Mark Ruffalo Goes Underground in a New Behind-The-Scenes Photo From ‘Avengers: Endgame Encore’
Few Marvel heroes have taken as winding a road as Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner, and a new ‘Avengers: Endgame Encore‘ set photo is giving fans a closer look at his latest chapter. Ruffalo first stepped into the role in 2012’s ‘The Avengers’, replacing Edward Norton as the scientist with a very big temper. Since then, he has carried the character through team-ups, solo cameos, and even a streaming series.
His MCU résumé spans ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’, ‘Thor: Ragnarok’, ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame’, along with a cameo in ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ and appearances in ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’. More recently, he appeared in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’, which sets the stage for where Banner is today.
Now fans have a fresh peek behind the curtain. Cosmic Marvel shared a photo on X of Ruffalo on the set of ‘Avengers: Endgame Encore’, crediting the image to Instagram user anthonyleonardi3, and the post quickly made the rounds.
In the snapshot, Ruffalo wears a dark navy sweater, his graying curly hair and beard on full display as he grins and points toward his companion. The pair stand inside a stark concrete tunnel lit by hanging industrial lamps, a setting that feels instantly familiar to anyone who has seen the re-release’s new footage.
That gritty backdrop lines up neatly with one of the most talked-about additions to the film. Retitled ‘Avengers: Endgame Encore’, the re-release adds 4 minutes of new footage featuring Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom, Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, and Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner, all shot during ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ production to bridge the 2 massive stories.
In the new mid-credits sequence, Banner is living in self-imposed confinement in a military facility 2 miles underground, live-blogging his life. After Spider-Man subdued the Hulk in ‘Brand New Day’, Bruce was taken to a secure facility, where he now works on a serum to suppress his transformations.
Then everything goes wrong. The electricity flickers, Doom’s voice announces he has come to collect Banner, and the audience hears Bruce transform into the Hulk before the 2 vanish, leaving behind glowing green magical markings.
Reassemble the team & relive the experience as Avengers Endgame: Encore returns to theaters September 25.
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) August 25, 2026
Tickets now available for IMAX and Infinity Vision screens: https://t.co/pZZ4PiOyQb pic.twitter.com/2wKSVG4FLz
The scene seemingly confirms Ruffalo’s return in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, where he’s set to reprise Bruce Banner and the Hulk. It’s also part of a larger web of teasers woven into the re-release, which was released in theaters on September 25.
Other new moments see Loki visit Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter, the TVA witness multiple incursions, and Doom forge his mask. Marvel even reworked the original film’s final clanging sound, pairing each hammer strike with shots of Downey’s Victor Von Doom crafting his mask in a nod to Tony Stark’s first Iron Man suit.
The photo also sparked nostalgia among longtime viewers. Film Room KC replied that the character has come a long way since ‘Ragnarok’, referencing an earlier post in which the account argued that the film traded Hulk’s complexity for comedy. That debate over how best to use the character has followed Banner for years. Now, with the Hulk seemingly in Doom’s clutches, the stakes for his next appearance have rarely felt higher.
New trailer for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) August 15, 2026
In theaters December 18 pic.twitter.com/1wsiTk1Nnv
‘Avengers: Doomsday’ arrives in theaters on December 18, bringing the Russo brothers back to direct Downey’s debut as Marvel’s ultimate villain. Its sequel, ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’, is set for December 17, 2027.
Until then, glimpses like this one remind fans that Banner’s underground exile was only the beginning. Whether he’ll emerge as a friend, foe, or something in between remains one of the biggest questions heading into the next Avengers film.
Do you think Doctor Doom will use Bruce Banner and the Hulk against the Avengers in Avengers: Doomsday?
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