Disney recently announced that a classic Marvel movie is about to be removed from the popular streaming platform Hulu. Many streaming services across the entertainment industry have been constantly updating their projects, especially Disney+. This is because Disney has the rights to old films that were developed outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
A massive update recently came when Disney+ introduced a completely new section for the X-Men right after their character rights were transferred to Disney. This is regardless of the fact that some other services also feature old Marvel projects from before the MCU even existed.
Hulu sent out a press release, which showed that 2003’s Hulk will be removed from the streaming service on September 30, 2023. Once Hulk gets removed, 2004’s The Punisher and 2008’s Punisher: War Zone will be the only two Marvel movies to remain on the service.
Hulk was directed by Ang Lee and was the very first Marvel movie to feature the furious green Avenger when it was released on June 17, 2003. At the box office, the movie only earned $245.4 million and didn’t do much better on Rotten Tomatoes as well since it earned a 63% Tomatometer rating and a 29% Audience Meter Rating. The cast of Hulk consisted of Eric Bana as Bruce Banner, Sam Elliott as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, and Jennifer Connelly as Betty Ross.
In the movie, the character’s origin story is revealed in which a gamma radiation experiment seems to go out of hand. This leads the Army, as well as the US government, to target Bruce Banner while his father (played by Nick Nolte) tells him of a dark plan. The removal of Hulk from Hulu is taking place after 2008’s The Incredible Hulk joined Disney+ on June 16.
Are there any plans for 2003's Hulk to come to Disney+?
Considering how consistent Disney+ has been with its updates in the last few years, it seems likely that Hulk might join the platform at some point. However, the real question is when the movie might come to the streaming service. Recently, multiple Spider-Man films came over to Disney+ after the expiration of their contracts on different streaming services. Now, the movies of Tobey Maguire, Tom Holland, and Andrew Garfield can be streamed on Disney+.
Disney+ also started to add R-rated movies from the history of Marvel, such as Hugh Jackman’s Logan. It looks like the movie might be breaking down a few barriers to make it easier for movies, such as Hulk, to come down the same path. With The Incredible Hulk now on Disney+, the only thing that needs to be sorted is when the streaming rights for Hulk will be on the open market or when it will be sent over to Universal or Disney. Lately, many rumors have been flying around that Disney might have already gained the rights for Hulk, but nothing official has been released as of yet.
