London, Aug 2 (UNI) In a move set to electrify Marvel fans worldwide, Mark Ruffalo has officially signed on to return as Bruce Banner or The Hulk in “Spider-Man 4: Brand New Day”, joining Tom Holland in the latest instalment of the Sony-Marvel collaboration.
Ruffalo’s re-entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes 14 years after his breakout turn as the green goliath in “The Avengers” (2012), marking yet another milestone in a storied Marvel career that spans multiple blockbuster appearances, reports The Hollywood Reporter.
Also returning from the shadows is Michael Mando, reviving his portrayal of Mac Gargan, the man destined to become the villainous Scorpion. Last seen in “Spider-Man: Homecoming” (2017), Gargan’s resurfacing hints at a long-brewing vendetta about to unfold.
Holland’s Spider-Man films have always paired him with a more seasoned actor, such as Robert Downey Jr. (Spider-Man: Homecoming), Samuel L. Jackson (Spider-Man: Far From Home) and Benedict Cumberbatch (Spider-Man: No Way Home), playing key characters Iron Man, Nick Fury and Doctor Strange, respectively. (The movies invoke the tone of classic Marvel comic Marvel Team-Up, a series from the 1970s and 1980s that featured Spider-Man partnering with another hero for an escapade.)
‘Brand New Day’, however, is stacking the deck. Jon Bernthal is also on the call sheet to reprise his role of the vigilante known as the Punisher. It’s the character’s first big-screen appearance in the MCU and first movie appearance in general since 2008 action movie ‘Punisher: War Zone’, in which the late Ray Stevenson played the role.
Although plot specifics remain tightly guarded, fans can likely expect the classic Marvel trope of heroes at odds before aligning against greater menace. Aficionados can expect inevitable clashes between Spider-Man, Hulk and Punisher before they unite against a common foe.
Sony and Marvel had no comment.
Destin Daniel Cretton is directing the feature that has regular Spider-Man scribes Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers writing the script. ‘Brand New Day’ has a release date of July 31, 2026.
Ruffalo has appeared in numerous Marvel projects, including “Avengers: Age of Ultron”, “Thor: Ragnarok”, “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame”. He most recently appeared in the Disney+ TV series “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” and had a cameo in Cretton’s “Shang-Chi” and the “Legend of the Ten Rings”.
Mando was a key character in all six seasons of Saul, playing the complicated drug dealer Nacho Varga. Mando also appeared in sci-fi series “Orphan Black”.
Ruffalo is repped by UTA and Lighthouse Management and Media, while Mando is repped by UTA and Underground.
