The The MCU timeline has seen significant changes over the years, including the Hulk's own narrative, and Ruffalo has been there for most of it, cementing himself as a cornerstone of the universe over the years.
Despite being a significant part of the MCU since the beginning, there is still a lot of narrative ground that can be covered for the Hulk, including a longest-running comic book actors. Still, it is interesting to look back at Edward Norton's time as Bruce Banner and what happened to cause the MCU to go in a different direction with the character.
Why Edward Norton Only Played Hulk In 1 MCU Movie Explained
Edward Norton played Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk back in 2008. It was only the second film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at the time, and failed to reach the same heights that Iron Man did just one month earlier when it kicked off the entire franchise. Despite that, Marvel had plans to include Hulk in The Avengers, which would bring together each hero introduced in the movies prior for one massive team-up film. Edward Norton would not be part of the team-up and his time as Hulk was cut short.
Every Marvel Character That's Been Recast In The MCU
The Marvel Cinematic Universe prides itself for preserving continuity, but over the years several actors have been replaced in movies.
The most common explanation for Edward Norton being recast as the Hulk is conflicts that were happening behind the scenes. Reportedly, Norton wanted more control over certain aspects of production, including rewriting parts of the script, but editing the film supposedly caused a lot of problems.
According to this explanation, Marvel wanted a shorter film that was more action-oriented following the let-down of Ang Lee's Hulk in 2003, while Edward Norton wanted to explore the character more. This overall perspective is something ed in part by director Louis Leterrier's 2008 interview with Collider, wherein he stated that Norton had argued about the cut of the movie, though he suggested the coverage of Norton's frustrations blew them out of proportion.
It's also worth keeping in mind that Edward Norton is seen to generally avoid doing sequels - with the actor having referenced the challenges that continuing as the Hulk would've presented in years prior. As such, it seems the pairing just wasn't the right fit for Norton or Marvel when it came to the franchise's future, and the MCU moved forward.
What Marvel And Edward Norton Said About His Hulk Recasting
Marvel's initial statement about parting ways with Edward Norton (as per Vulture) stated: "Our decision is definitely not one based on monetary factors, but instead rooted in the need for an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast . The Avengers demands players who thrive working as part of an ensemble, as evidenced by Robert, Chris H, Chris E, Sam, Scarlett, and all of our talented casts. We are looking to announce a name actor who fulfills these requirements, and is ionate about the iconic role in the coming weeks."
In an interview with NPR in 2014, Edward Norton discussed his role as the Hulk and not returning as the character in The Avengers and beyond, mentioning: "I experimented and experienced what I wanted to. I really, really enjoyed it... I think you can sort of do anything once, but if you do it too many times, it can become a suit that's hard to take off." Edward Norton has always had a diverse set of roles in his career, so his trepidation of being Hulk for too long is understandable.
Five years later in 2019, The New York Times relayed more of Edward Norton's thoughts about his time with the MCU and playing Hulk, including where he was hoping to take the character, which clashed with what Marvel seemingly wanted to do. Norton stated: "I laid out a two-film thing: The origin and then the idea of Hulk as the conscious dreamer, the guy who can handle the trip. And they were like, ‘That’s what we want!’ As it turned out, that wasn’t what they wanted. But I had a great time doing it."
Why Mark Ruffalo Was Cast As Bruce Banner And Hulk In The Avengers
Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner / Hulk Appearances |
|
|---|---|
Movie |
Year |
The Avengers |
2012 |
Iron Man 3 (Post Credits) |
2013 |
Avengers: Age of Ultron |
2015 |
Thor: Ragnarok |
2017 |
Avengers: Infinity War |
2018 |
Captain Marvel (Post Credits) |
2019 |
Avengers: Endgame |
2019 |
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Post Credits) |
2021 |
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law |
2022 |
With Edward Norton not set to return as Bruce Banner and Hulk for the MCU, the studio had to find a suitable replacement heading into The Avengers, the team-up that had been promised since Iron Man launched their cinematic universe. During San Diego Comic Con 2010, it was announced that Mark Ruffalo would be stepping into the role, confirming that Norton would not return and the MCU would be moving forward.
Mark Ruffalo was a solid choice to take up the mantle of Hulk at the time. He had previous experience working alongside Robert Downey Jr. in David Fincher's Zodiac, and The Incredible Hulk's director Louis Leterrier has said that he originally wanted Ruffalo for the role, but Marvel wanted a bigger name. The casting of Mark Ruffalo has turned out well for Marvel Studios, considering he has been in every Avengers film and popped up in a handful of other projects, including post-credit scenes that attempt to build out the MCU's connections.
Why Mark Ruffalo Was A Good Recast For The MCU's Hulk
There has been discourse over the years about which actor has done a better job of portraying both Bruce Banner and Hulk. Edward Norton did a solid job as the character, but was not given enough time in the film to truly explore Bruce and Hulk in interesting ways. Of course, his time as the character was cut short, and the MCU largely stayed away from referencing it until Thaddeus Ross showed up in Captain America: Civil War.
The MCU has embraced The Incredible Hulk more as the universe has progressed, with a number of characters returning in several projects.
Mark Ruffalo has been fantastic for what Marvel Studios has done with the Hulk over the course of the universe. His Hulk has grown from incredibly angry and uncontrollable to being able to co-exist with Bruce Banner during the events of Avengers: Endgame. His time as the Hulk hasn't been perfect, from off-screen development to out-of-place romance, but Mark Ruffalo has done an irable job with what has been asked of him, embodying Hulk and Bruce Banner in equal measure.
Mark Ruffalo has played the Hulk for over a decade, remaining a consistent staple of the MCU during those years. He has evolved drastically during that time, and it still feels like there is a lot of untapped potential left to explore with the Hulk moving forward. Only time will tell how many more appearances Ruffalo will have as the character, but hopefully, the MCU could incorporate more amazing Hulk stories in the future.
Hulk
- Created by
- Jack Kirby
- First Film
- The Incredible Hulk Returns
- Latest Film
- Avengers: Endgame
- First TV Show
- The Incredible Hulk
- Latest TV Show
- She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
- Cast
- Bill Bixby, Lou Ferrigno, Mark Ruffalo
Bruce Banner, AKA the Hulk, is one of Marvel's most iconic heroes. The character, who shifts between a mild-mannered scientist and a brutish green brawler, has starred in several live-action and animated movies and TV shows across seven decades and counting.
- TV Show(s)
- Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.
