Mark Ruffalo Reveals The Hulk Is Too Expensive for a Solo MCU Movie

Mark Ruffalo's iteration of Bruce Banner / Hulk has remained a staple of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, making appearances in a wide array of projects within the franchise. Across that tenure, and especially amid the past few years of updates regarding the Hulk film rights being held by Universal, fans have eagerly awaited any sort of update on a new Hulk solo movie. Amid the discourse about possible onscreen adaptations of storylines like Planet Hulk or World War Hulk, Ruffalo recently indicated that a Hulk solo project might not immediately be in the cards. In a recent interview with GQ, Ruffalo argued that a Hulk solo movie might be just too expensive to work, given the CGI nature of his character.

"I think the expansion into streaming was really exciting, but the thing about Marvel movies is you had to wait three years and that created a mystique," Ruffalo said of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. "These corrections could be really positive things. Will it be what it was? I don't know."

"I'd love to do a standalone Hulk, I just don't think that's ever going to happen," Ruffalo added. "It's very expensive if you did a whole movie, which is why they use the Hulk so sparingly. I priced myself out!"

Will Mark Ruffalo Return to the MCU?

Ruffalo has not reprised his role as Bruce Banner / Hulk since 2022's She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Disney+ series. While his last cameo on the show seemed to tease an adaptation of the infamous World War Hulk comic storyline, Ruffalo hinted it might not immediately be in the cards.

"I don't know. It certainly does suggest that," Ruffalo told Variety. "There has been some conversations about what happened in the two years where Hulk abandoned Banner and the Avengers [on Sakaar], and the emergence of Smart Hulk, which hasn't ever fully been answered. I think maybe we've given four sentences to that time period since then. It's really an interesting, exciting part of the Hulk story and Banner story."

Will Hulk Appear in Captain America 4?

Ruffalo recently made headlines for comments made at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, which seemed to hint that he will be appearing in the new Captain America sequel, Captain America: Brave New World. Shortly after, a report from Variety confirmed that Ruffalo's Hulk will not be appearing in Brave New World, with multiple sources indicating that he misspoke. 

During the Q&A, Ruffalo was asked if he is able to talk about Brave New World, and indicated that the film is "going to be great." According to the report, Ruffalo meant to acknowledge that Brave New World is one of the MCU's next films, but not necessarily one of his next films. 

What do you think of Mark Ruffalo's new comments? Do you still want to see a solo Hulk movie? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!