Ahead of Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s release this summer, one of the most anticipated elements being added to it was the return of Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk to the MCU. Absent from the franchise since She-Hulk: Attorney at Law back in 2023, the character got back to the roots of why fans like him, returning to his roots as a nearly unstoppable rage monster, even if Spider-Man himself found a way to beat him (and his screen time was slightly limited at the end of the day). The good news, though, is that Hulk’s time in Spider-Man: Brand New Day may have been limited, but it could be the start of something beautiful in the MCU.
In a new featurette for Spider-Man: Brand New Day that arrived with its digital release, Ruffalo offered a tease for how the new film could influence the MCU’s future, revealing: “The idea of Hulk and Spider-Man finally meeting up…it’s iconic and legendary in the comics. And I think the way we do it is really a teaser for what’s to come with these two characters.” A tease like that is a big one for the future of these two Marvel heroes, and it could offer us a clue for how they’ll be utilized moving forward, maybe even in a post-Secret Wars world.
It’s worth noting that Ruffalo’s tease from the featurette was clearly filmed on the set of the movie, not only meaning that it could just be a quippy line meant to sell the film ahead of time, but also that plans could have already changed since that was shot and subsequently released. That said, now that Spider-Man: Brand New Day is out in the world, we know how the movie frames the two characters for the future and, given Ruffalo’s tease, how it all might work toward the future.
There are two moments in Spider-Man: Brand New Day that seem like the MCU calling its shots for their future. The first is when the two characters are out of costume, not only bouncing scientific ideas off each other but coming to grips with the reality of what they’re talking about. It’s a near certainty that their power-inhibiting technology will prove to be a major focal point of the X-Men’s place in the MCU, and could very well be a linchpin in a new superhero civil war one day.
The second scene is, of course, the one where Banner Hulks out and goes toe-to-toe with Spider-Man. It’s not the fight itself that might be a signal for the pair’s MCU future, but rather the final moment, when The Hulk realizes he’s been beating on his friend and literally has to stare at himself in the mirror. It’s a scene that could hint at both Spider-Man and the Hulk teaming up in some capacity, but perhaps more so one that indicates a Hulk that shuns the idea of team-ups altogether and goes out on his own.
All of this is to say that the post-Avengers: Secret Wars world of the MCU is one with a lot of question marks. Though we know that movies like X-Men, Ghost Rider, and Black Panther 3 are coming, nothing has been confirmed about Spider-Man or The Hulk. Given Ruffalo’s tease, though, it’s possible he’s sticking around and will get his chance in the spotlight again down the line. Spider-Man, on the other hand, will absolutely swing back into theaters after making more than $2 billion on his own. Who knows, maybe they’ll even share the screen again in Avengers: Secret Wars itself, but these two heroes are Marvel’s most popular, and teaming them up is a no-brainer.
