Captain America: Civil War boasts a large and impressive cast of superheroes that makes it worthy of the "affectionate" nickname Avengers 2.5. However, not every Marvel hero has been officially confirmed to appear. There have been conflicting reports for months about whether fans will see Mark Ruffalo reprise Bruce Banner, a.k.a. The Hulk, for the 2016 blockbuster, and while nothing has been confirmed yet, there’s new information that could lend more credence to an appearance from Marvel’s green powerhouse.
According to the German newsletter BILD (translation via ComicBookMovie.com), Chris Evans (Captain America), Anthony Mackie (Falcon) and Daniel Brühl (Baron Zemo) are currently in Berlin to shoot some scenes for the third Captain America installment, and Mark Ruffalo has been seen with them both at work and late at night partying around the city. Without photographic evidence, it’s hard to gauge whether this report is legitimate or not, but if Ruffalo truly is in Germany, it’s hard to believe he traveled there just to experience the country’s night life scene with his Marvel cohorts. Ruffalo previously mentioned that Robert Downey Jr had told him he was in the film, but so far Marvel hasn’t spilled the beans whether Banner will play a role in the superhero conflict.
Since Ruffalo hasn’t been listed in any of the casting announcements, one would imagine that even if he does appear in the movie, his role won’t be major. Hell, there may not even be a guarantee that he turns into Hulk during the story, giving us something more along the lines of his Iron Man 3 cameo. It was rumored that the film will feature a fight scene between Hulk and General Thaddeus Ross in his Red Hulk form, but with everything already going on, it’s hard to imagine that fight sequence being fitted in.
Hulk was last seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron flying away from Sokovia in the Quinjet and had cut off communication with Black Widow. His whereabouts are currently unknown, leaving when he could appear next relatively open-ended - whether it’s in Captain America: Civil War or several years down the road in the Avengers: Infinity War movies. Our only clue about the Green Goliath’s future is Joss Whedon calling it "too amazing." Captain America: Civil War will continue to film through August, but with less than a year until its release date, we’ll hopefully get a concrete answer about Ruffalo’s possible inclusion the end of the year. If he is involved, that means Thor will be the only major established Marvel hero sitting out this round. It’s okay though, he has enough to deal with in Asgard for 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok.
With or without Hulk, fans can look forward to Captain America: Civil War hitting theaters on May 6, 2016.
