There have been a lot of fans disappointed that "The Incredible Hulk" would not be able to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe due to ownership issues, which stemmed from Mark Ruffalo's public statements about Universal still owning the rights to the character, according to Forbes.

In an interview with Collider back in April, Ruffalo said, "As far as a Hulk movie, a standalone Hulk movie, Marvel doesn't really have the rights to that yet. That's still Universal's property, so there's that issue. That's a big impediment to moving forward with that."

But Forbes reports that Ruffalo's statements are not entirely accurate. Universal's license of the character expired in 2005 when it failed to make any sequels to the 2003 film. That means the rights reverted to Marvel.

The problem arises with the distribution rights. Marvel may have the rights to develop the films, but Universal has retained distribution rights. This means Universal has the right to first refusal for distribution. If it forgoes that right, then Disney would pick up those rights and distribute a potential "Hulk" standalone film.

Similar situations have arisen with "Iron Man," "Thor" and "Captain America." Paramount had those rights as well but the standalones still got made.

In similar news, Sony still has the rights to "Spiderman," but a deal has been struck which will allow Marvel to use the character for team-up films only. Sony will still produce and distribute standalone "Spiderman" movies.

What this does, though, is dispel rumors that Marvel has detoured from making a standalone "Hulk" project due to ownership or distribution rights. It's been done before and agreements get made then deals get struck. That means there is a very real likelihood that "The Incredible Hulk" could be smashing his way onto the screen with his very own movie soon.