Avengers: Infinity War is expected to be the crowning glory of the
#MCU — an epic movie that unites the world's myriad superheroes against the threat of Thanos! According to Mark Ruffalo, though, it's also the continuation of a major character arc for the Hulk. Back in January 2016, he told Yahoo:
"We’ve worked a really interesting arc into Thor 3, Avengers 3 and 4 for Banner that I think will – when it’s all added up – will feel like a Hulk movie, a standalone movie."
Now, it's true that
Infinity War has changed shape a lot since that interview. That said, we know the Hulk will still be playing a major role in this year's
Thor: Ragnarok, so it seems very likely that this overarching Hulk narrative has survived the various script drafts.
'The Incredible Hulk' Connection
We last saw Liv Tyler in the MCU back in 2008, when she played Bruce Banner's greatest love interest, Betty Ross. Of course, back then Banner was played by a different actor, Edward Norton; director Louis Leterrier had preferred Ruffalo even at this stage, but Marvel overruled him.
The Incredible Hulk was hardly the MCU's greatest success, and until recently, the MCU effectively ignored it. That changed back in 2016, when William Hurt returned as 'Thunderbolt' Ross, and took charge of implementing the Sokovia Accords. Ross has become the single most important political figure in the MCU, and there's been no hint that his old vendetta against Bruce Banner has been set aside.
If Liv Tyler does indeed return to the MCU, this would set up
an even stronger tie back to The Incredible Hulk — although, of course, she'd be playing against a different Bruce Banner! It would bring the Hulk's story full-circle in the very best way.