The Incredible Hulk Will Be The Only MCU Movie Missing From Disney+

Though it falls early in the MCU filmography, The Incredible Hulk will bring up the rear in terms of its arrival on Disney+, as it was recently announced that Sony and Disney have reached an agreement to bring the Spider-Man films to the streaming platform. Released in 2008 mere weeks after Iron Man kicked off what would become the highest-grossing franchise in movie history, The Incredible Hulk follows one of two MCU characters for whom Marvel isn’t the exclusive rights-holder. As it turns out, Universal Pictures co-produced the film with Marvel Studios, and they hold its distribution rights. With the Spidey deal in place, that leaves only Bruce Banner and “the other guy” as the last who have yet to join the platform.

The iconic big green fighting machine made his first feature film appearance in 2003 with Hulk, on which Kevin Feige served as an executive producer. Eric Bana plays this version of the good doctor-turned-destructive monster, but his Hulk was overtaken in the canon by Edward Norton’s version in the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk. By this point, Feige had taken the reins as producer with a vision for a shared universe in place that would become today’s MCU. Norton had an extensive influence on various facets of the production but was not in fact director Louis Leterrier’s first choice for the role. Mark Ruffalo, who would become the Hulk that MCU fans know and love, was the original choice, and despite not having a solo film in the role, he’s played the character in seven films and counting.

When Disney rolled out Disney+ in 2019 as the future home of all their content, Marvel formed a big part of the draw toward the platform. Titles that had previously lived on a variety of different streaming services could now be consolidated under the Disney+ banner. Over the course of several months, titles that were previously available on Netflix made their way to Disney+, leaving only Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), and The Incredible Hulk (2008) off the list. After the recent deal between Disney and Spider-Man rights holders Sony, the former two will be on the streamer after their Netflix deal expires, but no such deal exists between Universal, the rights holders for Hulk, and Disney as of yet.

While it’s unknown what will happen with the distribution of the MCU’s Incredible Hulk at this time, it’s not unreasonable to believe a deal will happen. It wasn’t too long ago when negotiations between Sony and Disney appeared to have soured, leaving fans to worry that Spider-Man would never again join ranks with the Avengers on the big screen. Now, both parties have reconciled and formed a working partnership more mutually beneficial than ever. Given the absence of Ruffalo from the 2008 film, however, perhaps there isn’t as much incentive to integrate the film into the Disney+ library, especially given the pervasive audience attitude that it’s the least essential of the 23-film Infinity Saga.

It’s not terribly surprising that The Incredible Hulk is the final MCU film remaining unavailable on Disney+, but that certainly doesn’t mean the character is absent from the platform. Any of Ruffalo’s appearances as Bruce Banner and the Hulk are there for viewing, not to mention the ways in which Hulk factors into future MCU plans. With an abundance of Marvel television series currently expanding the narratives of certain characters, including a planned She-Hulk show and the limitless potential of What If…?, fans will have no shortage of Hulk-related content at their fingertips via Disney+.

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