The “Strongest Avenger” Finally Reveals If He’s in ‘Doomsday’

After months of speculation surrounding the ever-growing cast of Avengers: Doomsday, Mark Ruffalo has finally clarified one of the biggest lingering questions: Hulk will not be smashing his way into the upcoming Marvel event film. Ruffalo, who has portrayed Bruce Banner — and his giant green alter ego — in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2012’s The Avengers, confirmed that he will not appear in Avengers: Doomsday, despite the film shaping up to feature the largest ensemble cast in franchise history.

The actor was last seen in the MCU in 2022’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, but even with Hulk sitting this one out, Ruffalo made it clear that he’s far from done with the character, as he told Empire.

“As long as they keep finding cool things to do with Hulk. It’s given me so many gifts. You know, I probably wouldn’t be in ‘Crime 101′ if it wasn’t for ‘The Avengers.'”

While Doomsday won’t feature Ruffalo’s Hulk, fans won’t have to wait long to see the character again. Hulk is set to appear alongside Tom Holland’s Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is scheduled to hit theaters in July 2026. The film will also star Zendaya as MJ, Jon Bernthal as The Punisher, Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds, and Sadie Sink in an as-yet-undisclosed role.

Ruffalo isn’t the only MCU veteran weighing in on potential returns.Chris Pratt, who has played Star-Lord since 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, recently addressed the post-credits tease from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which promised the character would return. “We made a promise with Guardians of the Galaxy that Star-Lord would return,” Pratt said during an interview with ScreenTime. “I think I would really love to make good on that promise.”

Who Stars in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’?

As for Avengers: Doomsday, the cast includesChris Hemsworth (Thor), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Paul Rudd(Ant-Man), Anthony Mackie (Captain America), Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes), Wyatt Russell (U.S. Agent), David Harbour (Red Guardian), and Lewis Pullman (Sentry).

Marvel’s First Family will also be in the mix, with Pedro Pascal (Mr. Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn (Human Torch), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Thing) confirmed to appear. The film will further unite timelines by bringing back iconic X-Men actors, includingSir Patrick Stewart, Sir Ian McKellen, Kelsey Grammer, James Marsden, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, and Channing Tatum as Gambit. It’s also been confirmed that Chris Evans will return as Steve Rogers, marking his first appearance as Captain America since Avengers: Endgame.

Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers: Doomsday is set for release on December 18, 2026, and will follow the Avengers, the New Avengers, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four as they attempt to stop Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr.