Mark Ruffalo Says He Doesn't Think a Standalone Hulk Movie Is 'Ever Going to Happen' at Marvel

Mark Ruffalo is sharing why he does not believe he will ever get to lead a Hulk movie for Marvel.

In the actor's new GQ cover story, Ruffalo, 56, spoke to the ongoing changes at Marvel Studios in the wake of multiple box office and critical struggles during 2023. The Academy Award nominee has played Bruce Banner/the Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2012's The Avengers and grown into a fan favorite over more than a decade, but he has never led a film in the wide-ranging superhero franchise himself.

"I’d love to do a standalone Hulk, I just don’t think that’s ever going to happen,” Ruffalo told the outlet, which noted that the CGI required to create the Hulk on the big screen remains expensive. (Prior to Ruffalo, Edward Norton originally starred as the MCU's Banner in 2008's The Incredible Hulk while Eric Bana portrayed the character in a 2003 film from Universal Pictures.)

“It’s very expensive if you did a whole movie, which is why they use the Hulk so sparingly," Ruffalo added. "I priced myself out!”

When GQ asked Ruffalo about Marvel's recent struggles balancing both films and Disney+ projects — he most recently appeared as the Hulk in 2022's miniseries She-Hulk: Attorney At Law — the actor said, “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.”

"These corrections could be really positive things," he added. "Will it be what it was? I don’t know.”

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In the piece, Ruffalo also spoke to the notion that acting in Marvel movies prevents actor from working in more traditional dramatic roles, telling the outlet he remains "really proud of" his time as Bruce Banner.

“I’ve sat in movie theaters with the movies I've done with big directors. I’ve also experienced these Marvel movies with an audience and the amount of community and expression… it touched every single emotion," he said. "That means something to me. I don’t look down on it.”

It's unclear whether Ruffalo could reprise his role as Banner/the Hulk moving forward. Marvel Studios currently has the next two Avengers movies scheduled to release on May 1, 2026, and May 7, 2027, and the contents of those films remain under wraps.

In the meantime, Ruffalo is awaiting the 96th Academy Awards, where he is nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Poor Things. Robert Downey Jr., his longtime Marvel costar, is also nominated in the same category for his performance in Oppenheimer.

“I really want Robert to win an Oscar,” Ruffalo told GQ about the upcoming ceremony, which will air live on March 10. “I mean, I’d like to win one too, but I would celebrate him.”