It's a new day, which means a new photo from the set of Spider-Man: Brand New Day has surfaced online. Filming on the MCU's fourth Spider-Man movie is currently underway in the Scottish city of Glasgow, where the streets are doubling for New York. As soon as cameras started rolling, images and videos from the production started to circulate on social media. Some leaks offered glimpses of Tom Holland's titular webslinger in action, while another, more recent, snap teased Sadie Sink's mysterious character. The latest shot, however, is particularly significant because it confirms the hotly anticipated return of an OG Avenger.

The photo arrives courtesy of @UnBoxPHD on X/Twitter, who labeled it an "exclusive" straight from the set of Spider-Man: Brand New Daywhere none other than Mark Ruffalo appears to be hanging out. The actor is pictured wearing a green coat with the hood up, while surrounded by several crew members, but there is no denying that it is the MCU veteran. The image serves as confirmation that Ruffalo is reprising his role as Bruce Banner in the Marvel tentpole, which is releasing next year as part of Phase Six of the MCU. Up to now, he has played it coy about his involvement. He told ETOnline just last month that he was "still waiting to hear" what was happening and claimed that he hadn't read a script yet, but he was excited over the prospect:

"If it does happen, it would be (Laughs) incredible. I grew up with this, and it's changed my life in the best ways. Each time, it's a new director, a new world, and it's so exciting. There's nothing else like it. A TV show doesn't change its world from one director to the next, and that's what is exciting."

Ruffalo's Hulk is a founding member of the Avengers and has been with the franchise since he was cast to take over the role of Bruce Banner from Edward Norton. He made his debut as the character in 2012's The Avengers and reprised the role in all subsequent Avengers films, as well as a number of other MCU entries. He was notably absent from the cast announcement for Avengers: Doomsdaybut he later joked that the omission of his name was only to prevent him from accidentally spoiling the plot, as he has done in the past. There is a high chance that Spider-Man: Brand New Day will set up his appearance (or, as the case might yet be, the reason for his absence) from the next Avengers film – that's if he hasn't let slip any details before then.

Hulk's Appearance Could Be Bad News for Spider-Man

Ever since it was rumored that Ruffalo would be appearing in Spider-Man: Brand New Dayspeculation has been rife about how he could factor into the story, with some positioning him as a surprise antagonist in the film. One of the most recent theories is that Peter Parker's parents were killed by Hulk during the Battle of New York in The Avengerswhere Banner's alter-ego was responsible for some of the devastation brought upon the city while fighting to save it. This new revelation could certainly lead to the two characters coming to blows. To further back this up, a leaked Pinterest board from Brand New Day cinematographer Brett Pawlak previously made its way onto Reddit, showing "Savage Hulk" fighting Parker's suited-up superhero.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is expected to tell a more street-level and emotionally grounded story than previous MCU entries with the wall-crawler. Destin Daniel Cretton is in the director's chair, having taken the reins from Jon Watts, who helmed the previous three Spider-Man films headlined by Holland, while Spider-Man scribes Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers returned to pen the screenplay. The latest entry will bring back more than a few familiar faces from the franchise, such as Zendaya as "MJ" Jones-Watson and Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds, as well as some newcomers, including a much-loved Severance star. Everything so far points to Peter Parker returning to his classic "friendly neighborhood" roots rather than cosmic threats, but fans will have to wait to find out how it all plays out when the film opens in theaters on July 31, 2026.

Release Date

July 31, 2026

Director

Destin Daniel Cretton

Prequel(s)

Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Spider-Man: No Way Home

Franchise(s)

Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man