Just as we got the news that Spider-Man films are finally making their way to the Disney+ streaming service in the UK, it seems one more missing part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is finding its way to the service. The official Disney+ Japan Twitter account has unveiled that they are adding The Incredible Hulk on June 17th, which is the first hint at the character’s solo film getting added to the Disney-owned service.
Hulk was one of the last remaining external rights holders alongside Spider-Man, as Universal had the film rights for the character. As such, it’s a big move that the film entry is making its way to Disney+ especially as it was recently added to HBO Max in the United States. It made many question if the Edward Norton film would ever find its way home but with the announcement for Japan. It was pointed out to us by @jamesmutombo2 that the reasoning for these joining is likely due to them belonging to Sony Pictures in Japan and Spain (as listed in IMDb), where it’s also available on the service. @MarvelCineVerse also pointed out their availability in France.
It should be noted that they are also only adding Iron Man now, as some of the distribution rights internationally are quite a bit different, especially for the first non-Disney produced entries due to Marvel Studios working with different distribution partners. The fact they are adding it could be a hint at the House of Mouse trying to get their hands on all streaming rights for the missing links in the franchise, as even with the addition of the Marvel Netflix series they call Disney+ the “Home of Marvel.” So, can’t have missing entries to make that claim.
Source: Twitter, IMDb
