Harrison Ford reveals he hasn’t talked with Mark Ruffalo about his Red Hulk role in Captain America: Brave New World, which suggests that a major MCU theory about the original Hulk has been debunked. Harrison Ford replaces the late William Hurt as the MCU’s Thaddeus Ross, who had been persecuting Bruce Banner and the Avengers for years before campaigning for president. It took seventeen years, but Ross finally gained his Red Hulk transformation, though he first uses it against Captain America instead of his lifelong archnemesis Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World.

A couple of weeks before Captain America: Brave New World‘s release, Harrison Ford was asked whether he’d talked with Mark Ruffalo about Red Hulk. Ford reveals he hasn’t talked with Ruffalo yet, joking that “he wasn’t available for consultation” and that he “had to wing it”. Although the Hulk actors haven’t had a chance to discuss their MCU roles, Ford hopes Ruffalo is “not disappointed” by his Captain America: Brave New World performance. Mark Ruffalo’s unavailability could provide a clue about Captain America: Brave New World‘s plot and cast.

Harrison Ford’s Newest Red Hulk Comments Make A Hulk Cameo Even Less Likely

Mark Ruffalo Probably Doesn’t Play Hulk Or Bruce Banner In Captain AMerica Brave New World

Custom image by Nicolas Ayala

Considering Harrison Ford hasn’t talked with Mark Ruffalo about Red Hulk, Ruffalo is unlikely to appear in Captain America: Brave New World as Bruce Banner or the Hulk. While Ford could be bluffing in order to hide a Hulk cameo by Ruffalo, it’s more likely that he’s saying the truth. After all, Captain America: Brave New World is jam-packed with characters, and a Hulk appearance would risk both overstuffing an already crowded movie and taking too much attention from its main character, Captain America. If anyone deserves to defeat Red Hulk, it’s Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson.

Hulk reunited with Abomination in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, though it was only in the form of an alternative scenario.

Mark Ruffalo’s latest MCU appearance was in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law‘s post-credits scene, where Bruce Banner still seemed content with his Smart Hulk persona as he introduced his son Skaar to Jennifer Walters’ family and Daredevil. There’s little reason for Smart Hulk to intervene in Captain America’s missions in Captain America: Brave New World, let alone an impromptu battle between Captain America and Red Hulk at the White House. Should Mark Ruffalo make a cameo in Captain America: Brave New World, it could be in a brief scene not involving Sam Wilson or President Ross.

Why Red Hulk Vs Hulk Might Be A Long Way Away From Happening In The MCU

There’s Little Room For Hulk Vs Red Hulk In The MCU At The Moment

If Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk doesn’t appear in Captain America: Brave New World, it may take a while for him to meet Red Hulk. Hulk’s next MCU appearance will probably be Phase 6’s upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, where dozens of other MCU characters will return and Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom will be introduced. There will be very little time for a match like ‘Hulk vs Red Hulk’ in Avengers: Doomsday, probably even less than in Captain America: Brave New World. In fact, Red Hulk is unlikely to appear in Avengers: Doomsday altogether.

Avengers: Secret Wars may follow a similar structure to Avengers: Endgame, which brought back many characters who either had little screentime or didn’t appear at all in Avengers: Infinity War. Therefore, Harrison Ford’s Red Hulk is slightly more likely to return in Avengers: Secret Wars than in Avengers: Doomsday. There will be little room in Avengers: Doomsday for Hulk and Red Hulk to meet each other, but even if both of them appear, a showdown is rather improbable. A full-fledged ‘Hulk vs Red Hulk’ match might only take place until Phase 7.

I Still Hope Harrison Ford’s Red Hulk Gets To Face Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk In The MCU

A Hulk Vs Red Hulk Match Shouldn’t Be A Missed Opportunity In The MCU

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It took Thaddeus Ross seventeen years since his The Incredible Hulk debut to transform into Red Hulk, and Hulk hasn’t fought an enemy of his own since the same movie. Hulk probably won’t star in a solo movie in a while, but a battle against Red Hulk would be a welcome sight that would compensate for Hulk’s lack of standalone films. Hulk and Red Hulk’s eventual battle would also benefit from the Leader’s return. Bruce Banner worked closely with Samuel Sterns on a cure for his condition, which led to Sterns’ obsession with Hulk’s power and his transformation into the Leader.

Smart Hulk might not be a permanent transformation for Bruce Banner. If the original Savage Hulk returns, Red Hulk seems like the perfect enemy for his next battle. In fact, if a ‘Hulk vs Red Hulk’ battle is truly inevitable, then Smart Hulk’s transformation into Savage Hulk would be all but inevitable, as Smart Hulk is no match for Red Hulk. How exactly this fight could happen in the future will be made clear by Captain America: Brave New World.