Without a doubt, the MCU’s Incredible Hulk has had one of the strangest journeys in the entire franchise. From rights complications forcing exclusively ensemble appearances to the divisive Smart Hulk evolution in Avengers: Endgame, Bruce Banner’s arc has been pretty odd overall.
Keeping that in mind, this year’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day might be more important than it looks for the MCU’s Bruce Banner. With Mark Ruffalo officially returning as the Hulk in the fourth Spider-Man movie, the new sequel could finally give some answers/updates to some of my biggest questions about the Hulk’s MCU journey, specifically post-Endgame.
Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk Is Confirmed To Return In Spider-Man: Brand New Day
It’s been confirmed for some time now that Bruce Banner’s Hulk will appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, marking Ruffalo’s next big-screen outing as one of the MCU’s founding Avengers. However, what’s even more exciting are the reports that the upcoming movie will see Bruce Banner reverting to the more classic and beloved Savage Hulk.
Since Avengers: Endgame, Banner has existed as “Smart Hulk”, having merged with his meaner and greener half with relatively stable results. While that evolution felt right for his character arc at the time, many fans have since come to miss the more unpredictable force of nature that Hulk used to be.
While a Spider-Man movie might seem like an unexpected place for that shift, I doubt few Hulk fans will complain if it means seeing a return to form for The Incredible Hulk alongside Tom Holland’s Webslinger. That said, the question of how and why a Savage Hulk return will happen is not my only question about Banner’s recent MCU journey.
Beyond Banner’s Return To Savage Hulk, I Have Some Big MCU Questions
Beyond the reversion back to Savage Hulk, I really want to know more about Hulk’s return trip to Sakaar and Bruce Banner’s son.
Introduced at the end of 2022’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, the Hulk’s son Skaar debuted in a single scene with almost no follow-up in the years that have followed, leaving fans wondering about Hulk’s off-screen life on the Grandmaster’s world Sakaar (as well as who Skaar’s mother might be).
Additionally, we also haven’t heard much about Bruce’s cousin Jennifer Walters since She-Hulk’s release, nor how Banner reacted to former US President Ross’ transformation into the Red Hulk last year in Brave New World, thanks to Samuel Sterns aka The Leader. After all, Brave New World was basically a sequel to 2008’s The Incredible Hulk…it just didn’t feature Banner at all (even Betty Ross returned).
Overall, the last few years haven’t offered many concrete updates on Hulk’s personal journey. With uncertainty about whether Hulk has a role in Avengers: Doomsday, Spider-Man: Brand New Day feels like the best opportunity we have to address some of these lingering threads.
Even small answers would go a long way. After years of scattered appearances, Hulk deserves some clarity, and some will hopefully be given sooner rather than later in the MCU.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day releases in theaters July 31st from Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures.
- Release Date
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July 31, 2026
- Director
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Destin Daniel Cretton
- Producers
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Amy Pascal, Kevin Feige, Rachel O’Connor, Avi Arad, Louis D’Esposito