'It didn't feel like it needed him': Captain America: Brave New World producer defends decision not to include Bruce Banner and The Hulk in Marvel's first movie of 2025

• Captain America 4's creative team have explained why Bruce Banner/The Hulk doesn't appear in the movie
• Julius Onah and Nate Moore didn't want him to step on Sam Wilson's toes in the latter's first movie outing
• Discussions were held about including The Hulk during the early stages of development, though

Captain America: Brave New World's producer and director have defended the decision not to include Bruce Banner/The Hulk in Marvel's latest movie.

Speaking to TechRadar ahead of the film's release, Nate Moore and Julius Onah revealed that they discussed a possible role for the lean, mean, green machine in the Marvel Phase 5 project. However, they, alongside the rest of the movie's creative team, decided to leave him out over fears that his appearance would overshadow Sam Wilson's first big-screen outing as the titular hero.

Ever since Brave New World's first trailer was released last July, Marvel fans have questioned why Anthony Mackie's Wilson has been dropped into the middle of what's essentially a sequel to 2008's The Incredible Hulk movie.

For starters, it introduces Red Hulk, Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross' gamma-irradiated alter-ego and one of The Hulk's most notorious foes. Then, there's the inclusion of other individuals from The Incredible Hulk, such as Betty Ross and Samuel Sterns, as well as clear references to Banner and his own superpowered alias dotted throughout Brave New World. In the eyes of many, then, Captain America 4 is The Incredible Hulk 2 in all but name.

So, why did Marvel opt to pit Wilson against Ross/Red Hulk in this Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) flick? Because his potential inclusion, whether that would've been in a cameo capacity, or a big or small supporting role, would've impacted the Wilson-focused plot, as well as his character evolution, that Onah, Moore, and company were trying to tell.

"This is a story about Captain America," Onah replied when I asked him about The Hulk's absence. "It's about Sam's journey and really cementing him as our new Captain America.

"There's also that history that he has with Ross, which has emotional and antagonistic elements. But, there's also this empathy between them that becomes central to where the movie lands thematically. So, the focus was always on telling the best adventure, the best story, and an emotional journey for Sam Wilson in this really fun, exciting ride."

As I insinuated earlier, though, The Hulk was part of internal discussions about who to include on Captain America 4's cast roster. Indeed, Moore revealed that early conversations revolved whether he should be part of the fourth Captain America movie or not. Ultimately, the movie's chief creatives collectively agree not to incorporate Banner or his other persona into the story.

"It would have detracted from the story, to be honest," Moore told me in a separate interview. "It was a conversation we had early on during the script phase, but we wanted this to feel like a Captain America movie. I love Mark Ruffalo [who plays Banner/The Hulk), and I think his Hulk is the best one that's ever been. But, this is really about Sam and Thaddeus Ross having to deal with something that is almost between them. And it didn't seem like it needed the big green guy."

Disappointing as that is, Moore left me with a tease-laden morsel that suggests we won't have long to wait to see Banner/The Hulk again. "That doesn't mean you're not going see the big green guy coming up pretty soon," he said with a smile. So, that's The Hulk confirmed to show up in Avengers: Doomsday and/or Avengers: Secret Wars, right?

If you're reading this, you must have watched Cap 2.0's first film at your local theater. What did you think of it? Do you subsequently agree with my review of Captain America: Brave New World? And would you like to have seen The Hulk in this flick? Let me know in the comments!

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