Netflix is quietly dropping a new Marvel movie next month and no one noticed

Marvel movies have become a staple of cinema. Whether you're a fan of superhero movies or not, you know how much of a juggernaut they have become over the past 15 years, dominating the film landscape and breaking box office records along the way.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe may have been responsible for that, but Marvel characters have been headlining superhero movies long before 2008's Iron Man kicked things off for the shared universe. Spider-Man, in particular, has been at the forefront of a lot of cinematic adventures before he joined the MCU. And he's not the only one, as Netflix audiences will soon learn when a classic Marvel movie makes its larger-than-life presence felt among the streaming service's new arrivals in May.

Hulk is coming to Netflix in May

Netflix recently revealed its line-up of upcoming titles for the month of May, and among those arrivals is Hulk, which will debut on the streamer on May 1.

Released in 2003, Hulk was of course based on Marvel's Incredible Hulk. It stars Eric Bana in the title role, with Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliot, Josh Lucas, and Nick Nolte all featuring in supporting roles. While it performed rather well at the box office, it received mixed reviews, the most negative of which were directed towards the CGI rendering of the Hulk himself. It was also a bit darker than your typical modern superhero movie, which didn't exactly merge well with the questionable CGI.

A sequel was planned but the franchise was instead rebooted five years later with 2008's The Incredible Hulk, which starred Edward Norton in the title role. The film was significant for being the second installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and even though Norton was recast with Mark Ruffalo for future installments, the Hulk has become one of the MCU's longest-standing characters, still recurring in modern titles all these years later.

The chance to revisit Hulk during the Multiverse Saga

Even though 2003's Hulk has been forgotten about by many, its arrival on Netflix could see it stage a bit of a comeback. The Incredible Hulk was a household name long before the MCU became a thing, and no doubt Netflix subscribers unfamiliar with the film will check it out. Who knows? Maybe it will develop a bit of a cult following as a result.

It's also worth checking Hulk out for a number of other reasons. For a start, it's a pretty enjoyable blockbuster that did exactly what it was supposed to: Entertain. But more than that, with the Marvel Cinematic Universe exploring the Multiverse Saga, we are seeing a number of nods and references to former Marvel movies, including Sony's classic Spider-Man movies, and Fox's X-Men saga. With the potential for cameos and returns in the MCU, fans are more and more interested in some of the classic titles to feature Marvel characters.

With more of these classic Marvel movies being added to streamers, it gives us all a chance to revisit what a Marvel movie used to look like in the hopes of a potential nod towards one of those movies in the MCU. 2003's Daredevil will make its presence felt on Disney Plus ahead of Deadpool and Wolverine's premiere - a multiversal movie that is rumored to feature cameos from one or two Daredevil cast members.

While the chances of a reference to Hulk are significantly lower than a nod to, say Daredevil or Fantastic Four, it's still worth revisiting this relic from a former Marvel era that has been all too forgotten to history simply because it wasn't too good or too bad. But it was there, entertaining us at a time when superheroes were a bit more scarce on-screen, and now it can do it all over again on Netflix.