Having plugged myself into some of the right places, I have come across an extremely interesting scoop of information about what Marvel has planned for their Cinematic Universe franchise.

For starters, let me just say right now that EVERYTHING I am about to say in this article could be false. I, El Mayimbe (The Latino Reviewer), and MovieBob could be entirely incorrect in our assessments. This is pure conjecture on my part. So take it with a grain of salt.

But if it is true…

I cannot stress highly enough how major and destructive the potential spoilers I’m about to delve into are. HOWEVER…I’m going to do the honorable thing here and be as vague as humanly possible while also telling you straight up what you’re here to know. Those of you more familiar with the lore will know EXACTLY what I’m talking about when I get into it. But seriously, folks…if you absolutely do not want to know, do not read any further than this.

A little background information first. With The Avengers having been the ultimate climax of Phase 1, here’s what’s coming for Phase 2.

To release on May 3, 2013: Iron Man 3
To release on November 8, 2013: Thor 2: The Dark World
To release on April 4, 2014: Captain America: The Winter Soldier
To release on August 1, 2014: Guardians of the Galaxy
To release on May 1, 2015: The Avengers 2

Unrelated: Anthony Mackie will take on the role of Sam Wilson (The Falcon) in Winter Soldier.

That second-last one probably comes as a surprise, and I confess to not knowing much about it other than the fact that it’s another superhero team-up film, but this time far removed from earth and the affairs of our primary heroes, but linked to their stories by the presence of Thanos himself, whom we now know will be the primary antagonist of The Avengers 2.

Guardians of the Galaxy will likely be Thanos’ introduction, setting up the events that will culminate in The Avengers 2.

But I’m sure you’ve noticed that something is missing from this list.

Where is the Hulk movie?

Mark Ruffalo has signed on with Marvel to be The Hulk for six more movies, not including potential cameos in the single-hero films before The Avengers 2. So why doesn’t he get his own movie?

To be fair to Ruffalo, it’s probably for the best, given his other acting interests. But given how much fun everyone had with The Hulk in The Avengers, you’d think this would be a goldmine.

Alright, now comes the spoiler. You ready for this?

The reason that the Hulk does not get his own film in Phase 2 is because at the end of The Avengers 2, The Hulk will be exiled off into space by the Illuminati.

Alright, what kind of conspiracy theory pablum is this? Illuminati? Da hell iz dat?

Marvel’s Illuminati is a secret organization of superheroes assembled by Tony Stark after Earth was nearly destroyed by aliens. Stark brought them together after discovering that they had information about these aliens and may have collectively been able to thwart their attack beforehand.

While Captain America works to keep the peace and stability with SHIELD, Thor safeguards his kingdom, and while the Hulk runs for his poor life (that’s the other reason why Hulk doesn’t get a movie in Phase II; his story on Earth is incredibly redundant and it’s already been filmed twice). Stark works from behind the scenes with the Illuminati, who, for the record, include Dr. Strange, Black Bolt, Namor the Sub-Mariner, and Black Panther, to protect the Earth.

Here’s another little twist. According to MovieBob, there’s a rumor going around that Strange, Black Bolt, Namor, and Panther will appear in Phase 2, either in their own movies, or as part of the others. But you likely won’t see any of them assembled, or even hear the word “Illuminati” probably until The Avengers 2 when they blast The Hulk out of our Solar System.

So why would they do that? Well on a non-contextual level, as previously mentioned, The Hulk doesn’t have much to do on this Earth except run for his life, cause mass chaos, and occasionally fight with the Avengers, which is why the comics take his character to worlds beyond our own.

The go-to comic series for the story here is Planet Hulk. And that’s what the next Hulk film will be about after The Avengers 2. It will be a quintessential part of Phase 3 and the events that transpire there will lead to The Avengers 3, featuring Hulk’s return to the Earth with an army behind him and his quest for vengeance, adapted from the followup series World War Hulk. And let’s just say that Hulk won’t seeking retribution for his exile.

I can’t tell you what will happen to the other Avengers at that point, for this is merely a large plot component of Phases 2 and 3, and because I don’t know. But seriously…the balls on Marvel.

– Vivek