Mark Ruffalo is known for his love affair with the indie genre, but his version of the Hulk - which we got to see twice on the big screen if we don't count Bruce Banner's short cameo in the post credit scene of Iron Man 3 - surely skyrocketed his popularity as an actor.
One of the biggest questions of fans of all things Marvel is: when will the Hulk return, given his suggestive final scene in Age of Ultron? And, more exactly, will he come back for Civil War?
Back in early May I compiled a roster of possible next appearances of the Hulk. And the third installment of Captain America was the first title that crossed my mind.
Now, his return is all the more necessary: if, as speculated, Civil War will introduce the Red Hulk - a theory supported by the announcement of General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross - the Green Goliath must come back to offset the degree of villainy Rulk will obviously build towards.
If you're fed up with speculations, hit 2 below to see what Mark Ruffalo has to say about this matter.
Mark Ruffalo: "I can only hope so!"
The Daily Beast sat with Mark Ruffalo and approached this very issue. Asked if he'll reprise his role as the Hulk in Captain America: Civil War, Ruffalo commented:
"I don't know! I heard a rumor about that the other day ["¦] I haven't seen a script, nobody's told me, and I don't have dates. But I can only hope so!"
He further elaborates indicating chances are, however, high: "I was talking to Robert Downey the other day, and he said, "˜Ruffalo! I heard you're coming out here,' and I said, "˜OK! I'll be there'".
I don't know about you, but I read it as a clear indication we'll get to see the Hulk in Civil War. Sure, it's not a confirmation, but still.
Plus, if we take into account Mark Ruffalo's telltale tweet from mid-May, which you can see below, it's practically in our face, right?
The Marvel family gets just a little bit bigger. http://t.co/0PnXdLhGTP @captainamerica #CivilWar
"” Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) May 14, 2015
The Daily Beast squeezed more from Ruffalo than this half coy comment. Hit 3 below to see Mark Ruffalo's eulogy of Robert Downey Jr. and of Marvel.
Ruffalo talks RDJ and Marvel
Ruffalo is one of the MCU's newcomers, introduced years later after Robert Downey Jr. or Chris Hemsworth. And he knows it: "I wasn't The Hulk until recently".
But colleague RDJ has had time to make Iron Man a character of his own and, in a way, become Tony Stark. Here's the well put description by Mark Ruffalo:
"And Robert really rebooted the whole genre with Iron Man. And he really embraced it. He takes a star persona into the public, so when he shows up somewhere publicly, he's actually playing Stark"”he's not Robert Downey. He's fortifying that image both onscreen and offscreen, and he loves doing it".
As to Marvel"¦ Well, as much as Marvel fans adore its productions, the studio is a bit ill-famed amongst some of the actors they worked with. But this is not the case of Mark Ruffalo. Here's how he eulogizes Marvel:
"I like the challenge of it ["¦] I like the cultural significance of it, as an art project. It's crossing into all kinds of cultures, and belief systems, and ideologies. It's hitting a lot of boxes, and really specialized boxes, too. And ultimately, the messaging of it is pretty good! It has a decency about it. I always feel like this is our modern mythology, in a way. We've been doing this since the time we could draw on cave walls. This is our version of it now, but we're still working out the same stuff"”violence, brotherhood, and more".
Now, back to the Hulk: what say you, guys? Is Mark Ruffalo just stocking the flames for nothing? Or are there real chances for the Hulk to pop up in Civil War? Have your say below via comments! And don't forget: stay tuned, we'll bring you the hottest scoop on all things Marvel!