- A standalone Hulk project (after years of rights entanglements with Universal).
- An executive producer credit on several Disney+ streaming series.
By terminating this, Marvel is signaling a hard return to “Brand Neutrality.” It is a move that echoes the recent termination of Ruffalo’s deal at Paramount, suggesting a coordinated industry-wide shift away from the era of the “activist-megastar.”
The reaction from Marvel fans has been a mirror of the national political divide. On one side, the #JusticeForRuffalo movement has taken over social media, with fans arguing that the Hulk is an essential part of the original Avengers and that firing him for exercising his free speech is a betrayal of the character’s “heroic” spirit.
On the other side, a vocal group of critics has praised Marvel for “staying in its lane.” These fans argue that they pay for superhero escapism, not political lectures, and that Ruffalo’s comments made it impossible to see the actor without seeing his politics.Continue reading…