Looking over the slate of upcoming Marvel movies, there’s a lot to look forward to, from Captain America: Brave New World arriving a month from now to Avengers: Secret Wars wrapping up The Multiverse Saga in 2027. In addition to these officially-announced entries, dated or otherwise, every now and then there’ll be a rumor or report about an MCU movie that Marvel Studios is secretly developing. World War Hulk has fallen into that category, and there’s even a director who’s being eyed for the project, though I surprisingly have mixed feelings about this choice.
George Miller Is Being Looked At For World War Hulk
Although Hulk has been a relatively consistent presence in the MCU since he was introduced in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, that still remains the character’s only solo movie in this franchise, with Mark Ruffalo only playing Bruce Banner in supporting roles or as part of an ensemble. Well, if World of Reel is to be believed, the goal is to shoot World War Hulk sometime this year. Additionally, the outlet claims that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has reached out to numerous directors for the gig, including Mad Max‘s George Miller.
In the comics, World War Hulk spun out of the events of Planet Hulk, where the Green Goliath ended up stranded on the planet Sakaar after he was tricked by the Illuminati and banished from Earth because the danger he posed to humanity. Although Hulk set up a good life for himself on that alien world, the ship in which he’d been transported exploded, killing his wife Caiera. Enraged and more powerful than ever, Hulk came back to Earth with his Sakaarian allies in tow and declared war on the Illuminati.
I’d Rather George Miller Direct Thor 5
I want to make it perfectly clear: I do not in any way think that George Miller would make a bad World War Hulk movie. He’s a filmmaker with over four decades of experience who knows how to shoot gorgeous moves, including Mad Max: Fury Road and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. However, as noted in World of Reel’s article, Miller has previously expressed in directing Thor 5, and it was Chris Hemsworth, who played Dementus in Furiosa, who allegedly arranged a meeting between the director and Kevin Feige.
If I have to choose between Miller directing World War Hulk or Thor 5, I’m picking the latter, no question. I want to see more of him collaborating with Hemsworth, and more importantly, I think Miller would do a great job taking on the God of Thunder following Love and Thunder’s polarizing critical reception. Taika Waititi has already said he won’t be back for Thor 5, so Miller could bring this corner of the MCU back to its roots in Norse mythology and give the movie a tone closer to Kenneth Branagh’s Thor, but without losing all of the humor that’s become associated with Hemsworth’s character since Waititi made Ragnarok.
As for if there’s a legitimate possibility that World War Hulk is indeed being developed, I’m inclined to say yes, or at least I think that we will be getting something Hulk-centric in the next few years. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law ended with Bruce returning to Earth with his son Skaar, but over two years later, we still have no information on where Bruce ended up and how he ran into Skaar. Admittedly, he wasn’t in a vengeful mood when he reunited with Jennifer Walters and the rest of his family, so it’s hard to see how we go from that to World War Hulk, but I’m certainly game to see those dots connected.
If/when the day comes that Marvel Studios announces World War Hulk, we’ll pass that along here at CinemaBlend. Until then, you can stream all of Hulk’s MCU appearances with a Disney+ subscription, and don’t forget that Captain America: Brave New World will feature characters tied to him like Betty Ross, Samuel Sterns/The Leader and Thunderbolt Ross, who will transform into Red Hulk.