Mark Ruffalo reportedly won’t appear alongside other Hulk characters in Captain America: Brave New World, but his absence may be for the best. Despite being the fourth chapter in the Captain America series, the upcoming 2025 MCU sequel features many returning characters from 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. One familiar face is Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, who has a new role in the MCU timeline as President of the United States. The Leader and Betty Ross are also returning in the upcoming Marvel release – two characters who have been absent in the franchise for over a decade.
With all these Hulk characters, it would make sense to see Bruce Banner in the story, but his absence from it appears already confirmed. According to Variety, multiple sources confirmed Ruffalo won’t appear in the movie, despite some confusion over the actor’s statements about the film. As such, though Banner’s MCU journey isn’t done – especially after the events of She-Hulk – it isn’t set to continue in Captain America: Brave New World. While it would be exciting to see Ruffalo’s Banner interact with The Incredible Hulk‘s returning cast, there are a few reasons why his omission is a good thing.
Sam Wilson’s First Outing As Captain America Should Be A Solo Endeavor
Sam Wilson Deserves A True Solo Movie Debut
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier concluded with Sam Wilson debuting as Captain America, officially taking the shield over from Steve Rogers. Captain America:Brave New World is his first film in the spotlight, and the first MCU film with Sam in the hero mantle.
Since debuting in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Sam has generally been relegated to being more of a side character, only starting to get more focus during the Disney+ show starring him and Bucky Barnes. Sam is finally being given the chance to shine as a central MCU superhero, and adding the Hulk would only take away from his shining moment.
While Steve Rogers did share the spotlight more with Black Widow and Falcon in The Winter Soldier, and almost the entirety of the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War, he still had The First Avenger to showcase his abilities as an independent hero. Sam deserves the same treatment, especially during this crucial period of establishing him as the new Captain America. He also needs to showcase his leadership ability if he is the next leader of the Avengers in Avengers 5.
Hulk Fighting Red Hulk Would Continue A Common MCU Problem
Hulk Vs Red Hulk Would Create Some Issues For Captain America: Brave New World
Since 2008’s Iron Man, the MCU has had a common problem regarding its villains. Many of its antagonists have similar powers to the heroes, leading to a final battle that has grown repetitive for many viewers. Examples of this include Iron Man vs. Ironmonger, Ant-Man vs. Yellow Jacket, Black Panther vs. Killmonger, Captain America vs. The Winter Soldier, and Shang-Chi vs. Wenwu. Hulk was also a victim of this trope in The Incredible Hulk in his climactic battle with the Abomination.
As seen in the first trailer for Brave New World, Thunderbolt Ross will eventually transform into Red Hulk. While Red Hulk may not be the film’s primary villain, a fight will seemingly occur between him and Captain America. If the Hulk were to get involved, it would continue the tired MCU villain trope with two similarly-powered characters fighting each other. It would also be repetitive, since viewers have already seen Hulk fight Abomination. As such, it’s more interesting to see how Captain America will deal with Red Hulk, considering he is at a significant disadvantage.
Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk Has Been A Side-Hero For Too Long In The MCU
The Hulk Appearing In Captain America: Brave New World Would Continue The Side-Hero Trend
The Hulk is one of the most frequent recurring characters in the MCU. Since his 2008 debut, Bruce Banner has appeared in every Avengers movie, and the Hulk played significant parts in Thor: Ragnarok and She-Hulk. However, the character hasn’t had a solo project since The Incredible Hulk. Edward Norton portrayed the role at the time, so Ruffalo still hasn’t been given an independent Hulk story, instead generally being placed in a support role for other heroes in their own installments.
Putting Banner in Captain America: Brave New World would only continue Hulk’s role as a side-hero, rather than developing the Hulk further in an isolated story. Since the MCU introduced an interesting storyline for the character by debuting his son – and She-Hulk is now part of the MCU world – there is still plenty of story potential for Ruffalo’s Hulk to follow up on in the franchise, and this would ideally be approached by giving him his own starring role.
