would be, and have been, disappointed with that sort of story telling. There's a fine line between too much Banner and not enough Hulk and Marvel, so far hasn't been able to balance it for a full two hour movie. Now, it is possible for the studio to go in the complete opposite direction and do something like a Planet Hulk movie... which, don't get me wrong, would be all sorts of cool and wicked and awesome... but, I also think it might get old, pretty fast. While I like the Hulk character, there isn't a whole lot that can be done with him in regards to character development. And while I know a lot of people would love to see him smash aliens in a gladiator style smack-down, I don't think it would hold water for a full two hours. There has to be a little more substance to it for it to be placed in the same regard as the other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They've raised the bar, and now, anything less will be considered a failure.
The reason that the Hulk worked, and worked so well, in the Avengers was because he wasn't the main protagonist. When he was on screen, they made the most of it, and that's why we fell in love with him. He was used in the best possible way, but the film wasn't centred around him. He wasn't forced to carry the storyline all the way through, and that's why it was refreshing and bold when he was on the screen. While I have no doubt that eventually we will see another Hulk stand-alone film, I can't see Marvel jumping on board any time soon. I don't think that a Hulk film fits in with their plans, just yet, but I'm sure eventually Bruce Banner will grace the silver screen once again. Let's hope they are able to balance the character's two persona's and that we get the Hulk film that the character deserves.
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