Last March’s\u00a0Avengers: Doomsday\u00a0casting announcement included plenty of huge names, but many of the\u00a0actors who, on the surface, seemed like sure things for\u00a0the upcoming MCU movie were MIA.<\/p>\n
Among the most noteworthy absentees\u00a0was Mark Ruffalo. The Hulk actor has become a Marvel veteran since first playing Bruce Banner in 2012’s\u00a0The Avengers, and will\u00a0return as the Jade Giant in next summer’s\u00a0Spider-Man: Brand New Day.<\/p>\n
When we last saw the hero, his arm had healed after using the Infinity Gauntlet to snap back half the universe in\u00a0Avengers: Endgame. Later, he helped to train his cousin, Jennifer Walters, as She-Hulk, and met his son, Skaar. However, that character’s brief introduction in the\u00a0She-Hulk: Attorney at Law\u00a0finale didn’t receive the warmest response\u00a0from fans.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As we’re sure you’ll recall, leaked concept art from the upcoming Avengers movies\u00a0showed him in what appeared to be Battleworld’s “Greenland” alongside She-Hulk and Skaar. Despite that, Ruffalo’s name was not on the back of a chair, nor was Tatiana Maslany’s.<\/p>\n
Talking in the latest issue of Empire Magazine<\/a>, the Spider-Man: Brand New Day star reportedly confirmed he won’t be part of Avengers: Doomsday, but pointed out, “[I would return] as long as they keep finding cool things to do with Hulk.”<\/p>\n We’ve repeatedly heard that the next Spider-Man movie will end in a way that makes it unlikely for the Green Goliath to be in a fit state for a team-up with the rest of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. We’re anticipating him going savage, meaning “Professor Hulk” won’t be matching wits with\u00a0Doctor Doom.\u00a0<\/p>\n Where this leaves The Hulk heading into Avengers: Secret Wars is unclear, but Tom Holland’s Spider-Man also isn’t expected to make an appearance in Avengers: Doomsday\u00a0(which may mean very little or a lot).<\/p>\n Rumours continue to persist about a\u00a0World War Hulk\u00a0project, though it seems that’s being saved for the next Saga of MCU storytelling (if indeed it’s happening).\u00a0<\/p>\n As things stand, the MCU has at least four Hulks\u2014Red Hulk is alive and well in The Raft\u2014and\u00a0an Abomination, though Amadeus Cho’s planned\u00a0Captain America: Brave New World\u00a0debut was scrapped despite being added during reshoots.\u00a0Throw the Leader into the mix, and all the ingredients are there for a global battle unleashing who knows how many Hulks (Maestro could even be Banner’s next evolution).\u00a0<\/p>\n The Russo Brothers direct\u00a0Avengers: Doomsday\u00a0from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the\u00a0Avengers\u00a0and\u00a0Captain America\u00a0franchises.\u00a0Loki\u00a0and\u00a0Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’s Michael Waldron is also working on the script.<\/p>\n Avengers: Doomsday\u00a0is set to be released on December 18, with\u00a0Avengers: Secret Wars\u00a0scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027.<\/p>\n
Mark Ruffalo confirms that he won\u2019t be returning as Hulk in \u2018AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY\u2019<\/p>\n \u201c[I would happily return] as long as they keep finding cool things to do with Hulk.\u201d<\/p>\n (via @empiremagazine<\/a>) pic.twitter.com\/JNFIy1hm5r<\/a><\/p>\n
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\n\u2014 Avengers Updates (@AvengersUpdated) January 19, 2026<\/a>
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