No, Mark Ruffalo Has Not Quit Disney — but Hulk Is Not Expected in Avengers: Doomsday

The verdict: two separate stories have been merged into one false claim

Mark Ruffalo has not announced that he is quitting Disney or Marvel, and there is no credible evidence that Disney fired him. What he did say, during publicity for Crime 101, is that he was not part of Avengers: Doomsday. The distinction is essential. Ruffalo's absence from one Avengers movie is supported by his own comment and by his omission from Disney's announced cast. The claim that he has ended his relationship with the studio is contradicted by his later response: he said he had not been fired, described his relationship with Disney as good and said he would remain as long as the studio wanted him.

What Ruffalo actually said about Avengers: Doomsday

Reports of Ruffalo's Crime 101 interview with Empire state that he would not return as Bruce Banner or Hulk in Doomsday, while adding that he would happily continue if Marvel kept finding interesting things for the character to do. That fits the public record better than a permanent exit. Disney's March 2025 cast announcement named 27 performers, including Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, the Fantastic Four and several legacy X-Men, but not Ruffalo. Marvel also warned at the time that more names could be revealed, so omission alone was never proof; Ruffalo's own answer is the stronger evidence for expecting no Hulk in this particular film.

Why the Disney firing rumor spread

The firing narrative gained traction after Ruffalo's political comments and reused an old running joke about his reputation for leaking Marvel spoilers. On The Tonight Show in October 2025, Ruffalo joked that Marvel had decided it was safer to get rid of him than let him reveal the next movie's ending. The line was comedy, not a corporate announcement. When reporters later asked him directly whether Disney had dismissed him, Ruffalo answered that it had not happened as far as he knew, said he had a good relationship with the company and even hinted that he might already be doing other work with Marvel. No Disney statement or major entertainment trade report supports a firing.

Not appearing in Doomsday is not the end of Ruffalo's Hulk

Ruffalo's MCU future cannot be measured by a single cast list. He has played Banner since The Avengers in 2012 and has moved between team films, supporting roles and television. More importantly, his language about returning remains positive rather than final. Marvel has not announced the complete cast of Avengers: Secret Wars, and an actor can skip one chapter without leaving the franchise. The safe editorial conclusion is narrow: audiences should not count on Hulk appearing in Doomsday unless Marvel changes or expands its public information, but there is no basis for saying Ruffalo has quit, been blacklisted or closed the door on the character.

What Avengers fans should watch next

Before Avengers: Doomsday opens on December 18, the useful signal would be a new official cast credit, a Marvel interview or Ruffalo discussing a specific future project. Social posts that connect his politics to a supposed firing without one of those sources should be treated as rumor. For now, the most accurate headline is less dramatic than the viral version: Hulk is expected to sit out Doomsday, while Ruffalo and Disney have not publicly ended their working relationship. That leaves the character available for Secret Wars or another MCU story without pretending a surprise appearance is confirmed.

The wording should also remain time-stamped. Marvel has used surprise casting and performers have denied appearances that later proved real, so no fact-check can rule out a secret cameo with absolute certainty. What it can evaluate is the evidence available now. Ruffalo's direct statement supports his absence; his direct denial undercuts the firing claim; official Disney material shows an extensive cast without him; and no reputable trade has reported a split. If the movie produces a surprise Hulk scene, the casting conclusion will need an update, but it still would not retroactively validate claims that Disney dismissed Ruffalo for political reasons. A casting surprise and an employment dispute are separate claims requiring separate proof, even when social media presents them as one story.