It’s no secret that Hulk is set to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2026. Mark Ruffalo has long been confirmed to be part of Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s cast list, with the actor reprising his role as Bruce Banner, the original Avengers team member who has spent the last several years operating in the Smart Hulk form.
The exact nature of his role in Tom Holland’s fourth Spider-Man solo movie has been the subject of much speculation. Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s first trailer showed Peter Parker talking to Bruce while he’s in his human form and teaching at a college. With a new inhibitor fashioned to his arm, he has shed his Smart Hulk persona.
Rather than stay human for the whole film, Spider-Man: Brand New Day merchandise has long teased that the movie would bring back Savage Hulk. The popular theory is that this will come through mental manipulation by Sadie Sink’s mysterious character (believed to be Jean Grey), leading to a fight between Spider-Man and a raging Hulk in New York.
Friendly Neighborhood Assessment · MCU Era Tom Holland’s Spider-Man Trivia
🏠Homecoming2017
✈️Far From Home2019
🌌No Way Home2021
😈VillainsSinister…
🤖MCUAvengers
01
Before getting his own solo film, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut by being recruited by Tony Stark to help in a massive superhero conflict. In which MCU film did Holland first appear as Spider-Man?
✓ Correct! Tom Holland first appeared as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War (2016), where Tony Stark visits Peter in Queens and recruits him for the airport battle against Team Cap. His quippy, starstruck portrayal instantly won over audiences.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Captain America: Civil War. Holland debuted in the 2016 film before Homecoming (2017). He was recruited by Tony Stark for the iconic airport fight scene, stealing Captain America’s shield with his webs in one of the film’s most memorable moments.
02
In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter faces a blue-collar salvage contractor who turned to arms dealing after being shut out of the Chitauri cleanup by Damage Control. Using an alien-tech wingsuit, he becomes one of Spider-Man’s most grounded villains. Who is he?
✓ Correct! Adrian Toomes, played brilliantly by Michael Keaton, is the Vulture — a working-class father who builds a criminal empire selling alien-derived weapons. The twist that he’s the father of Peter’s date Liz is one of the MCU’s best surprises.
✗ Web miss! The answer is The Vulture (Adrian Toomes). The Shocker and Tinkerer are his henchmen in the film, and Scorpion (Mac Gargan) only briefly appears. Toomes is the main antagonist who personally confronts Peter in the unforgettable car ride scene.
03
Tony Stark built Peter a high-tech suit loaded with features Peter didn’t even know about, including an AI assistant that helps him in combat, provides tactical analysis, and even gives dating advice. What name does Peter give this AI?
✓ Correct! Peter names his suit’s AI “Karen,” voiced by Jennifer Connelly. She assists him with web shooter modes, reconnaissance, and even his love life. Friday is Tony Stark’s AI, and E.D.I.T.H. is the Stark satellite system that appears in Far From Home.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Karen. Friday is Tony Stark’s personal AI, E.D.I.T.H. is the Stark defense satellite Peter inherits in Far From Home, and Jocasta is an AI from the comics. Karen, voiced by Jennifer Connelly, is Peter’s suit assistant throughout Homecoming.
04
In Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter encounters a seemingly heroic figure who claims to be from an alternate Earth, battling elemental creatures across Europe. In reality, he’s a disgruntled former Stark Industries employee using advanced holographic drones. What is his real name?
✓ Correct! Quentin Beck, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, is Mysterio — a master of illusion who uses Stark Industries’ B.A.R.F. holographic technology and weaponized drones to fabricate the Elementals and pose as a hero. His final act of revenge shapes the entire third film.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Quentin Beck. William Ginter Riva is one of Beck’s team members, Aldrich Killian is the villain of Iron Man 3, and Justin Hammer is from Iron Man 2. Beck is Mysterio, the illusionist who manipulated Peter’s trust across Europe.
05
In one of the MCU’s most shocking mid-credits scenes, J. Jonah Jameson broadcasts doctored footage from Mysterio’s final moments that completely upends Peter Parker’s life. What does this broadcast reveal to the entire world?
✓ Correct! Mysterio’s doctored footage, broadcast by J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons reprising his iconic role), exposes Spider-Man’s identity as Peter Parker to the entire world. This revelation drives the entire plot of No Way Home as Peter desperately seeks to undo the damage.
✗ Web miss! The answer is that Spider-Man is Peter Parker. While the footage also frames Spider-Man for the London drone attack, the earth-shattering reveal is Peter’s unmasked identity being broadcast globally by The Daily Bugle’s J. Jonah Jameson.
06
With his identity exposed and his loved ones under threat, Peter seeks help from a powerful sorcerer to cast a spell that would make the world forget he is Spider-Man. Peter’s constant modifications to the spell cause it to fracture the multiverse. Which sorcerer casts this spell?
✓ Correct! Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) casts the memory-wiping spell at Peter’s request, but Peter keeps asking for exceptions — for MJ, Ned, May, and Happy to still remember him. These constant changes corrupt the spell and tear open the multiverse, pulling in villains from other Spider-Man universes.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Doctor Strange. While Wong is the Sorcerer Supreme and actually warns Strange against it, it is Stephen Strange who agrees to cast the spell. Wanda’s multiverse interference occurs in Multiverse of Madness, not here.
07
Throughout all three films, Peter’s loyal best friend serves as his “guy in the chair,” helping with tech support and keeping his secret. In No Way Home, this character even discovers he can open magical portals using a Sling Ring. Who is Peter’s best friend?
✓ Correct! Ned Leeds, played by Jacob Batalon, is Peter’s best friend and self-proclaimed “guy in the chair.” He discovers Peter’s secret identity in Homecoming, supports him across all three films, and in No Way Home he accidentally uses Doctor Strange’s Sling Ring to open portals to other Spider-Men.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Ned Leeds. Flash Thompson is Peter’s rival and bully who ironically idolizes Spider-Man. Harry Osborn is Peter’s friend in the Raimi and Webb films but doesn’t appear in Holland’s trilogy. Miles Morales is only hinted at. Ned is the irreplaceable “guy in the chair.”
08
At the emotional climax of No Way Home, Peter makes an enormous personal sacrifice to save the multiverse. Doctor Strange completes the spell, and when it takes effect, Peter is left completely alone. What does the final spell do?
✓ Correct! The final spell makes every person in every universe forget that Peter Parker exists. MJ, Ned, Happy, the Avengers — everyone. Peter visits MJ at the coffee shop afterward but decides not to re-introduce himself, choosing to protect them. He starts over completely alone, sewing his own suit in a small apartment.
✗ Web miss! The answer is that everyone forgets who Peter Parker is. The spell doesn’t erase Spider-Man — people still know the hero exists — but nobody remembers Peter Parker the person. This devastating sacrifice means MJ, Ned, and even Happy Hogan have no memory of him at all.
Assessment Complete Your Spider-Sense Rating
/ 8
Are you an Avenger — or just a friendly neighborhood bystander?
Ahead of such a fight, Bruce will have to Hulk out on or off-screen. Hulk’s look in Spider-Man: Brand New Day has now been revealed through Hasbro toys, and they are proof that the movie will finally give Ruffalo’s character a proper transformation scene again.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day Can Show Bruce Banner Hulk Out For The First Time Since The Avengers
Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner transforming into Hulk in Avengers Age of UltronCredit: MovieStillsDB
In several of the Hulk toys, he is seen with a ripped shirt loosely hanging around his larger, more muscular green torso. That might seem like an unimportant detail at first glance, but it is an official sign that Bruce’s Hulk transformation is coming at a moment when he loses control, and the monster within takes over. After all, if Bruce were more in control of his physical change, he would have made sure not to ruin his clothes.
This all points to the likelihood that Brand New Day will actually show Bruce’s physical transformation into Hulk. That’s notable because audiences have gone years without seeing this change take place. Every time Bruce became Hulk in Avengers: Age of Ultron, we didn’t see the switch take place. Same for when he went back to his Hulk form in Thor: Ragnarok. He then proceeded to not Hulk out in Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, or even She-Hulk: Attorney At Law.
We have to go all the way back to The Avengers to see Bruce’s body morph into Hulk as his anger takes over. The 2012 crossover event included two Hulk-out scenes, one through the scared perspective of Black Widow and the other as a heroic transformation in the final battle. So, the implication that Spider-Man: Brand New Day is going to show a Hulk transformation (presumably from Peter’s point of view) is huge.
Hulk’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day Transformation Is Long Overdue
Bruce Banner turning into the Hulk in She-Hulk Attorney At Law
The MCU going over a decade between on-screen Hulk transformations is wild. Whereas heroes like Iron Man, Thor, and others received multiple scenes where they physically changed in some way to become their full superhero selves, Marvel elected to forgo additional transformation scenes for Bruce.
He’s overdue to Hulk out in this fashion and remind audiences what it’s like to see the green giant take over. After all, Infinity War was originally meant to feature a transformation sequence before the Russo brothers decided to delay the Smart Hulk change to Endgame. By consistently ignoring this aspect of Bruce and Hulk’s relationship, the MCU has failed to fully adapt their dynamic.
Since Brand New Day is bringing back Hulk’s more savage nature, a proper transformation scene happening here makes a lot of sense. It would have been great to see it happen more often over the years, but Marvel’s decision not to do that may now be to his next appearance’s benefit. Spider-Man: Brand New Day can deliver a classic Hulk scene we’ve been missing for years to add an extra special quality to Bruce’s role.
