The reason we haven't seen a Hulk movie since 2008's The Incredible Hulk is because of a distribution deal Marvel Studios struck with Universal Pictures prior to them being acquired by Disney. Now, that deal is thought to be nearing its end, meaning we may finally see the Jade Giant take centre stage (after years of being a supporting character).
Based on the latest episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, there's a good chance a World War Hulk project is on the horizon, and Mark Ruffalo has confirmed that he hopes to explore that storyline during an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
"The cool thing about this world is that it could just be anything," he says of the Green Goliath's possible future. "Five years from now it could totally morph into anything, whatever's pertinent at the time. I almost see him going back to 'Berserker Hulk' or 'World War Hulk'. It could go anywhere. That's the exciting part - I've played five different versions from beginning to now, and that's kept it interesting for me and I hope interesting for other people."
The actor went on to say that when he was asked to appear in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, it was under the proviso that Bruce Banner would pass the torch to Jennifer Walters.
That doesn't mean Ruffalo is done with playing The Hulk, though. He'd go on to express interest in potentially exploring how his character went from being unable to transform in Avengers: Infinity War to the Smart Hulk we first met in Avengers: Endgame.
"There's a gap where we don't know what happened to him and all of a sudden he's a professor and he is no longer Banner after he couldn't turn into the Hulk. I love how we start to open up that world, but I think there's almost a standalone story to be told for just those [five] years."
"How did we go from a Banner who couldn't turn into the Hulk anymore to all of a sudden this fully integrated version? This is a really nice way to introduce that story, but I also feel like it doesn't satisfy exactly what happened in that time period. I think there's a lot more to say about it."
It seems like Ruffalo may know something we don't about that time in Bruce's life, and we can't help but wonder how "the other guy" feels about his current status quo. Only time will tell what the future holds, but it feels like an exciting time to be a fan of this character.
The first two episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law are now streaming on Disney+.