Mark Ruffalo talks future of Hulk & a Wolverine Team-Up

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Do you want more Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk? Well, Ruffalo certainly wants to return in future AVENGERS sequels and spinoffs but the actor admits that nothing is set in stone just yet.

In a recent "Variety" cover story, Ruffalo addressed his future as Hulk and while nothing is a done deal as of yet, he admits there are talks of future projects:

"There's nothing completely at a place where it's a done deal. There's some talk of having Banner/Hulk show in the Disney+ series She-Hulk. If we come up with something good, that would be really interesting. Right now that's about it. That's all there is on the table."

The Hulk had a bit of a rough entry into the cinematic world before Ruffalo landed the role. Eric Bana took on the role in 2003's HULK and the film, directed by Ang Lee, was met with mixed reviews from critics and fans along with so-so box office. This was pre the MCU so once IRON MAN kicked that off in 2008, Marvel tried again with THE INCREDIBLE HULK also in 2008. That film, which featured Edward Norton in the title role, received a bit of a better reception but there were reported behind the scenes power struggles between Norton and the powers that be so he was not asked to return for THE AVENGERS. By this time, Ruffalo was cast and the character finally found its footing on the big screen. While Ruffalo hasn't headlined a solo film as the character, he has left his mark in a supporting capacity through appearances in the AVENGERS films & THOR: RAGNAROK. That being said, he would love the chance to anchor his own stand-alone film"

"There's an idea that I think could be really interesting. We've never really followed him into his life. He's always kind of off on the side. He's like the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern of the Avengers: It'd be interesting to fill in all the blanks about what happened to him in between all these movies."

Although this is a small snippet of the "Variety" interview, Ruffalo also addresses being a comic book fan as a child and grew reading "X-Men" & "Wolverine". Comic book fans know that Wolverine made his first appearance in the last panel of "The Incredible Hulk" #180 before having his first full appearance in #181 in November of 1974. Being acutely aware of this, and paying attention to the fact that Disney/Marvel purchased Fox and now has rights to the X-MEN films, Ruffalo would like to see Wolverine in Hulk's future. Ruffalo has been gunning for this for a while and when speaking to "The Marvelists podcast" in 2018, he said "People talk about Wolverine and Hulk hooking up. I think that would be a really great combo."

Ruffalo seems like a class act and is one of those actors who can do big-budget fare and then dial it back to give strong character-driven performances. I'd love to see him do more with Bruce Banner/Hulk and I definitely would like to see a Wolverine/Hulk team-up which, of course, may have to begin as a brawl.

What would YOU like to see happen with Mark Ruffalo and his role as Bruce Banner/Hulk?