Mark Ruffalo has seemingly confirmed that there will not be another standalone Hulk movie in the MCU, but the character might appear in other stories in the future.
The actor commented on Hulk's MCU status during a recent discussion at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF), as he recalled a conversation he once had with Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige about the big green superhero and the ways in which they thought they could develop the character.
"Kevin [asked me], 'What would you like to do?' He said, 'What would you do if you had a standalone Hulk movie?'" Ruffalo revealed. "And I said, 'Well, I'd like to take him from this raging maniac to kind of this integrated character.' And he was like, 'Okay, we'll do that over the course of four movies. We'll never give you a standalone Hulk, let's just get that – I don't mean to burst your bubble… but that's not happening."
— Culture Crave ? (@CultureCrave) February 13, 2024
The segment was posted on X/Twitter by @CultureCrave, prompting people to share their thoughts on the news. One person expressed disappoinment, writing: "Awful. Just awful. Hulk needs a standalone," while another argued: "I'd rather he be one of the best parts of an ensemble than a slog like the 2003 Hulk."
Ruffalo got fans' hopes up about Hulk's return during the same discussion as people misconstrued his comments and, for a moment, thought he was reprising his role in Captain America: Brave New World until multiple sources clarified with Variety that the actor is not starring in the movie alongside Anthony Mackie's titular hero.
Ruffalo has taken a small break from MCU movies for the last few years. While the actor has appeared in projects like She-Hulk and What If…?, his last Marvel film role (outside of a brief Shang-Chi cameo) was in 2019 with Avengers: Endgame. In the time since, the actor has taken on other non-superhero films, including I Know This Much Is True, The Adam Project, and more recently, Poor Things.
We're only getting one MCU movie in 2024, the newly titled Deadpool & Wolverine, which is releasing in theaters on July 26. The first trailer premiered during the Super Bowl and has already warranted plenty of rewatches with its Easter eggs and X-Men cameos, R-rated jokes, and Doctor Doom deliberation.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on X/Twitter @AdeleAnkers.
