When I look at Mark Ruffalo’s professional career objectively I net out at giving him a grade of slightly higher than B. He’s been a working actor for nearly four decaades, an accomplishment unto itself. And as Wikipedia dutifully notes, he’s had a pretty decent run of both critical acclaim and more than decent paydays over the last half of it:
Ruffalo has gained international recognition for playing Bruce Banner / Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with the film The Avengers (2012). Ruffalo earned a record-tying four nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing a sperm donor in The Kids Are All Right (2010), Dave Schultz in Foxcatcher (2014), Michael Rezendes in Spotlight (2015), and a debauched lawyer in Poor Things (2023). He won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor for playing a gay activist in the television drama film The Normal Heart (2015), and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor for his dual role as identical twins in the miniseries I Know This Much Is True (2020).
I personally know a whole bunch of proud card-carrying SAG/AFTRA members that would kill for that CV. But I would not place him in the same league of the likes of Jane Fonda, Rob Reiner or George Clooney. Or even Al Franken, Arnold Schwarzenegger or Ronald Reagan.
I bring up these comparisons because Ruffalo has emerged as an unlikely and outsized voice in the ongoing and increasingly ideological-centered war for control of Warner Brothers Discovery. In the last coupla weeks–maybe because he’s in between gigs?–he’s become especially busy. Again, our BFF Wiki provides a capsule and TL;DR-friendly recap:
In August 2026, Ruffalo criticized Oracle and the Ellison family on his Instagram story. In response to a video of an Oracle executive discussing collaboration with the Israeli military and providing them with “really profoundly scary technology”, Ruffalo accused both Oracle and the Ellison family of complicity in “what we now have come to see as a genocide” and reaffirmed his opposition to Paramount’s takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.[117] Ruffalo also criticized Larry and David Ellison for “crushing workers and consolidating the wealth of the world for their own power and concentrated dominance”. He said the merger would be “catastrophic for our film industry” due to job losses, higher cable costs and reduced competition. Paramount criticized Ruffalo’s remarks as antisemitic in a formal response.[118][119] Ruffalo’s remarks were also criticized by the pro-Israel groups Creative Community for Peace, the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Anti-Defamation League,[104][120] as well as by the CEO of Jewish Federation Los Angeles and industry figures such as Haim Saban, Teddy Schwarzman, and Lawrence Bender.[121][122] In response, Ruffalo called the accusations of antisemitism “appalling and fundamentally dishonest”, stating that he was criticising the actions of Netahyahu and executives who supply military technology to Israel, not Jewish people.[118][123] Ruffalo was supported by Hannah Einbinder[124] and John Cusack.[125]
And it’s not the first time that Ruffalo has felt the need to speak out against Israeli policy and be exceptionally specific as to exactly what’s behind it:
In October 2020, speaking to Mehdi Hasan, Ruffalo condemned what he called Israel‘s “asymmetrical warfare” against the Palestinians, stating, “There is no reason that an ally of America should not be held to the same standards as any other nation in the world”, while also relating that he had been called an antisemite for his views, saying, “[It’s] really tough to hear. And the fact that so many people will take it to that extreme, when you’re talking about that kind of inequality, that kind of oppression, that kind of apartheid.”[105] During the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, Ruffalo posted numerous tweets critical of Israel. He later tweeted an apology for suggesting Israel was committing genocide, stating, “It’s not accurate, it’s inflammatory, disrespectful & is being used to justify antisemitism here & abroad.”[106][107][108]
But this time around with the elevated staked and attention his social media activism is attracting the attention of folks with vastly greater influence than he– starting with Fonda herself. DEADLINE’s Glenn Garner brought us up to speed on that front yesterday:
On Tuesday, the 2x Oscar-winning actress Committee for the First Amendment founder issued a statement via the organization, rejecting Paramount’s “cynical attempt to falsely label Mark Ruffalo as antisemitic” and “their effort to distract from the issue at hand: the dangerous consolidation of media power” that would come from the acquisition.
“Mark Ruffalo has a First Amendment right to speak out about politics, powerful corporations and this dangerous merger – full stop,” she said. “Calling his criticism antisemitic is a smear to delegitimize criticism of the merger and to distract from the question Paramount would rather not answer: should one company be allowed to accumulate this much power over our movies, television and news?” Fonda continued, “The original Committee for the First Amendment was founded to stand against blacklisting and intimidation of people for their political beliefs. We will not stand by while the government or its allies revive those tactics to bully activists into silence today.”
I take no issue with anything asserted in that statement. As a private citizen with a cellphone, he has every right to post his opinions as any schmo anywhere. As someone with a union card, he gets to sign his name to petitions and sport ribbons of support at any awards ceremony where he typically winds up as a runner-up. As far as I’m concerned, Ruffalo can spend the rest of his days aspiring to be even a sliver of the political activist the one-time “Hanoi Jane” has been for the better part of the last six decades. Based on what I know his career has yielded to date, unless he’s really gotten bad deals on plywood and paint at his local Home Depot for his “No Kings” signs, he can afford it. (If he needs a better deal, I can help arrange it).
But if he truly feels as strongly as he has and is determined to inject himself into discourse about a business deal that has somehow become THE flashpoint for oligarchal intolerance because of the particular individuals directly involved, I wonder why he didn’t throw himself into the fray in a more visible manner before. Maybe run for office himself, the way Franken, Schwarzenegger and Reagan once did successfully? Could it be because he hasn’t quite achieved the level of career success that Fonda, Reiner and Clooney did before they decided that political activism was a priority?
And I do have to ask why he is willing to go so full “Hulk” against Israel in light of this particular family experience:
On December 1, 2008, Ruffalo’s younger brother, Scott, was found outside his home on North Palm Drive in Beverly Hills with an execution-style bullet wound to the head.[62][63] Scott was taken to a hospital, but died the following week.[64] The case remains officially unsolved.[65] A Saudi woman, who had initially been charged, Shaha Mishaal Adham (then 26 years old), was released from the Beverly Hills jail for what police records say was “insufficient evidence, per the warrant”. Her lawyer stated that Scott Ruffalo had been playing with the gun.[66]
I would hazard a guess under such circumstances the sort of basic instincts to detest anyone associated with the Arba world that would transform a mild-mannered doctor in a green beast might have been triggered by something like that. But in Hollywood in particular, having those sorts of thoughts are simply non-starters. And hey, if you’re gonna be a central character in a Disney movie, you’d sure as heck better get that ASMR therapy pronto. Acting with a script is one thing; acting without one is entirely another skill set.
I for one would love to put a one-word question in front of him: Overcompensating?
You want to really stand up for your fellow actors’ right to work, Mark? Run for union office at least. Kinda funny you didn’t sh-tpost publically when Ellison and his nearly octogenarian slimeball pop took over Paramount and began eliminating jobs during their first few days in charge. Shari Redstone is as much of an pro-Israel voice as any out there–the Ellisons included– and she was still in charge when October 7th went down. Didja post any incriminating video about her at any point?
The actors and activists I enumerated above were a lot more consistent and successful with their causes and careers than Mark Ruffalo is today. And at the rate he’s going this week, probably tomorrow and a lot more days after that, too.
And don’t think it’s just me that questions Ruffalo’s timing and choices of what swords he chooses to throw himself on. Greta Von Susteren ain’t too thrilled with him, either. Or so claimed PRIMETIMER’s Akanksha Mishra earlier this morning:
Van Susteren retweeted Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna’s defense of Ruffalo, adding: “He also pushed for me to get fired at MSNBC… why? Because he disagreed with me on some topics? #BigBaby” … She also claimed Ruffalo ghosted her when she invited him to coffee, calling him a “#ScaredyCat,” and questioned his humanitarian record, noting he had never been to Israel after October 7, 2023, nor to a screening of the Hamas “47-minute tape” .
I’d forcefully advise Ruffalo that now that you’ve found a way to inject yourself into an already tired and exhausting news cycle unless you’re willing to take a next step beyond the ones you’ve chosen to take to this point, this might be the time for you to get back to finding a gig that would at least put you closer to a level of relevance and influence that those you’re drawing support from and clearly aspire to be have achieved.
And at least according to SCREEN RANT’s Felipe Rangel’s piece that dropped yesterday in the midst of your tirade, your timing might be optimal for you to do so:
Recently, the actor played the main villain role in Mickey 17, a sci-fi movie from the mind of director Bong Joon Ho. In fact, the sci-fi movie was the project that finally saw one of the best directors of all time return after six years. Ho’s last film prior to Mickey 17 had been Parasite, which won four Academy Awards after its theatrical release in 2019. Mickey 17 turned out to be a box office bomb, finishing its theatrical run with $133.5 million against a reported budget of $118 million. Now, Mickey 17 is Netflix’s 8th most-watched movie worldwide, according to FlixPatrol.
That’s a pretty big number. Bigger than anything that even Fonda has attached herself to of late. So go for it, Mark. The Hulk’s not coming back any time soon. Stop acting like him.
Until next time…