Having just heard that Mark Ruffalo will not return to reprise his role as The Hulk in Captain America: Civil War, many thought hulking behemoth would not appear until Avengers: Infinity War Part I and Part II.

But it appears an old and already debunked rumor has reemerged to annoy some people. That rumor is The Hulk making an appearance or even teaming up with the Guardians in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. It’s an old rumor, and one that James Gunn has already debunked many times before. Now it has appeared once more, and Gunn has taken to Twitter to reiterate that The Hulk will not appear in the sequel.

Here’s the Tweet:

I will comment on it now (as I've done before) – there is zero chance you will see Hulk in GotGVol2. https://t.co/C1jNd0ZyVb

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) September 7, 2015

This wouldn’t be the first time that Gunn has said that The Hulk wouldn’t be in Guardians of the Galaxy 2. Back in 2014, the director said that the rumor was “100% bullsh*t.” He even took it further by saying “I wouldn’t want the Hulk to team up with the Guardians of the Galaxy!”

That’s a bit soul crushing for fans of the Hulk, especially since the rumor may have led to his solo film Planet Hulk. In that same interview Gunn also said there were never any plans for a Planet Hulk film to happen.

With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 scheduled to start shooting early next year, we won’t be hearing of any new characters being added to the cast for quite a while. Even if the cast is announce, it is very likely that additional cast members could be announced during the production of the sequel. Still, for Gunn to have to repeat himself over and over again, it must be tiring.

Ruffalo recently said that he was actually in the Civil War script, and wasn’t even sure if he would be back anytime soon. Of course with a couple of movies left on his contract, he is obligated to appear as a cameo in at least one or two more films. But he will definitely make an appearance in Avengers: Infinity War Part I and Part II, but that is still years away from happening.

We can’t exactly be sure when we will see Hulk. We already know that he won’t appear in Civil War, and Gunn has just said once again that he won’t be in Guardians of the Galaxy 2, so if it isn’t those two films, then there is a chance he could appear in Doctor Strange, or Black Panther, or maybe even Thor: Ragnarok. Of course there is a possibility that Gunn is playfully lying so that he can surprise us. But with that much lying, how would fans react if The Hulk ended up being in the film?

All will be revealed in due time. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 opens in theaters on May 5, 2017.

[Source: James Gunn]