Tatiana Maslany Replacing Mark Ruffalo In The Marvel Cinematic Universe?
Tatiana Maslany may be replacing Mark Ruffalo as the one true Hulk of the MCU, and a very small detail tipped people off.
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Disney has been making full use of its streaming platform since it premiered in 2019, but the House of Mouse has been going especially hard on Disney+ as of late. An increasingly large amount of their new projects are landing directly on the platform (either exclusively or in conjunction with traditional theatrical release, and some major things seem to be happening there too. She-Hulk is one of their most anticipated upcoming MCU releases, starring Tatiana Maslany as the titular character, but some people are starting to suspect it is also a jump point for a huge change in the world of Marvel. Specifically: will Tatiana Maslany replace Mark Ruffalo as the one true Hulk? And here is what is causing the speculation:
This is what Disney posted to the official Disney+ Instagram account as the logo for the upcoming Tatiana Maslany show. While the traditional comic book logo for She-Hulk usually shares the cracked green block letters as her slightly more famous, slightly larger cousin, this logo is much sleeker, smoother, and refined. Hovering over a brightly lit city (presumably the New York of the MCU, She-Hulk’s standard home base), there is only a slight tinge of the trademark gamma-radiation green we associate with various Hulks. But what caught people’s attention the most is the slash marks between SHE and HULK. Given Marvel Studios’ notorious eye for detail and fondness for Easter Eggs both hidden and deceptively obvious, it seems unlikely to be a simple aesthetic choice. While some read it as referencing the common indicators of preferred pronouns and signaling a progressive bent on the part of She-Hulk (which would make sense given Tatiana Maslany’s character), others are inferring that it means that She-Hulk will become The Hulk.
It is rumored that the upcoming Phase Five of the MCU will be Hulk-heavy and possibly be an adaptation of the World War Hulk comic book storyline. In this theory, the She-Hulk Disney+ show introduces Tatiana Maslany’s Jennifer Walters (in both comics and MCU, the cousin of Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner) in order for her to take over the role of Hulk. There is precedent for this; the Disney+ Hawkeye series essentially set up Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop to take on the mantle of Hawkeye from Jeremy Renner. Similarly, Florence Pugh’s Yelena appears to be the new Black Widow after Scarlett Johansson’s departure, and Anthony Mackie was already given the title of Captain America. That leaves Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk and Chris Hemsworth’s Thor as the only remaining original Avengers. Considering Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster is apparently worthy to wield Mjolnir in Thor: Love and Thunder, it stands to reason that Mark Ruffalo may be on his way out.
To be fair, this is a lot of weight to put on a couple of slashes in a logo. However, it stands to reason that Tatiana Maslany is being prepped for a starring role as Hulk proper. But we have a lot of expectations for her upcoming show (like a certain other superheroic lawyer popping up), so we will just have to wait and see what pans out.
