Mark Ruffalo used a Hands Off Our Vote rally in New York City on Sunday night to denounce President Donald Trump, raise concerns about election security and promise to “Hulk out” if voting rights come under attack. Subtlety, on this occasion, stayed backstage.
The event aimed to mobilize voters before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, when Democrats will have an opportunity to regain control of Congress and limit Trump’s ability to advance his agenda. Robert De Niro and comedian Mo Amer also addressed the crowd.
Why Ruffalo said the midterms carry such high stakes
Taking the podium, Ruffalo described the election as a major test for the country and predicted that any Democratic victory would face immediate resistance.
“This is a big, big deal, this election. There’s a lot hanging in the balance,” he said. “And we all know that we’re going to kick their asses, but we all know that they’re going to steal it. They’re going to do everything in their power, and it isn’t going to be over the night we all win.”
The Avengers and Spotlight actor offered no evidence for the assertion that the election would be stolen. His broader point was that supporters should prepare for legal, political and technical disputes to continue after ballots are cast.
Ruffalo then moved to cybersecurity, mentioning Elon Musk while warning of potential weaknesses in the systems used to transmit election results.
“We need to be on guard for what we may not see coming: Elon,” Ruffalo said. “That’s the cybersecurity of these elections.”
He acknowledged that he is not an expert but said specialists had warned him about possible vulnerabilities when vote totals move from polling places to county headquarters and then to state authorities.
What action did Ruffalo ask voters to take?
Ruffalo encouraged the audience to support Free Speech for People, an organization involved in legal and advocacy efforts concerning election systems. He said voters should challenge technology they consider insecure and push for results protected from domestic or foreign interference.
His comments framed election security as an organizing issue rather than simply a problem for officials to solve. The speech did not identify a specific breach or provide details showing that Musk had any role in the alleged vulnerabilities.
After the technical concerns came the less technical portion of the evening: a sustained verbal attack on Trump.
“We gotta get this dumbass, fool ass, tired ass, lame ass, duck ass out of office,” Ruffalo said. “We got to make him a lame duck! We have to stop his policies now.”
He argued that another two years of Trump’s presidency could bring more extreme policies and accused the president of wanting to remove Democrats from the country.
“The guy means everything he says,” Ruffalo added. “I know we’re all tired, we are so tired, but we can’t give up now.”
He finished that section with a direct message: “Trump, we’re not letting you! Hands off our fucking vote!”
How the Hulk entered an election speech
A member of the crowd shouted, “You tell ’em, Hulk!”, referring to Ruffalo’s role as Bruce Banner and his large green alter ego in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Ruffalo laughed and accepted the invitation.
“I’m gonna Hulk out. You won’t like me when I’m angry,” he replied, adapting the character’s familiar warning. He then added: “Hey, I’m still here! They thought I was out for the count. I’m still here, I’m still playing the Hulk.”
The exchange gave the rally its most theatrical moment, although a superhero reference was perhaps inevitable once an Avenger took a microphone at a political event.
Ruffalo ended by urging attendees not to let fear or intimidation keep them at home on election day.
“We can’t hide. We have to be together and we have to fight for each other and we have to be brave,” he said. “They’re going to do everything they can to make us feel small. They’re going to do everything they can to make us feel lost, to make it feel inevitable.”
He concluded: “It’s not inevitable! We’re inevitable. The truth is inevitable.”
Ruffalo’s recent fight over the Paramount deal
The rally appearance followed another public dispute involving Ruffalo. Just over a month earlier, he had criticized the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger, which received approval and was expected to close within days. Reports later said the transaction had closed the previous week.
In late August, Ruffalo posted an Instagram clip featuring Paramount board member Safra Catz discussing technologies developed by Oracle. Catz said the company had used those tools to assist the Israeli military following the Oct. 7 terrorist attack.
Oracle was co-founded by Larry Ellison, whose son, Paramount Skydance chief executive David Ellison, was involved in financing the merger. Ruffalo called Larry Ellison a “classic oligarch” and alleged that the Ellison family was harming workers while consolidating wealth and power.
Paramount accused Ruffalo of invoking “antisemitic tropes,” and several Jewish advocacy groups also criticized his remarks. The actor rejected that characterization as “appalling and fundamentally dishonest.”
After the merger closed, Ruffalo renewed his objections. He said the deal would “stifle creativity, weaken free speech, and cost people their jobs,” calling its approval a damaging outcome for the country.
“This is an incredibly disappointing outcome for the hundreds of thousands of us who stood up to block it, but it’s also not the end,” he wrote. “This grassroots movement isn’t going to fade away and neither is our resolve.”
Between media consolidation and election security, Ruffalo appears determined to keep speaking. The indoor voice remains unavailable.
