Editorial: Back in 2013, The Daily SuperHero reached out to an Intellectual Property lawyer friend who is a very big science fiction, fantasy and super hero fan. Disclaimer: this person (who does not want to be named or assigned a gender in this post) is not privy to any of Disney's or Marvel Studios' legal paperwork.
Anyway, the last time I used commentary provided by this lawyer was back in 2013 when I reached out to get a pulse on what could be the legal reasons as to why Marvel Studios wasn't moving forward with another INCREDIBLE HULK movie after the Disney buyout in 2009. Interesting enough, the lawyer said it was due to Universal Studios still holding onto some of the rights (distribution rights were actually implied) for solo Hulk movies. Well... that info became fact as now it has been confirmed by Mark Ruffalo that Universal does indeed have shared rights to the character which is preventing Disney and Marvel to move forward with any future solo Hulk movie.
Now there is a new unconfirmed rumor about another Hulk possibly appearing in CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR. While I won't spoil anything because it is just a rumor, you can guess who it might be in the comments below.
Based on this rumor, a question surfaces... Could other Hulk characters legally show up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? This is where my lawyer friend comes into play and I reached out and got the following response. Side Note: The following email conversation was edited for clarity and easier reading, but the meaning behind the response is still fully intact.
"DailySuperHero: Hey [redacted], just a quick statement followed by two questions for you: Based on the fact Sony has all movie rights for all-things Spider-Man related and Fox has movie rights for all-things X-Men, mutant and Fantastic Four related, is it safe to assume the same with Universal having shared rights for all-thing Hulk related? And, if so, could other Hulk characters appear in the MCU?
"IP Lawyer: Being that I do not have access to the actual movie rights documents, I can somewhat answer these question but in the most basic way possible... The short answer is sure, why not? I would have to assume this is some kind of loophole Disney and/or Marvel legal found in the existing contract with Universal, so don't expect any solo Hulk movies of any kind until the studios resolve their shared rights problem. Universal and Marvel already have some kind of deal in place that allows Marvel to use the Hulk in supporting roles in other heroes' films so it can be assumed the same for She-Hulk and any other Hulk who is in comic book canon."
So there you have it. Whether this becomes fact or fiction remains to be seen... for now.
Related Posts: Mark Ruffalo Confirms why Marvel Hasn't Made a Solo HULK Film: Universal Studios Has Some of the Rights
HULK May Not Have His Own Phase 3 Movie, But Marvel Promises He'll be in Many Phase 3 Films
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