The Hulk standalone film: It can't happen because of contractual reasons, says Marvel boss

A standalone Hulk movie is on every Marvel fan's wishlist. With actor Mark Ruffalo providing a brilliant take on the character, people thought it was only a matter of time before the studio gives him his solo movie. But that never happened, and judging by Marvel boss Kevin Feige's latest statements, it will not be happening anytime soon.

There's no mention of a solo Hulk movie in Marvel's Phase 3 lineup of films. When asked about this during a recent interview, Feige cited business and contractual factors as reasons for it not happening.

"Well, those are contractual things that I'm not entirely attuned to," the producer told Deadline. "Disney and Universal would need to come to an agreement to allow Marvel to do a standalone Hulk film for Disney."

Shifting to Ruffalo's take on The Hulk and the character's upcoming appearances in Marvel films, Feige said, "Ruffalo lights up any room he's in, any Twitter feed he's engaged in and any movie that he's in. It's just a great pleasure to have him in The Avengers films and as you know his next appearance will be in Thor: Ragnarok, which is a whole other type of fun Hulk adventure for him that we can't wait to get started on."

We all know that The Hulk, who was last seen flying off to an unknown destination in "Avengers 2," will have a significant storyline in forthcoming Marvel films, "Thor 3" and the two-part "Avengers 3." In an earlier interview, Ruffalo explained how his individual story arc in the new movies will feel like a standalone film altogether.

"I'd love to do a Hulk movie, but that's beyond my control," Ruffalo told Yahoo. "It's controlled by Universal. Marvel doesn't even hold the rights to it. So, it's not on the horizon. And I don't know if it will be. But we've worked a really interesting arc into Thor 3, Avengers 3 and 4 for Banner that I think will – when it's all added up – will feel like a Hulk movie, a standalone movie."