Although the Hulk is one of the longest-serving heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, his involvement, or lack thereof, in Avengers: Doomsday has been cause for much speculation. Ever since his introduction into the MCU in 2008, the Hulk has been one of the franchise’s biggest wasted characters, both literally and figuratively. Since 2008, his story has only been explored through his supporting roles in other characters’ projects and team-up movies. Even so, his appearances in the movies of the MCU have led to the Hulk becoming one of the franchise’s best-loved heroes. As such, his potential role in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday is one that many fans have patiently awaited news on.
Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo has now seemingly confirmed Hulk’s status concerning the cast of Avengers: Doomsday. Speaking with Empire about his latest project, Crime 101, which will reunite him with MCU co-star Chris Hemsworth, Ruffalo has confirmed that he will not be returning in Doomsday, but that he hopes to be back as Marvel’s Jade Giant in the future. He went on to specify, “as long as they keep finding cool things to do with Hulk.” While his apparent absence from the upcoming film might seem disappointing, there is actually something of a silver lining, as highlighted by Ruffalo’s comments.
Hulk’s Absence & Ruffalo’s Reaction Might Be A Good Thing For The MCU
Mark Ruffalo has been playing Hulk in the MCU since 2012, and has yet to appear in a solo project as part of the franchise. It’s been a major point of contention among fans who feel that Hulk has deserved much better, and on the surface, it might seem that his absence from Doomsday only continues that trend. However, Hulk not being part of its narrative might work out better for the character in the long run.
Ruffalo explaining that he’d love to come back if Marvel finds something “cool” to do with the character seems to highlight that he is aware of how the franchise has wasted Hulk in the past. Considering his status as one of the few remaining founding Avengers, it seems a certainty that the MCU will bring Hulk back, and it will need to do so with an appropriately epic story. To that end, being absent from yet another team-up movie might actually serve Hulk’s next solo story better.
Of course, Hulk is set to return to the MCU in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which will finally pick up the character’s story again after several years of absence. Hulk’s MCU story needs to be picked back up in a way that engages fans, and Brand New Day actually seems to have a better chance of that than Doomsday, where many have speculated that Hulk could die if he appears. Regardless, it seems that Mark Ruffalo is sensitive to the quality further Hulk stories will need, which indicates that the hero’s future is in safe hands.
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