Could they make a Hulk movie like Split?

[eon001]

I'm not talking about thriller horror. I'm thinking along the lines of a super hero movie that explores the Hulks individual personalities.

Vegas Enforcer

Banner brain Hulk

Good ole Savage Hulk (Or the BEAST )

Is there a super hero story that could work that explores a hero's mental state, but can still deliver fun, destructive Hulk action?

 

[<(o_o)>]

It would be too cartoony to explore all of Banner's different Hulk personalities in a live action movie.

 

[DACrowe]

Not necessarily. Logan is apparently a massive success as an adult western superhero movie.

My guess is the only thing preventing this, beyond Disney having no interest in making something like that, is the Hulk is a CGI character. Split works wonderfully because James McAvoy is amazing in it. That is a real person giving an awesome performance. Hulk is computer animation. Yes, motion capture too, but that is not enough to hold the screen and the viewer's attention simply by performance craft. I love Andy Serkis too, but the movies while built around his performance do not make the performance the driving force of the story, which is basically what this is suggesting.

 

[2kt09]

I assumed more than Banner they'd try that with Hank Pym, but...

 

[Dasher10]

I'd be up for a Hulk film that changes him into Joe Fixit. The problem is that the Savage Hulk is boring and Bruce Banner has to carry the entire film as himself as much as possible but can't be shown during action scenes.

IMO, the best way to fix this is to give us a new take on Hulk who's smarter. And yes, Joe is smaller to the point where I feel like he'd be best handled being played by two people. One as a bodybuilder in grey body paint and the other would be a voice actor doing motion capture for the face.

Also, the only way to keep the MCU alive is to change the tone in Phase 4. By then we'll have plenty of franchises and the only way to keep them fresh is by offering a wider variety of tones between films. I want a Hulk film that's a gangster film about rekindling lost love and finding that somebody's changed for the worse. Make this something where Mark Ruffalo says goodbye to the role by having Joe be a new, stable personality which Betty has trouble recognizing.

I'd make it like this. Reno, Nevada undergoes a dirty bomb attack by the Leader which not only gives countless people cancer and radiation poisoning but also creates not only a new gamma beast named Half-Life but also changes Hulk into a new persona. And that's just in the first ten minutes.

Betty hears about this on the news and searches for Bruce to see if he's still alive but there's no trace of him. It turns out that Hulk and Bruce are now dormant personalities and the new Joe Fixit is now living in Las Vegas as a mobster living as the roommate of a married couple named Rick and Marlo who buy into Joe's tales of being, "a legitimate bodyguard." He claims that the blood all over his suit jacket is because, "some bleeding guy gave me a hug."

Betty brings Bruce's cousin Jen to Vegas after hearing rumors of Hulk sightings. She meets up with Joe Fixit and at first doesn't even recognize him but Jen mentions that Joe Fixit was a nickname that Bruce used to go by as a teenager. Betty and Bruce meet up again and find that there's nothing of the man Betty used to love and Bruce has changed entirely for the worse and has no memories of his past life as either Bruce or Hulk.

The third act is The Leader performing another test using a dirty bomb but within Vegas. The catch is that this time it's a full on suitcase bomb that can level Las Vegas. Hulk defeats Half-Life and Leader but Jen is injured in the fight and only Bruce's blood can save her. Joe Fixit literally needs to think of somebody else for once and does it at Betty's behest since she knows that she cares for him. He finally begins changing and becoming less selfish over time.

Post-credits, we see Jen waking up in the hospital with green skin and realizing that she has super strength.

Tonally, it needs to be a black comedy with some action at the very beginning and at the end. I'm thinking along the lines of Analyze this. It should be a lot darker than a normal MCU film but also incredibly funny.

 

[DrCosmic]

Not necessarily. Logan is apparently a massive success as an adult western superhero movie.

My guess is the only thing preventing this, beyond Disney having no interest in making something like that, is the Hulk is a CGI character. Split works wonderfully because James McAvoy is amazing in it. That is a real person giving an awesome performance. Hulk is computer animation. Yes, motion capture too, but that is not enough to hold the screen and the viewer's attention simply by performance craft. I love Andy Serkis too, but the movies while built around his performance do not make the performance the driving force of the story, which is basically what this is suggesting.

Haven't seen Split, but part of the problem with Hulk is that he doesn't work very well as a superhero because his premise works so much better in Thriller Horror than in Superheroes. Imagine Split if it wasn't scary, if it was just McAvoy in various quasi-heroic personalities with mostly physical challenges like a superhero. Wait, imagine Split where the girl isn't the central character, it's actually from crazy guy's point of view. It becomes a totally different and much worse movie. Yes, you can do a Hulk movie like Split, but for it to be good like Split it has to actually be like Split.

 

[eon001]

After watching Logan, I'm even more convinced that they should push the tone of the MCU movies.

Having a Hulk movie that turns into a psychological action drama could be the much needed change of pace from the stagnant Marvel formula.

I actually like the idea of Joe Fix it taking over for part of the movie, so you get a gangster movie at the beginning. Maybe rival mob bosses hire there own super villains like Crusher Creel to fight Hulk. The movie is still in the MCU, and I wouldn't want it to stray too far away from comicbook action.

Break up the tone with flashbacks and moments where you enter Banners mind and see visual representations of his personalities. The motivations that led to him creating the Fix it persona etc.

The movie can evolve into Banner leaving Vegas to find himself again, but the fall out from his Joe Fix it day's follows him.

He tries to rebuild his life (maybe has accessed science/Banner Hulk by now), but he ends up having to fight against the mobs super powered forces. (Creel, Ufoes, etc). Overwhelmed by the volume of enemies he manifest's Savage Hulk (The Beast).

Haven't thought of a decent 3rd act or way too end it, but I think juggling 3 personalities would be interesting and different for a big budget superhero movie.

 

[Dasher10]

After watching Logan, I'm even more convinced that they should push the tone of the MCU movies.

Having a Hulk movie that turns into a psychological action drama could be the much needed change of pace from the stagnant Marvel formula.

I actually like the idea of Joe Fix it taking over for part of the movie, so you get a gangster movie at the beginning. Maybe rival mob bosses hire there own super villains like Crusher Creel to fight Hulk. The movie is still in the MCU, and I wouldn't want it to stray too far away from comicbook action.

Break up the tone with flashbacks and moments where you enter Banners mind and see visual representations of his personalities. The motivations that led to him creating the Fix it persona etc.

The movie can evolve into Banner leaving Vegas to find himself again, but the fall out from his Joe Fix it day's follows him.

He tries to rebuild his life (maybe has accessed science/Banner Hulk by now), but he ends up having to fight against the mobs super powered forces. (Creel, Ufoes, etc). Overwhelmed by the volume of enemies he manifest's Savage Hulk (The Beast).

Haven't thought of a decent 3rd act or way too end it, but I think juggling 3 personalities would be interesting and different for a big budget superhero movie.

Except Creel is a government agent in the MCU. I'd like to see Leader since that subplot was dropped.

And I want to hear internal monologue between Bruce, Hulk and Joe arguing with each other. Something like this.

Joe: So, this leader guy. I'm gonna blow up his whole operation.

Bruce: No, Joe. Think about the collateral damage.

Joe: I'm doin' it anyway. For the greater good.

Hulk: Hulk no want smash henchmen doing job! Hulk only want hurt Leader!

Bruce: It's two to one, Joe. Don't make me take over.

Joe: Fine. No bombing the place. Can I at least beat up his goons as long as I don't kill 'em?

Hulk: Hulk like beat up henchmen!

Joe: Fine. I'll stick to fists. leader better not get away this time.

Hulk: Hulk friend try to talk to Hulk!

Marlo or Amadeus: So Hulk, the Leader is planning a Gamma Bomb attack on Las Vegas? What are you going to do about it?

Joe: Hulk smash puny Leader!

Joe (internal monologue): Look what you made me say!

Hulk: Hulk think that funny!

And the whole time Hulk is staring off into space while somebody like Marlo or Amadeus is trying to talk to him and we hear them in the background.

Also, if there is a Hulk sequel, we need characters like Marlo Chandler, Jennifer Walters, Rick Jones and Amadeus Cho since they ground the Hulk. (And I noticed that Marlo is the only major supporting character not in the Pantheon who never gets gamma powers.)

 

[metaphysician]

One, calling the Marvel formula "stagnant" is assuming facts not in evidence.

Two, we already had a Hulk movie that was a psychological drama. It was called, ahem, "Hulk". It also bombed at the box office, and made the whole idea rather toxic.

 

[Wildcard]

I'm sure there's a context with which is could work. Maybe not being done in exactly the same vein as Split, but something along those lines could work, I believe.

 

[Darepool]

I think some of the greatest comics Marvel has printed was David’s run on The Incredible Hulk. Storytelling at it's best which perfectly blended the psychological study with action and humor. If they can ever do a solo Hulk series, they need to mine Mr. David's run and bring Mr. Fixit to the screen. It would seem like a colossal waste if they didn't.

 

[Darepool]

Potentially the biggest solo series going forward. An absolute gold mine.

 

[Wildcard]

I think some of the greatest comics Marvel has printed was David’s run on The Incredible Hulk. Storytelling at it's best which perfectly blended the psychological study with action and humor. If they can ever do a solo Hulk series, they need to mine Mr. David's run and bring Mr. Fixit to the screen. It would seem like a colossal waste if they didn't.

I've always thought they'd bring Mr. Fixit to the big screen because of the potential for him to be a hit with audiences. That'd go double if they get a writer that really knows what to do with the character & how to make his wit truly shine.

 

[Ivan Drago]

You want Bruce Banner to kidnap a bunch of girls?

 

[Roose Bolton]

Wouldn't be the first time he's done it.

 

[Darepool]

I've always thought they'd bring Mr. Fixit to the big screen because of the potential for him to be a hit with audiences. That'd go double if they get a writer that really knows what to do with the character & how to make his wit truly shine.

Absolutely. A lot of rich material to mine here. Epic potential.

 

[eon001]

One, calling the Marvel formula "stagnant" is assuming facts not in evidence.

Just voicing other peoples concerns. I'm personally happy with all the Marvel movies, even Thor 2.

Two, we already had a Hulk movie that was a psychological drama. It was called, ahem, "Hulk". It also bombed at the box office, and made the whole idea rather toxic.

Yea it's a shame. Aang had good intentions, but bad execution. This is why I used Split as an example of split personality and psychological drama done right.

Keep in mind, I don't want it to be exactly like Split. I expect to see plenty action and dark humor sprinkled throughout.

 

[Roose Bolton]

I personally liked Ang Lee's Hulk, but regardless, I don't think a more psychological driven film is going to happen. The MCU hasn't really given an explaination as to why Bruce is how is (beyond the obvious Gamma radiation) so I'm not really sure that they'd want to explore the DID angle this far into things. Hopefully we can see him develop some kind of personality in future though.

 

[Darepool]

I personally liked Ang Lee's Hulk, but regardless, I don't think a more psychological driven film is going to happen. The MCU hasn't really given an explaination as to why Bruce is how is (beyond the obvious Gamma radiation) so I'm not really sure that they'd want to explore the DID angle this far into things. Hopefully we can see him develop some kind of personality in future though.

They will have to take it in different directions moving forward to stay fresh. A solo Hulk series inspired by David's run seems like a no-brainer to me if they ever get the opportunity. I think they are moving in that direction, starting with Ragnarok.