Nobody would believe that Matthew McConaughey, of all people, would secretly be a huge Hulk fan and even aspire to play the character on screens. But it’s true! While he once turned down a Marvel role, not for Hulk, mind you, but speculatively for a Guardians of the Galaxy baddie.
Now there’s a chance he could smash into the MCU as a Hulk supervillain in the highly anticipated upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars, or in a standalone Hulk flick starring Mark Ruffalo if that ever happens.
How Matthew McConaughey’s Desire to Play Hulk Was Brutally Thwarted by Marvel!
In a surprising revelation on the Happy Sad Confused (via Slash Films) podcast with Josh Horowitz four years back, Matthew McConaughey confessed his lifelong admiration for the 70s TV classic The Incredible Hulk starring Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk. When asked by Horowitz if he ever desired to play Bruce Banner, McConaughey quickly quipped, he “wanted it.”
He candidly shared that during Marvel’s peak, he eagerly threw his hat in the ring to portray his childhood hero. However, he also humorously recounted how the studio absolutely rejected him with a polite “no, thank you.”
While the reasons for the studio’s rejection of the actor remain unclear, Mark Ruffalo has been widely embraced by fans. McConaughey speculatively may have made his pitch to Marvel for the role of Hulk around 2008 following Ed Norton’s sudden departure from the franchise. The role eventually landed in the capable hands of Ruffalo in 2010, who has since become synonymous with the green behemoth on screen, who is also now quite interested in making a standalone Hulk film.
Matthew McConaughey Could Easily Spice Things up in Avengers: Secret Wars!
In the ongoing saga of the MCU, Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk story isn’t over yet. Moreover, the actor has expressed interest in a standalone film for his character, though the future of that project appears bleak for now, as he revealed to GQ.
I’d love to do a standalone Hulk, I just don’t think that’s ever going to happen,–It’s very expensive if you did a whole movie, which is why they use the Hulk so sparingly. I priced myself out!
However, there is a perfect opportunity in the Multiverse Saga for Ruffalo and Matthew McConaughey to portray different versions of the Hulk simultaneously even if the standalone film does not end up happening.
McConaughey portraying the Maestro Hulk variant in Avengers: Secret Wars could definitely spice things up. In Marvel Comics, Maestro ruled over Dystopia on Battleworld, wielding a mix of Hulk’s strength and Bruce Banner’s intellect. Unlike Ruffalo’s heroic portrayal, Maestro represents the darker side of the character.
The prospect of Maestro’s introduction in the MCU perfectly aligns with the comic storyline inspiring Avengers: Secret Wars. This direct link to the source material makes Maestro’s potential appearance incredibly appealing to Marvel fans, who are eagerly anticipating this development. However, McConaughey must be even more thrilled than the audience itself, as he gets to fulfill his childhood dream on screen finally!
Avengers Secret Wars is set to be released on May 7, 2027.
