Mark Ruffalo has played the Hulk for more than a decade now. The iconic Green Goliath has had a tumultuous history with the MCU. However, it has never failed to deliver an action-packed character with a sincerely tragic backstory. However, it seems Ruffalo needed some convincing to take up the role of the Hulk, and who would be better to help him do that, than the man who started it all?
MCU fans are quick to forget The Hulk’s solo entry in the franchise. Initially portrayed by Edward Norton, Bruce Banner/The Hulk were recast in subsequent films due to Norton having creative issues about how the character was portrayed. Robert Downey Jr., Tony Stark himself, took it into his own hands to convince Mark Ruffalo to take the role, once Norton and the studio parted ways.
Mark Ruffalo didn’t know what he could add to the role
Up until being offered the role by Joss Whedon, director of Avengers and later Avengers: Age of Ultron, Mark Ruffalo had a successful film career in independent films. Before him, the role had gone to Edward Norton, who had played the character in The Incredible Hulk. When offered the role, Ruffalo was vastly skeptical of what he could bring to the role. This was unlike the films he had done before. This was a film with a big studio behind it, with a huge budget, nothing like the indie ventures that he had been a part of.
While Whedon was not able to convince the Apartment 12 actor, Robert Downey Jr came to the rescue of the franchise. Allegedly, all it took was one phone call. Ruffalo, in an interview with Jimmy Fallon, relayed how Downey had convinced him, Allegedly, he simply said:
“Ruffalo, let’s go. We got this“
Describing it as being “true Iron Man fashion”, that’s all it took to convince Ruffalo to take up the role.
Also Read: The Most Badas* Fight of Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk Never Even Made it to Avengers: Age of Ultron
Mark Ruffalo is all in now, even has an idea for a solo project
Once Ruffalo joined the franchise, there was no looking back. Apart from the Avengers, Ruffalo has starred in 6 additional projects. With the rights of the character returning to Marvel Studios, the character is now open to starring in a solo outing of his own.
Ruffalo has gone on record saying that he has some ideas as to what can be done with the character. Given that the structure of the franchise has changed since 2008, there are several avenues for the Hulk to explore a solo project. The most recent project to feature Bruce Banner was 2022’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law starring Tatiana Maslani as Jennifer Walters, Bruce’s cousin and a fellow Hulk. The show ended with Bruce revealing his son Skaar, who was born on Sakaar, the planet where Bruce was in Thor: Ragnarok.
Also Read: Marvel Shot Themselves in the Foot By Turning Down a More Comic Accurate Skaar Design in She-Hulk
