Then, this morning I received the following brief e-mail.

“David Eick and Guillermo del Toro submitted a treatment that includes the development of the Red Hulk as a villain. Thought you might like to know”

Courtesy of Comic Vine

Why is this rumor possible? Well, Guillermo del Toro who is producing the new television show has already said that the show will not follow the templates of the films, but in fact be based more so on the comics. Let's look at his comments in an interview with MTV. He said, "Jeph Loeb is in the project. Pak's Hulk is great. Loeb's Hulk is great. There's so many things in the Hulk universe that are powerful strands of narrative, that they know are being faithful to those strands, and the movies have their own continuity."

Why is that quote so important? Well as for the Rulk (nickname for the Red Hulk), the mere mention of Jeph Loeb's involvement is crucial to the rumor. Now you can put some meat behind it. Jeph Loeb was the writer during the Rulk saga, and for several years the Red Hulk outsold the Green Hulk by leaps and bounds.

So why is that important? Well, the producers right off the bat know that they have a piece of the comic that was popular. They could hope that the success of that angle will translate to the television series. Part of the fun of the Rulk was that it was a mystery as to whom he was. Readers kept feeding into the mystery each month hoping for a clue, a hint of his true origins.

The mystery of the character is something the show would most likely explore. In the comics it was revealed that General Thunderbolt Ross was in fact the Red Hulk. General Ross has usually been portrayed in film and the comics as the hunter to Banner's Hulk. Constantly on the heels of his capture, only to come up short time and time again. He is also the father to Betty Ross, the girlfriend of Bruce Banner, so that adds an element to the cat and mouse chase.

In conclusion, Guillermo's show will be comic based, Jeph Loeb will be giving input, and the character is immensely popular. As I said prior the Red Hulk's mystery was part of the fun, and a huge reason to read each month's new edition. So I would not be surprised to see the Red Hulk introduced again as a mystery for the show, but change whom the character ends up being.

This is just a rumor for now, so confirm or debunk below.