Why did Marvel recast Hulk?

The Incredible Hulk has had a few faces throughout his time in the MCU, but why did Marvel Studios recast him in the first place?

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is renowned for its collection of heroes. As that collection continues to grow throughout Phase Four, thanks in no small part to the variety of Disney Plus shows coming our way, it’s clear the MCU has only just scratched the surface.

One of the very first heroes we met in this universe, however, was the Incredible Hulk, and if you’re familiar with your MCU lore, you’ll know that he has gone on to play a rather pivotal role, becoming one of the founding members of the Avengers.

He’s been portrayed by Mark Ruffalo since 2012, with the actor set to reprise the role in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. But Ruffalo wasn’t the first star to bring him to life in a Marvel Studios production. That feat belongs to Edward Norton, who played the character in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk.

Like all Phase One movies, that film was setting the stage for The Avengers, so why didn’t Norton reprise the role in the 2012 crossover?

Why Marvel replaced Edward Norton as the Hulk

There have been varying explanations as to why Edward Norton left the MCU after The Incredible Hulk and was ultimately replaced by Mark Ruffalo but it can all be underlined by the term “creative differences”.

After rumors of the star’s departure from the MCU surfaced in 2010, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed it with a statement, saying that the decision wasn’t based on “monetary factors” but that it was “instead rooted in the need for an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members.”

Given the statement’s rather direct nature, it came as no surprise when Norton’s agency issued their own response, calling Feige’s comments “a purposefully misleading, inappropriate attempt to paint our client in a negative light.”

The Norton/Hulk situation has remained a constant conversation among MCU fans over the years, but it does seem that any tensions have subsided since then. In a 2019 interview with The New York Times, he discussed that, even though differing views on the Hulk character prevented it from working out for his version of Bruce Banner, he still had a great time making The Incredible Hulk and got on well with Kevin Feige.

"“I loved the Hulk comics. I believed they were very mythic. And what Chris Nolan had done with Batman was going down a path that I aligned with: long, dark, and serious. If there was ever a thing that I thought had that in it, it was the Hulk… And they were like, ‘That’s what we want!’ As it turned out, that wasn’t what they wanted. But I had a great time doing it. I got on great with Kevin Feige.”"

It goes without saying that Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk is a big part of the MCU, and the character remains one of the few original Avengers still a current part of that universe in Phase Four, but it’s still interesting to think about how it could have been Norton playing the role all these years later if things had worked out between him and Marvel after the first film.

Were you a fan of The Incredible Hulk? Do you think the Hulk should have another solo film? Let us know in the comments below!