Marvel Star Mark Ruffalo Reacts to Shang-Chi’s Mid-Credits Scene

It’s an exciting time for Marvel fans with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings out in theaters and What If…? releasing new episodes of Disney+ every Wednesday. Not only did Shang-Chi triple the previous four-day Labor Day opening weekend record and become the highest-rated audience score of any MCU movie on Rotten Tomatoes, but it also featured some exciting surprise cameos. Warning: Shang-Chi spoilers ahead! The Shang-Chi mid-credits scene featured a surprise appearance by Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), but that wasn’t all we saw of Bruce this week. The character was also heavily featured in the fifth episode of What If…?, which asked the question, “What If… Zombies?!” Yesterday, Ruffalo took to Twitter to comment on the Shang-Chi credits scene, congratulate the movie on its success, and tease the new episode of What If…? 

“Anyone catch that mid-credits scene in #ShangChi? Congrats to the cast and crew for the biggest Labor Day box office opening,” Ruffalo wrote on Twitter. “If you’re still here, I hope you can keep a secret about tomorrow’s episode of #WhatIf…,” he added. You can check out the posts below:

Ruffalo’s cameo in Shang-Chi has some fans confused because he appeared as Bruce Banner, not Professor Hulk. In Avengers: Endgame, Bruce transforms into Professor Hulk, a combo of himself and the Hulk. He remains that way for the entire film with the exception of the moment the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) projects Bruce’s astral form from Hulk’s body when he goes to 2012 to retrieve the Time Stone. However, at the end of Shang-Chi, he’s seen as Bruce again. His arm is still in a sling from when he used the Infinity Stones to snap everyone back, there’s no further explanation for his appearance. 

Whatever the reason for Bruce’s new, old appearance, it’s likely we’ll get an explanation in the upcoming Disney+ series, She-Hulk, which is set to feature Ruffalo. The show will star Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer Walters, a New York City lawyer whose life is changed after she gets into an accident, leading to her receiving a blood transfusion from her cousin, Bruce Banner. As a result, Jennifer develops her own iteration of Hulk powers.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is now playing in theaters. The rest of Marvel’s 2021 line-up includes What If…, which releases new episodes on Disney+ on Wednesdays, Eternals in theatres on November 5th, Hawkeye on Disney+ on November 24th, and Spider-Man: No Way Home in theatres on December 17th.