Generally speaking, if you want to watch the MCU adventures of Iron Man, Captain America, and the like, you’ll usually head straight to Disney Plus. The streaming service has always housed the best MCU characters and Marvel movies, and usually most of the new movies, too.
But there’s also always been one notable MCU based absence from the platform, meaning that our Marvel movie marathon has never quite been complete.
At this point, we may be so used to Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk/Bruce Banner, that we forget there are other iterations of the big green monster that exist in the universe. In fact, there are two other superhero movies that examine the beast which existed outside of the Avengers phase.
2008’s The Incredible Hulk is an adaptation of the Marvel character that starred Edward Norton in the titular role. But it also featured a range of other incredible actors, including Tim Roth, Liv Tyler, Tim Blake Nelson, and the original Hulk himself, Lou Ferrigno.
The 2000s movie sees Bruce Banner embedded with Hulk powers after becoming indoctrinated by the US military in their Super-Soldier program, which uses gamma radiation.
Although The Hulk is a Marvel creation, the movie was distributed by Universal, which can explain why it hasn’t existed on Disney Plus until now, when Marvel Studios have just reacquired the rights. (Disney Plus seems particularly excited by this, posting the news on its Twitter.)
Although the movie does not end up returning to the Marvel universe in the same capacity we’re used to (hello, multiverse), it’s significant because it features a cameo from the one and only Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark at the movie’s end, setting what perhaps became Marvel’s biggest trend.
The 2003 version of The Hulk was disappointing, both critically and financially, but this movie managed to just about surpass it, earning $263.4 million worldwide. Critically, it didn’t quite stand up against Iron Man, but it does sit at a 69% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
So while we may be waiting until the end of time sets us free for a Mark Ruffalo Hulk movie, at least you can now settle in and watch a solo Hulk outing in some form. And at the very least, your Marvel marathon is now finally complete.
For all things Marvel, check out everything we know about the Captain America 4 release date and The Marvels release date. You can also check out our lists of the best Marvel villains, and all the Marvel series ranked. You can also check out our list of the best movies of all time, to see which superheroes make an appearance.