The Marvel Cinematic Universe is no stranger to surprising fans. The franchise has built its own legacy on thrilling audiences with unexpected occurrences, both in the storylines and the productions themselves. And one of the biggest ways it manages to do that is by the countless returns and cameos that pop up throughout its movies and TV shows.
The Multiverse Saga has been full of those cameos, with stars from both the MCU's past and earlier Marvel movies making their presence felt throughout. Even the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday is set to be full of returnees; from the likes of Chris Hemsworth's Thor to the cast of Fox's X-Men movies, there will be plenty of familiar faces in the production that is set to kick off the conclusion of the Multiverse Saga.
But there's another project that arrives in theaters next year- one that will feature an MCU legend, too. And now that legend has spoken about that potential return for the first time.
Mark Ruffalo addresses Hulk return in Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Mark Ruffalo has spoken about his return to the MCU for the first time. The legendary actor is set to reprise his role as Bruce Banner, a.k.a. the Incredible Hulk, in next year's Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which will mark his 14th year as part of the franchise. He spoke about that and his excitement to return to the role "if it does happen" during an interview with Entertainment Tonight, saying:
"I don't know, I’m still waiting to hear. I haven't read a script yet. Well, if it does happen, it would be incredible. I grew up with this, and it's changed my life in the best ways. Each time, it's a new director, a new world, and it's so exciting. There's nothing else like it."
Ruffalo is, of course, remaining coy about his potential return to the world of Marvel for he has something of a reputation for accidentally spoiling plot details. And that is rather ironic considering that he will be starring alongside Tom Holland in that movie (Holland is also notorious for nearly spoiling MCU films).
After months of rumors about a potential Hulk appearance in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the news was confirmed last month, with those reports also revealing that Spider-Man: Homecoming's Michael Mando is set to reprise his role from the 2017 film as the Scorpion. They will be joined by Jon Bernthal, who makes his MCU movie debut as The Punisher after bringing the character back to screens in Disney Plus series Daredevil: Born Again.
In another interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ruffalo praised Bernthal's performance as The Punisher, saying that he can't wait to work with him.
"I can’t wait to work with him, he’s so funny and he’s such a great actor. He plays that character like nobody else. I’m really excited to meet him, I’ve never met him!"
Although plot details for Spider-Man 4 remain scarce right now, rumor has it that we'll be getting a more savage Hulk as the character reverts to his more, well, angry tendencies - something fans have been asking to see for a very long time. This larger-than-life problem could very well be the reason that Spider-Man and The Punisher end up joining forces.
A long-awaited comeback for a Marvel legend
The Hulk is now the longest-standing original Avenger still alive in the MCU. Although Ruffalo took over the role in 2012's The Avengers, the character was introduced in 2008's The Incredible Hulk in which he was portrayed by Edward Norton.
Iron Man was the first, debuting in his own movie just a few months before Hulk, but as the Tony Stark character died in Avengers: Endgame when he sacrificed himself to stop Thanos and save the universe from him, Hulk is now the character who has been on our screens the longest. Chris Hemsworth and Jeremy Renner are the longest-standing MCU actors to play Avengers, having played Thor and Hawkeye since 2011's Thor - one year before Ruffalo became the Hulk in The Avengers. The longest-standing actor in the franchise is Samuel L. Jackson, who debuted in 2008's Iron Man and made his most recent appearance in 2023's Secret Invasion.
Needless to say, seeing Ruffalo back as the Hulk will be a welcome sight. Fans were concerned about the character's future in the franchise after Ruffalo's name was absent from the list of 27 stars confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday, so to know that he will still be on our screens next year in a different MCU movie is a relief.
The character was most recently seen in 2022's She-Hulk: Attorney At Law when he aided his cousin Jennifer Walters with her evolution into a Hulk. He also discovered that he had fathered a son during his time on Sakaar. We can't wait to see where his story goes next.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day arrives in movie theaters on July 31, 2026.