Mark Ruffalo weighs in on why he was not part of the cast list for Avengers: Doomsday. The five-and-a-half-hour live-stream of chairs for Avengers: Doomsday was both one of the greatest and most frustrating moments in movie marketing, as fans watched and waited for each reveal. Avengers: Doomsday will feature many big returning names, including Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, and, of course, Robert Downey Jr., but now playing Doctor Doom. Yet many MCU heroes were not included, including Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner / Hulk.
Appearing on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Ruffalo was asked why he was not included in the casting announcement for Avengers: Doomsday. Ruffalo jokingly responded, “They decided that it was better to get rid of me than for me to tell the end of the next movie.” As of this writing, Ruffalo is still not set to return as Hulk in Avengers: Doomsday, but with the film a year away, that could change.
Hulk Will Return in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’
While Ruffalo’s answer is a joke, it is playing off the reality that the actor has gained a reputation for spoiling some of Marvel’s biggest secrets. In an infamous interview alongside Don Cheadle, he inadvertently spoiled the ending of Avengers: Infinity War a year before the movie’s release, stating, “everyone dies.” Thankfully, most people chalked it up as a joke at the time. At the premiere of Thor: Ragnarok, Ruffalo accidentally live-streamed part of the movie on Instagram because he didn’t turn his cellphone camera off when he put it in his pocket.
Even if Ruffalo is not listed to be in Avengers: Doomsday, which he may still be as the movie is expected to undergo reshoots, he is not done with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In fact, he will appear as Bruce Banner / Hulk in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the movie that precedes Avengers: Doomsday. Ruffalo himself has downplayed his involvement in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but it is all but confirmed that he will appear in the movie.
Ruffalo’s Hulk is a founding member of the Avengers and has been with the franchise since he was cast in 2010 to take over the role of Bruce Banner from Edward Norton. If he is not in Avengers: Doomsday, it would mark the first Avengers movie without the Hulk. It would also mean Thor is the only MCU character to appear in every Avengers movie. However, if Ruffalo’s role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day explains why he isn’t in Avengers: Doomsday, he certainly will be back for Avengers: Secret Wars, as it is being positioned as the biggest MCU film ever. Plus, Marvel wouldn’t miss the chance to finally put Hulk and The Thing on-screen together, or let fans finally see the epic showdown between Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk.