Note: This article contains rumors and potential spoilers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Secret Wars.
Hulk’s absence in Avengers: Doomsday will be connected to the events of Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
A new report from insider James Mack reveals that Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) does not appear in Avengers: Doomsday because something terrible happens to him in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. This event leads to the character’s absence, though he is expected to return in Avengers: Secret Wars.
The report also claims that, due to his extreme rage, Hulk ends up killing people in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. As a result, New York’s heroes—Yelena’s New Avengers—plan to keep him away from civilians and place him in isolation at the Raft.
In a recent plot leak, it is reported that in Brand New Day, Bruce Banner is mentally controlled and transforms into the Savage Hulk, who begins wreaking havoc across New York City. Tom Holland‘s Spider-Man attempts to stop him but fails.
Meanwhile, Jon Bernthal‘s Punisher, equipped with advanced technology, teams up with Spider-Man and manages to stop Hulk. Using a gamma-based weapon, he injures Hulk, forcing him to revert to his human form, leaving Bruce Banner severely hurt.
In the recently leaked trailer, we see Peter Parker talking to Bruce Banner, who is now a professor at MIT.
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton from a screenplay by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. The film stars Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, with Zendaya and Jacob Batalon reprising their roles as MJ Watson and Ned Leeds. Sadie Sink joins the cast alongside Bernthal as Frank Castle (a.k.a. The Punisher) and Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/The Hulk. Liza Colón-Zayas and Tramell Tillman have also been cast in undisclosed roles, while Michael Mando returns as Mac Gargan from Spider-Man: Homecoming and Jones III has been confirmed to play the role of Tombstone. Additionally, Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova will appear in the movie.
Here’s the new synopsis for Spider-Man: Brand New Day:
After the world has forgotten his name, Peter Parker (Holland) begins a new chapter in his life — balancing college classes, part-time work, and his responsibility as New York’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. But when a mysterious force begins to unravel the city from the inside out, Peter finds himself caught between powerful enemies, old legacies, and unexpected allies. As shadows from the past creep into his present, he must redefine what it truly means to be a hero — on his own.
The film is produced by Amy Pascal, Rachel O’Connor, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, and Mitch Bell.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is scheduled to hit theaters and IMAX on July 31, 2026.
