Thor: Ragnarok will kick off a major 3 movie story arc for the Hulk

Though the desire for a solo Hulk movie is definitely out there, it's no secret that it's unlikely to happen any time soon. It's something Mark Ruffalo is keenly aware of, and when he spoke to Yahoo! Movies to promote Spotlight, the actor once again confirmed: "I’d love to do a Hulk movie, but that’s beyond my control. 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."

So what do you do when you can't make a solo Hulk movie? You give the green monster a major story arc over three Marvel movies instead. "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." Ruffalo revealed.

With Marvel aiming to introduce new franchises over the next couple years, while setting the stage for Infinity War, it's difficult to see where a solo Hulk movie would fit even if Marvel did have the rights to the character. As great as it might have been to see stories such as World War Hulk adapted for the big screen, this sounds like the next best thing and it could yet prove to be a satisfying compromise.

As for Thor: Ragnarok, it's clear that Ruffalo is excited: "Taika Waititi’s coming in and I love him. That’s a surprise and it fits part of this Marvel doing the unexpected, casting the unexpected, and now bringing in the unexpected for writer and director. I’m really interested in where that’s going. They’re writing the script now. I am thinking about it, I’m doing script meetings and stuff so we’re starting to prep it."

Directed by Taika Waititi and starring Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Jaimie Alexander and Mark Ruffalo, Thor: Ragnarok will be released in UK cinemas on October 27, 2017 before opening in US theatres on November 3, 2017.

Images: Marvel