Mark Ruffalo Stays In MCU, But Professor Hulk Will Go Away

Written by Edwin Francisco

Mark Ruffalo Stays in MCU, But Professor Hulk Will Go Away

Mark Ruffalo will be with Marvel Studios for a while but the same can’t be said for Professor Hulk.

There are even rumors circulating that Marvel Studios got back rights to use the Hulk for a solo film from Universal. At this time, we have no confirmation if it’s true or not. But regardless of whether they can get a solo movie or not, Marvel will still tell his story.

Marvel Studios will drop the Professor Hulk incarnation in his next theatrical appearance. In other words, Mark Ruffalo will revert to another incarnation of Hulk. He will lose his genius persona.

In the comics, Professor Hulk is the weakest of all his transformations. You’ll notice that his body size is smaller in Avengers: Endgame (2019) compared to the first Avengers (2012) movie.

We are not sure what will trigger this, but it means that there will be an event that forces him to use a lot of his strength beyond what Professor Hulk can do. This in turn transforms him to a savage more powerful incarnation of Hulk.

Marvel Studios is still developing a Wolverine vs. Hulk movie for a while now. Mikey Sutton has reported this back in June 2020. The idea even actually introduces Alpha Flight which is also planned as a Disney Plus series. Alpha Flight is a Canadian super hero team that Wolverine was originally a part of before joining the X-Men. The plan involves Alpha Flight, doing a mission with Wolverine and stumble upon a savage ravaging Hulk.

Even though there are plans for Mark Ruffalo’s future in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, it’s obvious that all the other original heroes in Phase One are already being replaced with a new generation. Hawkeye and Black Widow will have their replacements with the same name. The Falcon is now the new Captain America. Right now, Thor and The Hulk are the ones remaining from the original team.

But don’t worry yet. Mark Ruffalo’s version will be staying with Marvel for some time as I mentioned earlier. However, this doesn’t mean that Marvel is not preparing for it. Remember, Marvel is here for the long haul. They plan everything many years in advance.

Totally Awesome Hulk & The Agents of Atlas

A new Hulk is coming and we are not talking about She-Hulk. We already know about Tatiana Maslany’s She-Hulk for her Disney+ series. This time it’s the Korean-American Amadeus Cho. He is getting ready for his Marvel Cinematic Universe entrance.

Amadeus Cho is being developed as the new Hulk after Mark Ruffalo is gone. However, he will be simply a normal human character for a while before they build him up to turn into his hulk version. It’s expected that Cho will be friends with Bruce Banner. So, we’ll be expecting their characters to interact for a while.

Cho is also known as the Mastermind Excello, Incredible Hulk and Awesome Hulk, but he’s currently called as Brawl in Marvel Comics.

This new Hulk means much more than just replacing Mark Ruffalo in future installments. This also means that the New Agents of Atlas is slowly being developed. The New Agents of Atlas is comprised of Asian and Asian-American superheroes. Considering that Jimmy Woo (played by Randall Park) is already in the movies and TV shows. We also have Ms. Marvel (played by Iman Vellani) which is set to premiere on Disney Plus in late 2021 and also part of the movie The Marvels (2022). Now Shang-Chi (played by Simu Liu) is added to the lineup with the movie upcoming soon entitled, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021). They are all key players to the future team.

It’s not sure when they will turn into one group and form the Agents of Atlas, but the pieces are obviously being placed. Cho is one of the key pieces to making this happen. They might still add a character or two but what’s important is that Kevin Feige has been planning this all along. Cho is most likely to debut in Shang-Chi 2.

Mark Ruffalo Stays in MCU, But Professor Hulk Will Go Away

Mark Ruffalo Stays in MCU, But Professor Hulk Will Go Away

Image: Marvel Comics Group

Amadeus Cho’s History

Cho’s parents emigrated in the United States from South Korea. They originally lived in Tucson, Arizona with his sister Maddy. Even at an early age, Cho showed high intelligence and was considered a genius. At 15 he joined a quiz show named Brain Fight and easily won first place. Cho was given the title Mastermind Excello and the position of Seventh Smartest Man in the World. Because of this, he became a target. His family was killed but Cho was able to escape.

While on the run, he was able to meet Hulk (Bruce Banner) and he protected Amadeus for a time. Cho considered Banner as his friend.

At some point there was a terrible accident called the “Standford Incident” which led to the Superhuman Registration Act. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents tried to capture unregistered Mastermind Excello. As Cho hides and tries his best to stay away from S.H.I.E.L.D. He still had his adventures and got connected with a lot of the superheroes by use of his own intellect as his best ability.

Cho was eventually captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. He was imprisoned with Hercules. After a while, they were also able to escape together.
With Cho joining Hercules, they were able to reach the Elysian Fields (the Greek version of Heaven). This is where he met his parents again. Amadeus felt guilty and felt that it was his fault that they died. The parents stopped him and told him that they are proud of him and of what he has become. His parents also said that his sister Maddy is still alive on Earth.
Sometime later, the Hulk (Banner), needed help as he got stuck with a new type of radiation which can kill a lot of innocent people.

Cho helped Hulk by using special nanites. This made him absorb Hulk’s powers, making Amadeus the new Hulk. He distanced himself from Banner after the incident. For a time, he was able to control his Hulk persona.

During his time as Hulk, Cho was able to hold on his own and got into his own adventures. He had some difficulty controlling his rage. He was able to suppress it for a time, but Bruce Banner’s death during the second Civil War was failing his suppression to keep the hulk in control. Cho exiled himself from Earth to find a way to contain the Hulk. His exile didn’t result in a cure, but he was subdued by Hulk.

Cho lost control over the Hulk.

The ruthless Hulk returned to Earth, declaring war on his enemies and even his allies. But his allies were able to capture him and injected him with nanobots to breakdown the gamma radiation in Cho’s body. It gave Cho a fighting chance, but instead of destroying his darker side, he embraced it. He was able to retain some of Hulk’s powers.

The Journey Ahead

It’s amazing how Marvel has made Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk one of the most critical characters even if it did try to make a full complete story without relying on solo movies (except for one with Edward Norton). Now we know that there is still a lot to expect from the character. I do hope they can make a movie that really focuses on Banner and his struggles throughout the years. I’m still bummed out regarding his relationship with Betty Ross. I also look forward to seeing Banner being this friend and role model to Cho, who will eventually be the new Hulk.

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