Mark Ruffalo has shared a photo capturing his final day filming on Avengers: Infinity War. But the phrase he used to caption the image hints that this could be his last time working in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The actor, who has played both Bruce Banner and Hulk since 2012’s The Avengers, took to his Facebook page to post a snap of himself that he found on Reddit. It features Ruffalo in a motion capture suit, carrying a bindle over his arm. He described the photo as depicting his “last day on IW. The final exit.”
So, let’s dissect what the star could mean by this. First of all, the timing of this post would suggest Ruffalo is saying that it comes from his last day of filming on Avengers 4. However, he has used the abbreviation “IW,” suggesting it’s connected to Infinity War instead. Though given that 4 has yet to be titled and the two movies were filmed back to back, it’s possible that the Marvel cast and crew simply refer to both as Infinity War.
Secondly, what does Ruffalo mean by his “final exit”? Could Avengers 4 really be the last time we see him in the MCU? Fans are expecting some major players to meet their end in these next two installments and, if you think about it, Hulk is one of the more disposable as he doesn’t have his own franchise. Likewise, it seems probable that Bruce’s romance with Natasha won’t have a happy ending, judging by comments from Scarlett Johansson.
It’s also worth mentioning that Ruffalo has said before that he worked out a clear character arc for Bruce Banner that stretches from Thor: Ragnarok to Avengers 4. Could this planned arc end with him bowing out of the role for good? It’s possible, but we’ll just have to see how things play out over the next two movies.
Speaking of which, Avengers: Infinity War hits screens on May 4th, while Avengers 4 reaches theaters on May 3rd, 2019.
