Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk in last year's The Avengers was certainly a highlight of the superhero assembly movie, but fans were left wondering what Marvel's plans are for the green meanie going forward.  We already know that sequels to Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers are slated for release over the next two years (Marvel's Phase Two) as well as new properties Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange and Ant-Man.  So where's the Banner love?  We've previously reported that Marvel's Kevin Feige has stated that no new Hulk standalone movie will take place until after The Avengers 2 has opened and that popular comic arcs Planet Hulk and World War Hulk are not off the table.  Now, some intrepid reporting from a reliable source has shed some possible details on the future of the Gamma Giant.  Hit the jump for more, but consider this your spoiler warning. 

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Thanks to the hard work of El Mayimbe over at Latino Review, we have some possible details about the future of the Hulk.  Be sure to check out his video blog that goes through the finer points of his scoop.  We'll lay out the info in brief below:

  • Don't expect to see the Hulk until 2015's The Avengers 2, as per Feige.  However, DO expect to see a third act or post-credits scene of the sequel that sets up Hulk's next standalone picture.
  • Apparently, after being deemed a serious threat to the Earth by Marvel's Illuminati (a secret organization of powerful heroes that includes Tony Stark/Iron Man, the soon to be introduced Doctor Strange and others), the Hulk is shipped off into space.
  • Once spacebound, the report states that Hulk's next film will be centered around comic writer Greg Pak's Planet Hulk.  The idea is that Hulk has already spent a lot of time smashing puny humans and puny Gods, so let's take his story to an alien planet where he can extraterrestrials to his hearts content.
  • The arc of Planet Hulk centers on the Hulk as he becomes enslaved on the planet Sakaar, is forced to participate in gladiatorial games and eventually becomes a hero of the rebellion  against the Red King.

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The story doesn't end here however, because as cool as the idea of Gladiator-meets-Hulk is, it gets better.  Here's another spoiler alert if you don't want to know about Hulk's possible involvement in The Avengers 3.

  •  At the end of Planet Hulk, some events transpire that get the Hulk pretty pissed off.  The only thing worse than an enraged Hulk is one with an army of loyal followers.  The theory goes that Hulk and his warbound fighters will return to Earth in The Avengers 3 to follow Pak's World War Hulk story arc.
  • The story of World War Hulk is pretty crazy but basically involves the Hulk and his warriors beating the shit out of every hero and heroic team on Earth, eventually pitting them against each other in the Hulk's own version of gladiatorial combat.
  • One thing that makes the standalone Hulk movie more probable is the fact that Mark Ruffalo has signed on for a six-picture deal with Marvel and it is doubtful that he'll be happy to just appear in post-credits or cameos for the rest of his career.

If El Mayimbe's report pans out and Marvel really does take this track over the next few years, it's absolutely HUGE for Hulk fans.  Honestly, the guy needs to get off the Earth and stretch his legs a little bit. And what better way to freshen up the Avengers than by having them fight each other in the third installment?  Since this isn't confirmed and it's way too early for Marvel's timetable to release anything official, expect a denial (or better yet, silence) for the time being.  Would you like to see Planet Hulk/World War Hulk become a reality?  Let us know in the comments!

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