by Mark Ruffalo opened out on the uncomfortable sentiments he experienced after replacing Edward Norton as the Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe more than ten years ago.
Although Norton’s involvement in The Incredible Hulk (2008) only lasted for one film, Ruffalo was chosen to play the massive green wrath monster for The Avengers (2012). In the 15-year history of the franchise, this role became one of the select few that underwent a recast, and it was undoubtedly the biggest to feature two distinct actors.
The transition was recently discussed for the first time in the MCU as a whole in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, but Marvel fans have also talked about it in an interesting way throughout the years.
One has to wonder if there was any difficulty with the passing of the gamma-radiated torch given how high-profile this shift was and how well-known both Ruffalo and Norton are.
On the MCU Hulk Recast, Mark Ruffalo Talks
MCU star Mark Ruffalo provided some insight into the moment when he was recast as the Hulk following Norton‘s departure from the franchise during an appearance at Emerald City Comic-Con.
Ruffalo used the term “awkward” and stated that the two only spoke for a minute even though they didn’t particularly want to talk about it when asked if he spoke with Norton about the change and how it went.
“Awkward. (laughs) No, I mean, I didn’t talk to him, but I reached out to him, as we do now when we don’t want to talk. And I was like, ‘Hey, man,’ and he’s like, ‘No, it’s fine.’ I mean, it was weird. It was even weird when Robert Downey Jr., at Comic-Con [in 2010], when introducing me, said, ‘And now reprising the role of the Hulk, is Mark Ruffalo.’ And they’re like, ‘Yeah– Huh?’”
Ruffalo received the impression that his predecessor was content leaving the character behind, even though he wasn’t sure “how attached to [the role] Ed was,” throughout his tenure with the MCU:
But you know, Ed’s… I don’t think… I don’t know how attached to it Ed was, you know, ultimately. I think he was like, ‘Oh, thank God. Let Ruffalo deal with it.’ But he’s been beautiful. We’re friends. It’s never come up as an issue. I’m blessed.”
Ruffalo and Norton in Hulk Recast, at Peace
At the close of the 2000s, the recasting of the Halk turned into somewhat of a public spectacle, but Ruffalo and Norton now seem to be at ease with the transformation, with Norton even seeming to take solace in it.
The two have now grown even more at ease with the transition as the Hulk’s MCU legacy keeps growing because it happened so long ago.
Marvel considered replacing Ruffalo with Norton during the scene where the Hulk and Abomination reunited, and there was even talk of adding Norton into the Season 1 finale of She-Hulk, but it never happened.
Going ahead, there’s a remote possibility that the MCU will honour Norton’s tenure as the Halk with a cameo in Avengers: Secret Wars, the Multiversal epic from 2026.
Disney+ offers streaming access to all of Mark Ruffalo’s other than The Incredible Hulk performances as the Hulk.
