Mark Ruffalo's Avengers: Doomsday Return Clarified By Russo Bros.

Published Sep 28, 2026, 4:02 PM EDT Adam has been writing in the entertainment news space for over a decade. Beginning his career of covering film and TV at CinemaBlend, he has also appeared on The Flash Podcast and done several radio spots. Warning: SPOILERS for Avengers Endgame: Encore are ahead!Avengers: Doomsday directors Joe and Anthony Russo have shed light on Mark Ruffalo's future as The Hulk. 2019’s Avengers: Endgame returned to theaters this past weekend under the title Avengers Endgame: Encore. This re-release came with an extended ending and three additional scenes that tease this December’s Avengers: Doomsday. Among them is Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner, a.k.a. Hulk, being snatched away by Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom following the events of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Now the Russos have clarified where things stand with Ruffalo for the upcoming Marvel movie. In an interview with Empire, while the Russo Brothers didn’t outright name Doom as Banner’s visitor in this additional Endgame scene, they did recount how he’s in “perhaps the most secure place on the planet” and “dealing with the trauma and the fallout from what happened in Brand New Day, and trying to protect the world from him.” Yet, Doom found Banner nonetheless and “collected” him for an unknown purpose in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Joe Russo added: I think [what] we could say is, [Banner] is certainly involved in the story that revolves around Doom. We will not confirm nor deny his appearance in Doomsday. Ruffalo isn’t listed in the official Avengers: Doomsday cast, and since its production overlapped with Spider-Man: Brand New Day, it would have been difficult scheduling him to participate in both movies. However, just like how Endgame followed Infinity War a year later, Avengers: Secret Wars is slotted for a December 2027 release to conclude this Doctor Doom-centric story and the entire Multiverse Saga. So, while the door isn’t closed on Ruffalo potentially cameoing in Doomsday, it’s possible he won’t return to the MCU in a significant capacity until Secret Wars. Banner resurfaced in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, four years after She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, as a quantum mechanics professor at Empire State University using an inhibitor device to suppress the gamma radiation in his body. Unfortunately, Jean Grey tampered with his mind and removed the inhibitor, causing his Savage Hulk persona to emerge for the first time since Avengers: Infinity War. Peter Parker managed to calm Banner down and end his rampage at the Department of Damage Control, and the latter character was last seen being taken to a psychiatric ward. Avengers Endgame: Encore’s other additional footage include the Loki from the Disney+ TV show of the same name visiting Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter as they’re dancing at the end of the movie; Time Variance Authority agents Mobius, Ouroboros, Casey, and Ralph detecting numerous “incursions” between universes; and Doctor Doom forging his metal mask. Victor von Doom comes to the forefront in Avengers: Doomsday as an “existential threat” to the multiverse, requiring the Avengers, New Avengers, Earth-828’s Fantastic Four, the “original” Fox-era X-Men, and other heroes to join forces against him. Avengers: Doomsday will be released in theaters on Friday, December 18. Avengers: Endgame in its original form can be streamed on Disney+ alongside the rest of the MCU’s movies and TV shows. Release Date December 18, 2026 Runtime 165 Minutes Director Anthony Russo, Joe Russo Cast Reed Richards / Mr. Fantastic Vanessa Kirby Sue Storm / Invisible Woman Writers Stephen McFeely, Michael Waldron, Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers Producers Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Jonathan Schwartz Prequel(s) Spider-Man: Brand New Day Sequel(s) Avengers: Secret Wars Franchise(s) Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers, Fantastic Four, Black Panther, Thor, X-Men Movies Avengers: Doomsday Marvel Cinematic Universe