The Hulk may be smashing back into the MCU, but a viral rumor now claims Mark Ruffalo is the one getting smashed out of it. Reports spreading online suggest Disney has fired the actor and is already searching for a new Bruce Banner, with Spider-Man: Brand New Day supposedly marking the end of his Hulk run. The claim has sent fans into casting mode, but the real story is far less dramatic.

So did Marvel really cut ties with Ruffalo, or has another internet rumor turned a joke into fake breaking news?

No, Mark Ruffalo has not been fired by Disney, and there is no official evidence that Marvel is replacing him as Hulk. The viral claim traces back to a parody and satire account, with the post spreading across social media as a genuine casting update. Ruffalo himself has brushed off the speculation, saying he has “a good relationship with them” while adding, “who knows, there might be things I’m already doing,” a comment that only added more fuel to the speculation.

“Not that I know of, I have a good relationship with them… who knows, there might be things I'm already doing” Ruffalo told to The News Movement.

As the rumors spread its wings, Ruffalo has confirmed that he will not appear in Avengers: Doomsday, but that absence does not mean Marvel has ended his Hulk tenure or begun an official search for his replacement. His appearance in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, therefore, does not currently represent a confirmed final Hulk outing, while Avengers: Secret Wars, scheduled for December 17, 2027, remains widely reported as a major potential return for the actor. For now, there is no Disney announcement, no confirmed recasting, and no credible evidence that Ruffalo has been shown the door.

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But if Marvel ever did decide to rebuild Bruce Banner after the Multiverse Saga, the casting conversation would get wild very quickly. And several actors already look like they could step straight into the gamma chamber.

Alan Ritchson would bring the sheer physical presence needed for a more comic-accurate Hulk, while still having the screen authority to carry Bruce Banner. Meanwhile, Jeremy Allen White could take the character in a darker direction, emphasizing Banner’s anxiety, trauma, and barely controlled rage rather than making him simply the quiet scientist in the room. Dev Patel offers another intriguing route, bringing intelligence, vulnerability, and dramatic weight to a Banner constantly struggling to keep his monstrous alter ego under control.

Alexander Skarsgård, meanwhile, could lean into the classic Jekyll-and-Hyde contrast, pairing Banner’s restrained intellect with a frightening physical transformation. But while fans are already imagining who could replace Ruffalo, the actor himself is showing no signs of slowing down. Beyond Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Ruffalo has Avengers: Secret Wars on the horizon, while his upcoming slate stretches into Pixar with Gatto, a crime drama with Crime 101, and HBO with the series Task. 

And while the internet may have already started hunting for Mark Ruffalo’s replacement, Marvel has given fans no reason to believe the Hulk is being recast. And until Marvel says otherwise, Bruce Banner’s gamma-powered future remains very much alive.

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Do you think Mark Ruffalo should remain the Hulk, or would you pick someone else to take over the role? Let us know in the comments.