The MCU Is 1 Step Closer To A World War Hulk Movie

The introduction of the Illuminati in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness makes an MCU World War Hulk movie way more likely. As Marvel Studios regains access to most of Marvel characters following FOX’s acquisition by Disney, many important storylines from the comics can finally be brought into the MCU. The first major indicator of that will be in Doctor Strange 2, as the movie will feature Patrick Stewart’s Professor X as a member of the Illuminati.

In the comics, the Illuminati is a secret society formed by some of Marvel’s most powerful and influential characters. Through schemes and lies, the Illuminati were behind crucial events in the Marvel universe. In the MCU, it looks like the concept will be adapted into something close to a multiversal council that will stand against Stephen Strange’s reckless actions.

The possibility of a World War Hulk movie in the MCU always seemed like a long-shot considering many elements of the comics’ storyline were missing in the franchise, but the introduction of the Illuminati in Doctor Strange 2 makes one of the best Hulk stories more easily adaptable for the big screen. In the comics, it is the council formed by Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Reed Richards, and Black Bold that decides to send Hulk off-planet in what would start the Planet Hulk arc. After suffering so much away from home, Hulk returns to Earth with a desire for revenge against the members of the Illuminati. Given how linked the group of Marvel’s most influential characters is with the events leading up to World War Hulk, it would be virtually impossible for the MCU to pull up a movie version of that story without the presence of the Illuminati characters.

The MCU is indeed used to changing core elements of famous comic book stories when adapting them. Captain America: Civil War, for example, trimmed down most of the events that led up to the arc in the comics when crafting the story for the movie, and the Infinity Saga managed to play out perfectly despite the absence of Adam Warlock. Needless to say, the workarounds the MCU had to take to tell 20 years of Marvel stories without ever mentioning mutants or the Fantastic Four is also another great example. Now that the studio has the rights to most of the Marvel characters, bringing in something like the Illuminati and therefore adapting World War Hulk just got a whole lot easier.

It could be Doctor Strange’s multiversal Illuminati who are responsible for sending the Hulk, or at least some version of him, off-planet. Although the MCU’s Doctor Strange does not know this council seemly led by Patrick Stewart’s Professor Xavier, the Illuminati are probably aware of the history and dangers of the Hulk in different realities. Even so, the MCU will have to make many changes to fit the World War Hulk story in the current canon of the franchise.

Taking liberties when adapting a comic book storyline into a film is something very common to the MCU, but when the franchise has the opportunity to use something like the Illuminati to set up a World War Hulk movie things can work out even better. Whether that awaits Hulk in the MCU is something audiences will begin to discover in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and She-Hulk. Either way, the future for the emerald giant and the MCU as a whole looks even brighter.

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Marcelo Leite
(187 Articles Published)

Marcelo Leite is a senior writer for Screen Rant with years of experience in creative and academic writing. Although his chosen field was structure engineering, there is nothing he likes better than writing about the things he loves.

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