Mark Ruffalo is now confirmed to return as the Hulk in the upcoming Marvel Studios series, She-Hulk. The Disney+ show that's part of the MCU's expansion to the small screen will introduce Jennifer Walters played by Orphan Black actress Tatiana Maslany.
When the She-Hulk series was announced in 2019, not much was revealed about the show. Over time, reports claimed that Maslany has been tapped to play the titular character, and subsequently, whispers that Ruffalo might make an appearance started circulating. While Maslany initially denied her involvement, Ruffalo was more straightforward with his comments on the matter, saying that there were conversations between him and Marvel about returning but nothing was set in stone. Now, thanks to an official event, Maslany's casting, and Ruffalo's reprisal of his role as the Hulk on the Disney+ show are both confirmed.
Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige made an appearance at Disney's Investor Day to talk about the MCU's upcoming slate of projects which includes She-Hulk. The producer confirmed that Ruffalo will be back as the Hulk in the series, with Tim Roth also making his franchise return as Abomination.
As a recap, Avengers: Endgame introduced Smart Hulk to the MCU—a perfect hybrid of Bruce Banner and the Hulk. After the green rage-monster was mostly absent in Avengers: Infinity War, Bruce spent the five-year downtime between their defeat by Thanos and Ant-Man's re-emergence trying to find a way to bring together his two mostly conflicting personas. The result is a creature that has Banner's genius and consciousness and the Hulk's strength. This allowed him to be the perfect hero to execute the reverse snap that brought back all those who perished in the Mad Titan's decimation. It's uncertain which version of the character will appear in She-Hulk, although rumor has it that Marvel Studios is casting a young Bruce Banner which means that the Disney+ series may be tackling his and Jen's background as cousins.
Just before the idea of Hulk in She-Hulk was floated around, there didn't seem to be any narrative left to tackle for the original Avenger hero. The existence of Smart Hulk essentially resolves the character's core conflict which has always been how to juggle his contradicting personas. But clearly, that assumption is wrong, given his return to the MCU. All that being said, it's probably for the best not to expect a lot of focus on him since the show is and should be about Jen and her journey. If anything, the Hulk's involvement should only be to further her story in the MCU and not much else.
Source: Disney