Why Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk Wasn’t in CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD

Captain America: Brave New World brought back lots of familiar faces from 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, including Tim Blake Nelson’s The Leader and Liv Tyler’s Betty Ross. It also features Harrison Ford stepping into the role of Thunderbolt Ross, who’s expected to become the Red Hulk.

Given all that, it seemed natural that Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk would show up as well, but he’s nowhere to be found.

Director Julius Onah recently shed light on why Bruce Banner was left out, explained that while there were discussions about including the Hulk, the team ultimately decided against it to ensure the focus stayed on Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson.

“Well, I think at the end of the day, and I’m happy it landed where it did—this is Sam’s story. This is Sam’s first cinematic adventure as Captain America. And you want it to be about Sam leaning into his superpower to overcome the odds.”

As much as fans might have loved to see Banner cross paths with Red Hulk, Onah made it clear that adding Ruffalo’s Hulk would have shifted attention away from Sam Wilson’s journey.

“So, you pull in Banner—as great as Mark Ruffalo is and as exciting as it would be to have him—and suddenly, the focus shifts away from Sam. The conversation obviously came up, but ultimately, it felt like this wanted to be Sam’s film.”

But, lets be honest, it might’ve made the film slightly better as Sam Wilson’s story wasn’t really at all that interesting even thought this was supposed to be a pivotal moment for him.

As for the Hulk himself, Ruffalo’s last MCU appearance was in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law back in 2022. Since then, his whereabouts have been a mystery, with no official updates on when he might return.

But given the growing presence of Hulk-related characters in the MCU, it’s probably just a matter of time before the Green Goliath smashes his way back onto the big screen.