After the release of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, all eyes are now set on Spider-Man: Brand New Day—the final Marvel Cinematic Universe movie to come out before Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters in December 2026. After having an entire trilogy helmed by Jon Watts, the wall-crawler will start a brand-new chapter under the direction of Destin Daniel Cretton, who previously worked on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Unfortunately, not much was known about Spidey's upcoming adventure for a very long time, and fans couldn't do anything but speculate about what was coming. Fortunately, that finally changed in the past few days. With production for Spider-Man: Brand New Day officially underway, Marvel decided to reveal some exciting news themselves before set photos spoiled the surprise. And what better way to kick things off than by confirming the return of someone who has been around since the MCU's first phase?
Mark Ruffalo's Hulk will appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day
It was heavily rumored for many months, and now it's a reality. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Mark Ruffalo has officially joined the cast of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and he'll reprise the role of Bruce Banner on the big screen. The green, raging monster will not be the only Marvel veteran set to aid Spidey in his mission to save New York City, as it has also been confirmed that Jon Bernthal's Punisher is set to make an appearance in the movie, too.
While Frank Castle and Peter Parker are both street-level heroes, things are a bit different when it comes to the Hulk. So, the bigger question to ask is: How will his character fit the movie's narrative? Well, there are a few possible ways. Reliable insider Alex Perez hinted that Bruce might know "someone related" to Peter, and fans unanimously agree that the two most likely candidates are Richard Parker or Uncle Ben. However, there's also another way the original Avenger might be involved in the story.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day set photos revealed that the Inner Demons will play a role in the movie, which all but confirms that Mister Negative will also join the fight. But why is this important? Well, if there were a villain to turn the peaceful Smart Hulk into a savage monster capable of destroying the city as a whole, it would certainly be Martin Li.
Brett Pawlak, the director of photography for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, pinned many Spidey illustrations on his personal Pinterest account before making it private. Wouldn't you know it, but one of them featured Savage Hulk. As if that wasn't enough of an indication, renowned scooper Daniel Richtman reported that the wall-crawler's upcoming movie would feature the Punisher and Spidey teaming up to stop the raging monster, way before it was officially announced that Mark Ruffalo would be back.
Chances are that Mister Negative will corrupt Bruce Banner and use him as a weapon of mass destruction to keep the heroes occupied while he orchestrates a bigger gang war in New York. If that's the case, then it would be the first time we see Hulk go back to his violent ways since the events of Thor: Ragnarok (because I refuse to take into consideration those opening minutes of Avengers: Infinity War). It's been a long time coming, but it's nice to know that such a possibility seems more likely than ever.
Given that filming for Spider-Man: Brand New Day is already underway, it won't be long before official announcements and set photos start coming our way. We even got a slight glimpse at Peter's new suit on the first day of production, so it's just a matter of time before the full look makes its way online. With a bit of luck, the four-year wait after Spider-Man: No Way Home will prove to be worth it.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be released on Jul. 31, 2026.
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