Looper hits all the major points as to why there won't be third Hulk solo movie any time soon - if ever. The Incredible Hulk remains one of my all-time favorite comic book characters. In the late 1980's, when I "grew out" of comic books (I would make a triumphant return as a regular reader within a few years) John Byrne's outstanding run on The Incredible Hulk allowed the comic to be the last one I would continue to read after ceasing with the other titles in the Marvel and D.C. line.
The Hulk truly is an outstanding character, but he is a character that needs a supporting cast to help with the narrative. In the wonder Incredible Hulk TV series, all the human drama and emotion came from Bill Bixby's endearing portrait of the drifting scientist.
Looper also is not afraid to mention the first Hulk film -- truth be told -- killed the franchise before it started.
What a shame considering there are so many outstanding Hulk stories to craft into....maybe an adult animated television series?
Or perhaps we should all be thrilled and content with the animated adaptions they come forth from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.
Wonder Woman has a mission and it involves stopping "The Great War." There is a certain sense of irony present with setting Wonder Woman's debut film in World War I. Perhaps World War II would have connected the Amazonian heroine a bit too much to Marvel's Captain America. Or maybe the creative minds at D.C. Entertainment and Warner Bros. just wanted to craft a movie that is a bit different. Considering the previous critical disappointments of the prior D.C. Comic releases, a more creative approach was needed for the Wonder Woman film.
So World War I is selected for the backdrop and the irony emerges - a tragic irony of sorts. Several 100-year anniversaries connected to the First World War passed with virtually no mention outside of historical or specialty cable channels. Glancing through social media, topics related to World War I history were totally ignored. No, ignoring them would require a conscious act. Major events and anniversaries were not mentioned because people knew nothing about them in the first place.
World War I was a pivotal event in world history and set in motion incredible global changes that resonated throughout the 20th century. Yet, the Great War is casually dismissed by those living today. The shadow of World War II further buries notoriety about the Great War.
Wonder Woman's history in comic books has also been overshadowed and ignored. Her comic book series has had a number of ups and downs throughout the decades. This is somewhat sad considering how iconic the character was in the 1940's when she debuted.
Until recently, she had been stuck as a supporting player finding difficulty connecting with readers in her own title. And if Linda Carter had not played the character in the classic TV series, Wonder Woman could have ended up a totally forgotten character. (Although the Super Friends animated series helped a bit, too)
The arrival of Wonder Woman in Batman v. Superman helped return the heroine to mainstream pop culture status. Hopefully, the new Wonder Woman film will reinvigorate major interest in the character...and in the history of World War I.