If Jon Favreau’s tweets are anything to go by, it seems that Iron Man 2 sits before The Incredible Hulk on the Marvel movie timeline. If this is the case, then this makes the green machine prime subject matter for The Avengers. Hmmm…

This news is encouraging in the sense that it gives me hope for The Avengers to abide by The Ultimates comic arc, where Iron Man, Captain America, Giant-Man and Wasp all set off to thwart a rampaging Bruce Banner. But after two unsuccessful movie outings, Hulk still hasn’t proved himself on screen. So in the joyous spirit of all things list-related, here are some Hulk ideas that, if put into action before The Avengers, could revive interest in the character.

Make it epic

The recent story arc, World War Hulk, saw Banner tricked by the higher powers into becoming an exile in outer space. Since the last Incredible Hulk film gave Bruce Banner no real reason to rage against the government, a movie adaptation of this comic would present a real catalyst for Hulk’s rage when he returns to Earth. A Marvel movie set in space would also give DC cause to worry, with its Green Lantern movie scheduled for release next year.

Make it tragic

One word for you: Kong. Say what you want about Peter Jackson’s remake, but that man could make us weep over a big furry ball of CGI. With Betty Ross as the object of Hulk’s affection, Marvel could really turn on audiences’ waterworks by giving us a tragic end to this love story.

Make it scary

With Pan’s Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro proved that with a little bit of CG trickery and a mega dark story it is possible to create scarily realistic beasts. Give Hulk a makeover in the style of the Faun, plus a story that is Marvel’s darkest yet – Crossroads Of Eternity maybe? – and we could have a very unique superhero picture indeed.