When production started on Captain America: Civil War last May, Marvel released a cast list that confirmed almost all of the heroes from Avengers: Age of Ultron are appearing in the first Phase Three movie. There were two notable exclusions, though, Chris Hemsworth's Thor and Mark Ruffalo's Hulk, who will be teaming up in Thor: Ragnarok. While there had been rumors during the production that Hulk actually does appear in the film, we never got confirmation of his appearance. During an interview on BBC Radio 1's Movie's With Ali Plumb podcast, Anthony Mackie revealed that he has seen the movie, where he praised Mark Ruffalo's performance, and teased that it may be good enough to be nominated for Best Picture.

"Having seen the movie, it's Marvel's best movie so far. And I'm being honest - if a Marvel movie sucks, a movie in the Marvel universe, I'll tell you it sucked. (Captain America:) The Winter Soldier and (the first) Iron Man are probably Marvel's two best movies, and I feel like (Civil War) beats both of those movies. It's really, really good. It's because it's more of an acting movie than an action movie. I feel like the story is very concise and interesting, and you get to see Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson and Mark Ruffalo and everybody just do really, really good ACTING. And then there's action in it. I think it might be the first superhero movie that might be up for Best Picture."

Back in October, it was confirmed that Hulk will return in Thor: Ragnarok, where he will go on a cosmic road trip with Thor. We last saw Hulk at the very end of Avengers: Age of Ultron, where he took off in a Quinjet for parts unknown, after the Green Goliath caused so much damage on Earth. Marvel hasn't released any official story details for Thor: Ragnarok yet, but it has been rumored that Thor is banished from Asgard by the villainous Hela, rumored to be played by Cate Blanchett. Thor eventually lands on a planet filled with gladiators, where he is forced to fight the planet's champion, Hulk.

Of course, those details haven't been confirmed, but if they're true, it certainly would explain why Hulk wouldn't make an appearance in Captain America: Civil War. It's worth noting that Hulk wasn't featured in the Civil War comics, so it would make sense that he wouldn't be included. Even if Anthony Mackie's statement is true, we don't know how large or small a role the Green Goliath may have in this superhero movie. And Mark Ruffalo may just have a quick cameo as Bruce Banner. We didn't see Hulk in the first trailer or the Super Bowl TV spot from earlier this month.

Anthony Mackie's praise for Captain America: Civil War falls in line with a report from last month, which claimed that the movie had the best test screening scores in Marvel history. It's also worth noting that the movie had reshoots last month, so it's possible that Mark Ruffalo came aboard to film his scenes during these reshoots, but that hasn't been confirmed. Do you think Hulk will show up in Captain America: Civil War, hitting theaters on May 6? Chime in with your thoughts, and you can visit BBC Radio 1 to listen to Anthony Mackie's entire podcast interview.