Mark Ruffalo Could Reprise Hulk Role In Stand-Alone Film, Teases Team-Up With Wolverine

Actor Mark Ruffalo is still interested in playing the Hulk, nearly one year after the Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s first three phases of films came to an end with Avengers: End Game. In a recent interview, the 52-year-old indicated he has his own ideas about what a potential Hulk stand-alone film would look like and teased a potential team-up with Wolverine.

Speaking to Variety in an exclusive interview, Ruffalo said he’s interested in exploring Hulk/Bruce Banner’s life more closely by revealing what happens to the character in between all of the other big MCU releases. The last time the Hulk was examined in such a way was with 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, which starred Edward Norton in the titular role. Although the events of that film are technically canon within the MCU — it was the second film of the series, following the release of Iron Man earlier that year — they have rarely referenced in subsequent films.

“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.”

Ruffalo admitted there is nothing currently in place in terms of actual production, but once again confirmed there has also been talk about the Hulk character showing up in the She-Hulk series.

“There’s some talk of having Banner/Hulk show up in [the Disney Plus 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 new show was officially announced by Disney at D23 in August of last year. It will chronicle the exploits of Jennifer Walters, an attorney and cousin to Banner, who develops similar powers after receiving a blood transfusion from him. Unlike the original Hulk, however, Walters prefers to remain in her green state and retains her intelligence and personality.

In addition to these two projects, Ruffalo also expressed a desire for the Hulk to team up with Wolverine. While he may have been joking, there is significant comic book history between the two characters that would make such a union appropriate. The Wolverine character actually first appeared in The Incredible Hulk, issue No. 181, in 1974, and the characters have shared the page on several occasions. They have been presented both as allies and as adversaries over time.