Over the years Kevin Feige has assembled an incredible team of actors for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. From the plethora of actors he has cast, there is not one actor that the audience can pick and state that they are wrong for their roles. Not only has he re-cast but the Marvel head has brought back numerous other actors who have previously appeared in different Marvel roles within or outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
However, there seems to be one actor that Feige absolutely refuses to work with and that is Edward Norton, MCU’s first-ever Bruce Banner.
Kevin Feige Would Never Work With Edward Norton Again
Over the past few days ever since the start of the Multiverse Saga in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, numerous new and old characters have been introduced. But for the fans, one of the most exciting changes has been ‘Marvel’s First Family’ reprising their old roles, or other characters outside of the MCU entering Kevin Feige‘s Marvel-verse.
Apparently, while everyone in the history of Marvel characters and actors was on Feige’s list, there was MCU’s first Bruce Banner aka actor Edward Norton whose name was not even close to being on the list, as per the book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios. Stuck in the ‘always blacklisted’ list of Feige, the actor’s feud with Marvel has been well documented.
The duo’s creative differences got into the middle of Norton’s Hulk role. The actor had a very different idea for how his character’s story should pan out, insisting that the storyline focus more on Bruce Banner’s personal trauma and experience. Furthermore, there was the issue of Norton claiming credit for the script, which was resolved only after the involvement of the Writer’s Guilds of America (via Den of Geek).
And so the actor left the franchise, leaving the seat vacant only for Mark Ruffalo to take it over in 2012 in MCU’s The Avengers.
A Look At Edward Norton And Marvel Feud
Edward Norton’s leaving the franchise was perceived by many as the end of his ‘feud’ with the studios. However, things hadn’t even reached the climax yet. Soon after Edward Norton’s exit, Kevin Feige released a statement (via Marca).
“The 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 members.”
This was seen by many as an indirect insult to Edward’s professionalism and soon after the actor’s agent released a counter-statement.
“Counter to what Kevin implies here, Edward was looking forward to the opportunity to work with Joss and the other actors in ‘The Avengers’ cast, many of whom are personal friends of his.”
Over the years, many other comments have been made about this feud and it seems the Norton-Marvel relationship has little to no chance of salvation.
