Original 'Avengers' Cast Member Joins 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day'

Another Avenger is swinging intoSpider-Man: Brand New Day— and it’s not who you’d expect.Mark Ruffalowill reprise his role as Bruce Banner in the upcoming MCU film, marking a big green return to the big screen and a major addition tothe fourth installment ofTom Holland’sSpider-Man series. Although Marvel hasn’t confirmed what exactly Banner will be doing in the story, it’s expected that whatever Hulk he’s portraying in the film won’t be restricted to just a cameo, but rather Bruce Banner will play a key part in the story alongside Holland’s Peter Parker. We’re hoping for some kind of science bros storyline, or maybe a mentorship somewhat in the vein of Peter and Otto Octavius fromSam Raimi’s trilogy. The news was confirmed byThe Hollywood Reporter, even though the casting was initially reported all the way back in January byHot MichostJohn Rocha.

It’s now become a standard for major Marvel Cinematic Universe stars to appear in Holland’s Spider-Man movies, starting withRobert Downey Jr.inSpider-Man: Homecoming, thenSamuel L. JacksoninSpider-Man: Far From Home,and finallyBenedict CumberbatchinSpider-Man: No Way Home. It seems to be a fair trade-off —Marvel gets the use of Spider-Man, the most popular Marvel character, and Sony gets an A-lister who will bring more eyes to their movie. We, the audience, win!

This appearance will mark Ruffalo’stenth mainline MCU project, adding to a resume that already includesThe Avengers,Thor: Ragnarok, andShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law. AfterBrand New Day, the actor may or may not appear inAvengers: DoomsdayandSecret Wars— he never got a chair after all, but surely he’ll turn up — making Banner one of the longest-running Avengers in the franchise.

Directed byDestin Daniel Cretton(Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings)and written byChris McKennaandErik Sommers,Spider-Man: Brand New Daywill see Holland return as Peter Parker, whileZendayaandJacob Batalonwill reportedly appear in smaller roles.Sadie SinkandLiza Colon-Zayashave joined the cast in undisclosed parts.

Where Is The Hulk in The Marvel Cinematic Universe?

When we last saw Banner inShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law, he was helping his cousin Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) manage her new gamma-irradiated powers after a freak car accident mingled their blood. Banner — still in his Professor Hulk form — trained Jen while seemingly mastering his own ability to shift between personalities. We also found out via the series finale of that show that Banner now has a son named Skaar, born on Sakaar, which was the main location forThor: Ragnarok. We alsodidnotsee him inCaptain America: Brave New World, despite Ruffalo’s comments.

The film is now in production in Glasgow, Scotland.Spider-Man: Brand New Dayswings into theaters onJuly 31, 2026.