Marvel’s The Hulk happens to be one of the most crucial and significant characters within the franchise and over the years, the character has played a major role in the narration of the story. The Strongest Avenger is always on the list for being the most powerful Avenger, as he has fought many compelling foes including his own Avenger team at one time or another.
The character has been smashing through the franchise and fans, but over the years the character has been portrayed by Mark Ruffalo but before him, Edward Norton played the role. However, the superhero franchise has made a mockery of the character. Naturally, the fans are divided as they debate over which actor played the role of Bruce Banner better, Norton or Ruffalo.
Marvel Makes a Complete Mockery Out of The Hulk
There’s no denying that The Hulk is one of the most fearsome characters to be ever featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, over the years, the franchise has tarnished the reputation of the character by showing him in absurd clothing choices, making him look incredibly dumb at times, and running away from a fight. The Gamma Monster is known to be a force of nature, but he was nerfed by the MCU, and showcasing such massive changes just makes the fan lose their cool.
The essential traits of the character were featured in Edward Norton’s The Incredible Hulk which features the Big Green Monster as one of the most fearsome characters as he was an embodiment of raw power, uncontrollable rage, and a force of nature that one would not like to cross paths with. But what made the character more dangerous was how his rage knew no bounds and once pushed over the edge, only destruction and devastation would be left behind.
This psychologically complex nature of Dr. Bruce Banner was perfectly displayed in Norton’s film. However, he fell out of favor with the executives of the studio as the Primal Fear actor and Louis Leterrier, the director of the film argued over the different creative visions for the film, and the film’s runtime was cut short by 23 minutes. The dislike was evident as the actor missed out on the promotional events of the film.
Mark Ruffalo replaced Norton as he made his debut as Bruce Banner in The Avengers, the fans loved his portrayal but soon they were disappointed as MCU decided to hide the key features of the character making him look bizarre and act in a way that fans could not even think of in their worst nightmare.
Nevertheless, Ruffalo’s portrayal of the character was made for the modern MCU as he ensured to showcase the vulnerable and humane side of the character which was missing from the 2008 film, which showcased the importance of controlling one’s anger. In addition, Ruffalo’s portrayal had humor which lightened the mood amidst the chaos of the battle, and playing the role for so many years, gave him to explore and experiment with the character, developing him over time.
Marvel Fans Argue Over Which Actor Portrayed The Hulk Better
The fandom has been divided as they argue how one actor is better than the other, as JoBlo Superheroes, a renowned channel on YouTube shared a clip from the 2008 film, where Norton’s Bruce Banner was being chased by the US Army as he was considered to be the biggest threat walking on the face of the Earth. The clip was exciting as it reminded the entire fandom what the character should be like.
While some fans believed, some felt otherwise taking the side of Ruffalo and how his portrayal of The Gamma Monster was better than Norton’s. The fans commented on the post,
@oblivionaire8730 commented, “This is exactly how Hulk should be. Terrifying, aggressive, and powerful. Marvel went ahead and made a complete mockery of the character just to get a laugh out of the audience.”
@thanhla7080 commented, “Hulk 2008: literally a monster Hulk 2019: TIIIIIIME TRAAAAVEL”
@swarz08 commented, “I gotta say that this Hulk was actually… much scarier than I remembered.”
@jackbruno953 commented, “This hulk isn’t mindless, gets stronger the madder he gets, and doesn’t quit even when he is getting his ass handed to him. This is the hulk I wanted to see fight Thanos…”
@jaredjackson7688 commented, “This is what The Hulk is suppose to look like. Scary and intimidating. The green glow in his eyes is a nice touch too. Best looking hulk ever. Wish he could’ve gone toe 2 toe with Thanos.”
Nevertheless, both actors showcased two different sides of the character, as Norton showcased the internal conflict, Ruffalo made the character lovable by infusing different qualities like humor, and vulnerability that solidified his position in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The Incredible Hulk can be streamed on Disney+.
