Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be kickstarted this coming May with the highly-anticipated Black Widow standalone movie. Meanwhile, Disney is prepping a slew of upcoming productions for Disney Plus highlighting various characters. However, the continued inclusion of one of the most beloved MCU heroes is currently undetermined.
During a recent talk show appearance, when queried about whether or not the Hulk would appear in future films, actor Mark Ruffalo stated that he wasn’t sure. Speaking on The Graham Norton Show, the actor was asked about a possible return and when it would happen and simply said, “I don’t know.” He then followed that up by saying: “it is supposed to be over and that [Endgame] was supposed to be the end.”
This is certainly disappointing to hear, as all around us there’s been news of further developments for so many other characters. Loki, the Scarlet Witch, Vision, Bucky Barnes and the Falcon are all being featured in upcoming Disney Plus series, while everybody’s favorite ruler of Asgard is getting a fourth installment in his film series with Thor: Love and Thunder. The Black Panther sequel, meanwhile, is set for 2022 and Benedict Cumberbatch’s mystic character is getting the second film of his own mini-saga, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in 2021.
In this chaotic yet exciting tumult of advances in the MCU though, our big buddy the Hulk seems to have been skimped on. Apart from Hawkeye, he remains the only original Avenger who’s yet to receive a standalone movie. At least, with Ruffalo in the lead. While it’s true the MCU does include an official Hulk origin story, Ruffalo wasn’t involved with the production. Instead, The Incredible Hulk starred Edward Norton as Bruce Banner. When looking specifically at Ruffalo’s Hulk, he just gets thrown into The Avengers and goes with the flow.
As time passed, and Iron Man, Thor and Captain America kept getting sequels, the Hulk witnessed no personal developments outside the Avengers films. And now, the future of Ruffalo’s hero appears to be shrouded in an inconclusive mist. While the future of the MCU certainly looks bright, the inclusion of the Hulk is not so certain. That being said, we wouldn’t be at all surprised if the actor’s just playing coy here and winds up appearing in the upcoming She-Hulk series, as has been heavily rumored.