Two massive, massive Marvel movies are set to release in 2026, and, according to two massive, massive actors, they may not be included. This week, both Mark Ruffalo and Ryan Reynolds downplayed rumors of their appearances in next year’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday, respectively, but we aren’t quite buying it.
To recap, earlier this year, news broke that Mark Ruffalo would be returning as Hulk in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, set for release July 31, 2026. That has yet to be officially confirmed, and the actor hasn’t been seen on set, but it was reported in the trades. It’s almost certainly true. This week, though, when asked about the film by the Hollywood Reporter, Ruffalo played dumb. “If I’m doing that—which the rumors are that I am, once I get a script, I’ll know it’s real,” Ruffalo said.
Now, is it possible he hasn’t seen a script yet? Sure. Is it likely? Probably not. The film has been shooting for weeks, and while it’s possible his scenes haven’t been shot yet, he wouldn’t have accepted the role without, at least, having a very good idea of what his role is. Maybe he hasn’t seen the exact lines yet, but we think he’s just being cautious. He did talk about his desire and excitement to potentially work with Jon Bernthal, who is reprising his role as the Punisher in the film.
That Marvel spoiler caution then continued Thursday at the Toronto International Film Festival. Collider asked Ryan Reynolds about his recent, cryptic post of the anarchy Avengers logo from Deadpool & Wolverine. It seemed to tease, and was later backed up by multiple trade publications, that Deadpool would be in Avengers: Doomsday, out December 18, 2026. But Reynolds had a different explanation. An exceedingly elaborate, overly naive one for an actor with his social media savvy.
“The thing I posted on social, that is actually a variant of the flag that we use in Deadpool & Wolverine,” Reynolds said. “It was my favorite. For some reason, you watch a movie later that has that many alts and all that stuff, and you go, ‘Why didn’t I choose that one? There were five other great jokes for that.’ That’s how it works, and that was just a flag. I just came across it, and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I loved that flag. The red and black vibe.’ And then, you know, there’s always talk. We’re figuring out what’s next in that world and blah, blah, blah.”
Okay, so we’re to believe that Ryan Reynolds was watching Deadpool & Wolverine recently and had this impetus to go down memory lane, blissfully unaware of the fervor it would cause? We don’t buy it. Do we buy that he could’ve done it as a troll? Yes, that is much more believable. But, we trust the sources that reported it. Also, much like with Ruffalo’s quote, it’s not a denial.
So do you believe Ruffalo that he hasn’t seen a Spider-Man script or Reynolds that he was just posting something fun? Let us know below. And, we’ll know for sure next year when Spider-Man: Brand New Day opens July 31, 2026, and Avengers: Doomsday opens December 18, 2026.
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