'Captain America' director reflects on Mark Ruffalo's absence as Hulk in latest film

Julius Onah, the director of Captain America: Brave New World, has explained why Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk could not be a part of the latest film.

For the unversed, Captain America: Brave New World, the new Marvel movie, features Anthony Mackie as the new Captain America and some characters from The Incredible Hulk return, but Ruffalo’s Hulk is not in the film.

Speaking to The Playlist, director Onah shared the movie is “entirely based on Sam Wilson” and was meant to focus only on him.

He explained that adding Hulk would have “diverted the attention” from Sam, saying, “This is Sam's first cinematic adventure as Captain America. And you want it to be about Sam leaning into his superpower to overcome the odds.”

"So, you pull in Banner, as great as Mark Ruffalo is and as exciting as it would be to have him and suddenly, the focus shifts away from Sam. The conversation obviously came up, but ultimately, it felt like this wanted to be Sam’s film,” Onah stated.

It is pertinent to mention that Captain America: Brave New World premiered on February 14, 2025.