Mark Ruffalo Cools Hopes for a New Hulk Movie — Do Fans Even Want It?

Hulk fans, temper expectations. Mark Ruffalo just talked about the big green guy’s future again, and while he’d love to headline his own movie, the short version is: don’t hold your breath.

The solo Hulk problem (it’s a rights thing)

Ruffalo told GQ he’d absolutely do a standalone Hulk film if he could. The issue isn’t enthusiasm, it’s ownership. Universal still holds key rights for a Hulk solo movie, which makes a clean MCU path tricky. His explanation was pretty blunt:

'It’s not really owned by Marvel. It’s a Universal property. I don’t know if it’ll ever really come to be, honestly.'

He added that Marvel and he keep kicking around what that hypothetical movie could even be, then joked there have already been plenty of Hulk movies, so maybe people don’t want another one… before admitting he thinks audiences would show up if they could crack the story.

Yes, there’s already an MCU Hulk movie (just not with Ruffalo)

Remember: The Incredible Hulk came out in 2008 with Edward Norton as Bruce Banner. Marvel recast the role with Ruffalo starting in 2012’s The Avengers, but the 2008 movie still counts in MCU continuity. You can see the threads carried forward in Captain America: Brave New World, which pulls back in characters from that film.

Ruffalo is the only original Avenger without a solo follow-up

Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, even Hawkeye got their own films or Disney Plus projects after 2012’s The Avengers. Ruffalo’s Hulk never did — again, largely because of the Universal wrinkle.

What Feige said vs. what Ruffalo’s saying now

Last year, Ruffalo said Kevin Feige told him there would never be another Hulk movie in the MCU. He hinted he could say more but had been told not to. Compared to that, his new comments sound slightly more hopeful — at least in terms of Ruffalo’s willingness — but the roadblock hasn’t changed.

So where does Hulk pop up next?

This year, Ruffalo was announced to be in talks to show up alongside Tom Holland in the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Then, last month, he tossed some cold water on that by saying he’s 'still waiting to hear' from Marvel and 'I haven’t read a script yet,' which… did not clear anything up.

As for Avengers: Doomsday, his status is also a question mark. He wasn’t part of the cast reveal event that was livestreamed earlier this year. Asked about it, he joked: 'They decided that it was better to get rid of me than for me to tell the end of the next movie.'

Where we last saw him

Ruffalo’s most recent Hulk appearance was Disney Plus’s 2022 She-Hulk, which dropped the surprise that Bruce has a son, Skaar. The expectation is that father and son will surface again somewhere in the MCU, but when and where is unclear.

• Solo Hulk movie: Ruffalo would do it, but Universal’s rights make it unlikely right now.
• Continuity: 2008’s The Incredible Hulk is still canon; Ruffalo took over as Banner in 2012.
• Feige stance (last year): No new Hulk movie, as far as Ruffalo was told.
• Spider-Man: Brand New Day: He was said to be in talks; Ruffalo says he hasn’t seen a script and is waiting to hear from Marvel.
• Avengers: Doomsday: Not on the revealed cast list; he joked about being left out to prevent spoilers.
• Last appearance: She-Hulk (2022), which introduced Skaar. Future appearances are TBD.