In jest, Hulk star Mark Ruffalo threw shade at Chris Hemsworth’s latest MCU outing as Thor.
That most recent film was none other than Love and Thunder, and it did not land as Marvel Studios probably hoped.
Sure—it didn’t hit the critical lows of Eternals or that of the more recent Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, but as time has gone on, the project seems to be aging worse and worse with fans.
Hemsworth’s fourth solo project as Thor did decent enough at the box office, however, but even that could have been better.
Hulk Throws Shade at Thor
Mark Ruffalo was recently in attendance at Emerald City Comic-Con 2023, where he jokingly threw shade at the Thor franchise after the disappointing reaction to Love and Thunder.
When asked by a fan which Marvel character he’d love to do a buddy-cop movie with, Ruffalo went with his Thor: Ragnarok co-star Chris Hemsworth while also joking that he’s “waiting for [Marvel] to invite [him] back to the Thor franchise to save it:”
“I have a soft spot for Chris Hemsworth. So, I keep waiting for them to invite me back to the Thor franchise to save it... That’s a joke... I’m canceled...”
But what about his actual future as the Hulk? How long might the actor stay aboard the Marvel train as Bruce Banner?
In a previous interview, Ruffalo made it clear that he would play the role "as long as they’ll have [him]:”
“I mean, I’ll probably do it as long as they’ll have me, if people are interested, and I can bring something that’s interesting to me to it, and interesting to the fans. But I have no idea. I mean, you know, when you look at the comics, there’s some pretty grizzled, old versions of him. I’m like, OK, the 67-year-old Hulk, that would be interesting — if all of us are still here making movies and there’s a world that allows for us to do that anymore.”
Though, he made sure to note that he “[doesn’t] want to get too far ahead of [himself]:”
“With what we’re living in and heading towards, the future feels more precarious than any other time. So I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself. But I hope I’m still around to do it.”
Another question from Emerald City Comic-Con saw the star asked if he had to choose any MCU actor or actress to fight against a supervillain in real life, who would it be?
Ruffalo’s first choice was Scarlett Johansson because “she’ll take anyone on and win… even Marvel:”
“Are you trying to get me kicked out of the club? Oh, man. Well, my first choice would probably be Scarlett Johansson, because you don’t wanna mess with her. I mean, she’ll take anyone on and win. Even Marvel. She’s intense. And, Groot? (laughs) I just can’t see a lot of uses for Groot.”
Thor Gets the Last Laugh
At the end of the day, Chris Hemsworth will always have the last laugh in situations like this.
He’s had four solo films and is still going strong, while Ruffalo has yet to star in a Marvel movie devoted to his character. Even his in-universe cousin, Jennifer Walters, got the spotlight before him.
Recent evidence uncovered by a Reddit user indicated that Marvel Studios might actually regain the rights to produce a Hulk solo film. However, as it currently stands, there’s no official word on when or if Marvel will be getting those back.
Namor, who recently rose the ranks of popularity thanks to Tenoch Huerta, is another example of a character that the MCU can’t currently make solo outings for.
As for Bruce Banner’s alter ego, rumor has it that a World War Hulk film is in active development—so fingers crossed it’s able to actually be made. No doubt Mark Ruffalo has wanted his own film for quite a long time.
Thor: Love and Thunder is now streaming on Disney+.
