The Marvel Cinematic Universe saw one of the most impressive runs in the movie industry come to an end in 2025. After remaining atop the superhero world from a box office standpoint since 2009, Marvel was finally outdone by its biggest rival, DC Studios, last year. Now, with 2026 widely viewed as a stretch that could be one of the most memorable, with Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday on the horizon, Marvel’s return to the top looks likely after James Gunn’s Superman posted the highest box office total of any film between the two companies. Avengers: Doomsday has specifically been one of the most talked-about upcoming movies, with buzz beginning years ago.
However, with questions still looming about the casting of several key superheroes, comments from both Mark Ruffalo (Hulk) and Chris Pratt (Star-Lord) have made headlines. The status of each beloved Marvel character remained unknown until just recently, when Ruffalo addressed his future in the upcoming Avengers film.
Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Update Just Before Chris Pratt’s Message to Marvel
Ruffalo has been a mainstay across the MCU since debuting as the Hulk in 2012’s The Avengers. He’s been the face of Bruce Banner in four Avengers movies since the debut, along with Thor: Ragnarok in 2017. However, if Ruffalo was telling the truth during a recent interview with Empire Magazine, he appears poised to be sidelined when Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on Dec. 18, 2026.
After telling Empire that the Hulk will not be in the mix with the lengthy list of superheroes slated to take part in Doomsday, Ruffalo did add that he’s open to making a return, which ScreenRant highlighted.
“As long as they keep finding cool things to do with Hulk,” Ruffalo said of returning. “It’s given me so many gifts. You know, I probably wouldn’t be in Crime 101 if it wasn’t for The Avengers.”
It’s worth noting that Marvel and its impressive list of actors set to reprise roles as superheroes have almost done too good a job of not giving much (if anything) away about Avengers: Doomsday to this point. And while Ruffalo may be putting on a front, fans have plenty to be excited about regardless, as he’s set to return as the Hulk in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which hits theaters on July 31, 2026.
Below are just a few of the names slated to reprise their former superhero roles in Avengers: Doomsday, as the running list is overloaded with question marks still:
- Chris Hemsworth as Thor
- Anthony Mackie as Captain America
- Florence Pugh as Yelena
- Vanessa Kirby as Invisible Woman
- Pedro Pascal as Mister Fantastic
- Paul Rudd as Ant-Man
- Tom Hiddleston as Loki
- Simu Liu as Shang-Chi
- Joseph Quinn as Human Torch
- Lewis Pullman as Bob
- Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing
- Kelsey Grammer as Beast
- Patrick Stewart as Professor X
- Ian McKellen as Magneto
- James Marsden as Cyclops
- Channing Tatum as Gambit
Ruffalo is far from the only big name whose status for the upcoming Avengers film is unknown. Another high-profile star who’s remained coy on the topic is Pratt, who had a uniquely different message about his Marvel future as Peter Quill/Star-Lord.
Chris Pratt Talks Future of Peter Quill/Star-Lord by Dropping a Hint to Marvel
Although Pratt has been asked several times about reprising his role as the Guardians of the Galaxy star in Avengers: Doomsday, his comments on the superhero world were different during a recent interview. While speaking with ScreenTime, the topic of the Avengers franchise did come up, but Pratt also doubled down on a comment he’s made previously about the future of Star-Lord.
When asked which character he’s played throughout his acting career that he’d like to return as, Pratt chose Star-Lord. This prompted an interesting back-and-forth, during which the topic of a Star-Lord movie came up.
“We made a promise with Guardians of the Galaxy that Star-Lord would return,” Pratt said. “I think I would really love to make good on that promise; that would be awesome.”
He was then asked what a Star-Lord movie would look like, and the two joked about hypotheticals, leading to Pratt agreeing on a sarcastic name for “what [the movie] would be called.”
Chris Pratt says that he wants to make a Starlord movie pic.twitter.com/InWxgaH95G
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) January 19, 2026
Pratt has remained steadfast in his desire to bring Star-Lord back again, and from the sound of it, he’s ready and willing to roll with the idea of a solo film. Just days after his comments above, Pratt spoke to Entertainment Tonight and bluntly admitted he’d “do anything they want” to ensure that he gets to bring Star-Lord back. He was also confident about the character’s future, stating that Star-Lord “will come back.”
“I will do anything they want me to do. If they want me to be in anything, I’ll do it,” Pratt said of Peter Quill/Star-Lord. “…You heard it from me, and the time will be right. We promised the legendary Star-Lord would make his return. I certainly hope they meant me…hopefully it’s me when he comes back, and he will come back.”
You heard it from Pratt first: he’ll be back as the popular character. And it sounds like he’s more than open to rolling out a Star-Lord movie, which could make for an interesting storyline.
Related: Bank of England Warned to Prepare for Aliens Due to Imminent US ‘Disclosure’
