The Marvel movie fans have waited years for is finally happening, reports claim

In the past two decades, Marvel Studios has completely changed the face of cinema. Superhero movies were always a fixture of the Hollywood landscape, having found footing in the '70s and '80s with Superman: The Movie and Batman, but Kevin Feige's Marvel Cinematic Universe built out a whole shared universe full of them, starting with 2008's Iron Man.

In the years since, we've had multiple Iron Man sequels, and franchises built around both him and the other MCU heroes; all of which revolved around the Avengers movies, which served as the centerpieces of each Phase. And with the Infinity Saga ending so many of those chapters, and the Multiverse Saga starting new stories within that established world, the franchise is set to continue entertaining audiences around the world for many more years to come.

In the midst of all the sequels, spinoffs, and Disney Plus shows, there has been one movie - one sequel, rather - that fans have been longing for, asking Marvel to make happen. It has not yet come to fruition, but it might finally be on the horizon.

A new Hulk movie is rumored to be in development

Yes, you read that headline right. 16 years after The Incredible Hulk arrived in movie theaters as the second film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a new report claims that a new Hulk movie is in development within the franchise. This one comes from prolific scooper account Marvel Updates, which has been accurate in the past, and while that would be notable on its own, it's not the first time this year that talks of a Hulk movie have come up.

Though not yet confirmed by Marvel Studios, the insiders do seem to agree that talk of another Hulk film has become more prominent within the studio itself, with it now seeming more likely to happen than ever. And if the reports are true, it could well be inspired by one of the most famous Hulk stories in the Marvel Comics.

Established insider Alex Perez has revealed that the MCU is currently telling its own adaptation of the World War Hulk storyline as one of the Multiverse Saga's multiple ongoing subplots. That's one of the reasons why the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World serves as something of a sequel to The Incredible Hulk, pulling on a number of the plot threads that were left hanging by that film. That subplot will then reportedly feature Bruce Banner growing frustrated with the government's weaponization of Hulks, which may culminate in a World War Hulk movie - giving the character that long-awaited solo sequel fans have been waiting to see happen for years.

That would undoubtedly be music to the ears of Marvel fans, as they have been longing for both a second Incredible Hulk movie and a World War Hulk adaptation in the MCU. Could they get both of those things in one project?

If a new Hulk movie does happen, it would be the first time that Mark Ruffalo - the MCU's current Hulk - would headline his own movie as the character. Ruffalo has portrayed Bruce Banner and his mean, green other half since 2012's The Avengers (appearing in all three sequels, as well as various other MCU films) but he did not star in 2008's The Incredible Hulk. Edward Norton played the character in that film before he departed the franchise and was replaced by Ruffalo.

It would be great to see the film series' long-standing Hulk finally get his starring role.