Mark Ruffalo Breaks Silence on Rumors He’s Been Fired As Marvel’s Hulk

Mark Ruffalo is addressing rumors that Disney has fired him from his role as Bruce Banner, a.k.a. The Incredible Hulk, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after statements he made that were considered political. Ruffalo is currently out to support his new film, Crime 101, which reunites him with MCU co-star Chris Hemsworth, and was asked if he's been fired.

"Not that I know of," Ruffalo replied. "People keep going like, 'Did you get fired?' Not that I know of!"

Hemsworth chimed in on the rumors that his Thor: Ragnarok co-star had been fired. "It's nonsense," he said.

Ruffalo continued, adding a little tease that he may already be plotting his MCU return as Bruce Banner. "I'll be there as long as they'll have me, but I have a good relationship with them. Who knows, there might be things I'm already doing that... I'm around, let me just say that."

Ruffalo, who is notoriously loose-lipped with MCU secrets, has not been announced as part of the cast of Avengers: Doomsday. However, he could be secretly filming scenes, or preparing to return in Doomsday's follow-up, Avengers: Secret Wars. He's next slated to appear in the MCU in Spider-Man: Brand New Day​​​​​​.

Mark Ruffalo Has Not Been Fired From Playing the Hulk in the MCU

The rumors of Ruffalo being removed from the Marvel Cinematic Universe stem from comments he made at the Golden Globes. The actor, speaking to the press, made some frank statements about current events in the United States.

"I’m not feeling so great," Ruffalo said. "We have a woman, Renee Good, who was murdered last week." He then called ICE agents "literal stormtroopers" and referred to President Donald Trump as "a convicted felon, a convicted rapist. He’s a pedophile. He’s the worst human being," adding, "If we’re relying on this guy’s morality for the most powerful country in the world, then we’re all in a lot of trouble."

However, there's been no statement from Disney regarding anything Ruffalo said one way or another, and no industry trades have reported any discussions about Ruffalo's future occurring at the studio. Given all of that, it sounds like these rumors were baseless assumptions or knowingly false ragebait.

While Ruffalo will be back as the Hulk in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the Hulk's future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is complicated. Ruffalo addressed his MCU future late last year.

"Yeah, I'd love to have a solo Hulk movie," Ruffalo said. "I don't know if you know the story of that, but it's not really owned by Marvel. It's a Universal property. I don't know if it'll ever really come to be, honestly."

To be clear, the Hulk is owned by Marvel, one of the many characters that Jack Kirby and Stan Lee created for the comic book company in the 1960s. However, Universal Pictures has had the rights to produce live-action Hulk projects dating back to the Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno The Incredible Hulk series from the 1970s.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day opens in theaters on July 31.