World War Hulk Art Imagines Mark Ruffalo Ruling The MCU
A new piece of World War Hulk art imagines Mark Ruffalo’s character atop a throne in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since Edward Norton's introduction as Dr. Bruce Banner in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, the MCU’s Hulk has endured quite the metamorphosis. In 2012’s The Avengers, the role was recast with Ruffalo playing both Banner and Hulk via motion capture as the character became a founding member of the superhero team.
Similar to characters like Clint Barton/Hawkeye and Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Ruffalo’s Hulk has acted as one of the universe’s most prominent supporting characters in films including Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. Despite Ruffalo’s beloved portrayal, he has yet to receive a Hulk solo movie. This has been due in large part to a legal battle between Marvel Studios and Universal Pictures, who owned the production rights for standalone Hulk films. However, recent rumors point to a Hulk movie inspired by the World War Hulk storyline in the comics being in development, which is reportedly slated to begin production in late 2022.
Digital artist Venomhology recently posted some World War Hulk art to Instagram. The impressive image could essentially serve as a poster for a World War Hulk movie. The piece sees Ruffalo’s Hulk sporting his gladiator armor from Sakaar in Thor: Ragnarok and sitting on a throne, seemingly ruling over the entire MCU. Check it out below:
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World War Hulk serves as a sequel to Greg Pak’s comic Planet Hulk, which saw its titular character dominate Sakaar through participating in gladiatorial-style combat. 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok loosely adapted the events of Planet Hulk, seeing Thor sent to the trash planet ruled by the Grandmaster and competing in his Contest of Champions, dominated by Hulk. Ultimately, Thor and Hulk escape Sakaar, leaving the planet’s fate up in the air. A World War Hulk film would take place after the events of the upcoming Disney+ series She-Hulk starring Tatiana Maslany as the lead and Ruffalo in a supporting role. The series is also rumored to feature Skaar, a comic character who was conceived by the Hulk, and a Sakaaran, Caiera the Oldstrong. After being exiled by his mother, Skaar, who possesses similar abilities to the Hulk, heads to Earth with a desire to kill his father. Eventually, Banner and Skaar develop a close father-son relationship.
If Skaar does show up in She-Hulk, the table is very much set for a World War Hulk film. However, given Hulk’s rather quirky arc, World War Hulk would be a loose adaptation of the comic storyline. Fans have often criticized power-scaling issues regarding Hulk in the MCU. At the end of Avengers: Endgame, Professor Hulk isn’t exactly the formidable green guy Hulk was in Avengers: Age of Ultron. However, Shang-Chi's post-credits scene sees Banner in his “human” form once again, so She-Hulk could set him up as a more traditional Hulk going into World War Hulk. Whatever form Banner returns in, that is a solo film fans would surely love to see.
Source: Venomhology/Instagram