It's an exciting time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with fans hyped for the upcoming Marvel movie Avengers: Doomsday. The release of Avengers Endgame: Encore included four new scenes that set up the next crossover, one of which featured Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner. Fans have questions about what it all means, and The Russo Brothers recently teased what's to come.
What we know about Avengers: Doomsday is super limited, which is why the new Endgame scenes leaked and promptly went viral. Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order are desperate for any information, and during an interview with Empire, the filmmakers teased that Doctor Doom might trying to recruit more than just The Hulk. In Joe Russo's words:
I mean, look, his interest may extend beyond just Banner. So, that’s what we’ll say about that.
Well, I'm certainly intrigued. Not much is known about what Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom is planning, but it sounds like he might be bringing together his own group of characters to battle the various superhero teams that are part of the Doomsday cast.
Speaking of the cast, Mark Ruffalo was not included in the big announcement about who would make up the next Avengers movie. In the same interview, Joe Russo addressed this by saying:
Yeah, you’ve got to save some surprises. [laughs]
This echoes Kevin Feige's comments about more actors being included outside of the Doomsday cast announcement. This was proven when The Captain America Doomsday teaser confirmed Chris Evans was returning as his signature role. Mark Ruffalo is seemingly going to appear as Bruce Banner, and I can't wait to see what other surprises might come.
In addition to being a tease for Doomsday, the Banner scene in Endgame: Encore also has a connection to Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Joe Russo addressed this by saying:
Now, somebody pays [Banner] a visit, in what he thinks is perhaps the most secure place on the planet. And clearly he's there dealing with the trauma and the fallout from what happened in Brand New Day, and trying to protect the world from him. And somebody found him…
During the last Spider-Man movie, Sophie Turner's Jean Grey was able to get into Bruce Banner's head and force him to transform into Savage Hulk. It seems like he put himself into exile afterward, although Doctor Doom was still able to track him down. Only time will tell what happen when they come face to face.
The stakes feel sky high for the next Avengers movie, and plenty of fans will be re-watching MCU projects with their Disney+ subscription to prepare. If Hulk ends up on Doom's side, I feel worried for the rest of the heroes.
All will be revealed when Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18th as part of the 2026 movie release list.
