Despite being a regular fixture of the Marvel Cinematic Universe over the years, the rights issues surrounding Bruce Banner/The Hulk have always made the prospect of another solo outing for the Green Goliath highly unlikely.
2003's Hulk and 2008's The Incredible Hulk were distributed by Universal Pictures, who managed to retain the solo rights to the character after Disney's acquisition of Marvel. This meant that if Kevin Feige and co. did want to develop a new Hulk movie, it would have to be released through Universal.
However, earlier this year, a trade report indicated (if not outright confirmed) that Marvel Studios may have regained the full rights to the Jade Giant, and a new rumor is now claiming that a Hulk film is in the works.
Could this be the World War Hulk movie we heard about a couple of years back?
Mark Ruffalo has previously expressed interest in exploring this story on screen, and World War Hulk would be an epic event to draw from. Of course, it's highly unlikely that this project would be a direct adaptation of the comic, but the basic premise - a rampaging Hulk seeking revenge on Earth's Mightiest Heroes - has a lot of potential.
Hulk/Banner showed up in the post-credits scene for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and also had a significant role to play in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. In the season finale of the Disney+ series, Hulk appeared with his son, Skaar, which could give more credence to the WWH rumors.
We probably won't get an official announcement relating to any potential solo Hulk project for a while, but with most of his fellow OG Avengers actors moving on from their respective roles, it does seem likely that Marvel Studios has big plans in place for Ruffalo's take on the iconic hero as we head towards Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars.
Whatever the studio may have in store for the Green Goliath, a lot of fans are hoping to see Banner leave "Smart Hulk" behind and let the monster loose.
What do you think? Would you like to see World War Hulk play out on the big screen? Drop us a comment down below.