Mark Ruffalo’s Confusing Answer About His MCU Return

Mark Ruffalo, the actor who plays Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), recently gave a confusing answer about his return to the franchise. He was asked if he would appear in the upcoming film Captain America: Brave New World, and he said yes, but later it was clarified that he misunderstood the question. Fans were excited to see him reprise his role as Hulk, but they were disappointed to learn that he will not be in the film.

Ruffalo’s MCU Journey

Mark Ruffalo stepped in for the role of Hulk, aka Bruce Banner, in the MCU after Edward Norton’s stand-alone movie in 2008, The Incredible Hulk. The fans saw Mark’s Banner for the first time in The Avengers, and since then, he has appeared in several Marvel projects, including Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. The actor is infamous for unintentionally giving out spoilers like Tom Holland. He once accidentally live-streamed Thor: Ragnarok during its premiere on social media. The actor also reportedly spoiled Avengers: Endgame’s ending, too. He is a mess while keeping Marvel’s secrets, but people adore him, and he is a great actor.

Ruffalo’s SBIFF Appearance

Mark Ruffalo recently attended the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, where during the Q&A session, he was asked by moderator Anne Thompson if he would appear in the next Marvel feature coming out in 2025, referring to Captain America: Brave New World. Ruffalo nodded his head affirmatively and said, ‘Yeah.’ The interviewer asked “Are you allowed to talk about that?” He responded, “Yeah,” and “It’s going to be great!” It excited the netizens that Mark would reprise his role as Hulk in the Anthony Mackie-led movie.

Fans’ Reaction And Disappointment

Netizens got excited about Ruffalo’s answer, as they hoped to see him as Hulk in the film. Captain America: Brave New World will feature Thaddeus Ross, who transforms into Red Hulk in the comic books. Fans started hoping they would finally see Hulk vs Red Hulk in it. Harrison Ford will be seen in the role of President Ross. However, Variety’s sources have revealed that Mark will not appear as Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World, and he misunderstood the question. He thought he agreed that it was one of the MCU’s upcoming films, not that he would be in it. This disappointed the fans who were looking forward to seeing him in the film.

Ruffalo’s Stand-Alone Hulk Movie Pitch

Mark Ruffalo also revealed speaking to Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, about a stand-alone Hulk movie but got turned down by him. He pitched an arc where Bruce Banner and Hulk goes from being at war to co-existing as one. He proposed this idea when Marvel’s boss asked, “What would you do if you had a stand-alone Hulk movie?” He added, “I said, ‘I’d like to take him from this raging maniac to this integrated character.‘” The actor continued, “And he said, ‘OK, we’ll do that over the course of four movies. We’ll never give you a stand-alone ‘Hulk.’” He said, “I don’t mean to burst anyone’s bubble, but that’s not happening.”

Marvel’s Future Plans

Last week, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that the company will be scaling back the output of Marvel Studios content. “I’d say we’re leaning a little bit more into sequels and franchises. I think given the environment and given what it takes to get people out of their homes to see a film … leaning on franchises that are familiar is actually a smart thing,” Iger told analysts, per The Wrap. “Marvel is starting to focus on its strongest franchises going forward, but I’ll leave it at that,” Iger also said on the call. “I think given the environment and what it takes to get people out of their homes to see a film, doing that, leaning on franchises that are familiar is actually a smart thing.”

Captain America: Brave New World

Captain America: Brave New World is slated to be released on February 14, 2025. The fourth film in the Captain America franchise (previously headed by Chris Evans) will star Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson (Captain America), Harrison Ford as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns (The Leader), Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres (Falcon), and more. The film will explore the challenges and adventures of the new Captain America in a world that is changing rapidly.

Mark Ruffalo’s Latest Project

On the professional front, Mark Ruffalo was last seen in ‘Poor Things‘, a comedy-drama film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. He played the role of Dr. Henry Chivers, a surgeon who revives a drowned woman with the brain of a dog. He has been nominated for the Oscars for his performance. The film also stars Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Olivia Colman.