Edward Norton played Hulk in the character’s first appearance in the MCU, which was 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, but he was replaced in the role by Mark Ruffalo from 2012’s The Avengers onward. As such, fans want to know why Norton was replaced in the role. Here are your questions answered.
Why was Edward Norton’s Hulk replaced by Mark Ruffalo?
Edward Norton was replaced in the role of Hulk by Mark Ruffalo due to creative differences.
At the time of Edward Norton’s casting as Hulk for 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, Marvel Studios was not the juggernaut of a franchise it is today but a smaller project that was in the process of building a cinematic franchise. When cast, Norton also reportedly expected to get a level of control over the film’s creative process, as he was supposedly notorious for taking on significant creative control of the films he was involved in and Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige reportedly obliged to the demand. Norton reportedly served as a secret co-writer of the film alongside Zak Penn.
However, things got heated when it came to the film’s editing as both Norton and director Louis Letterier got into conflict with Marvel over the film’s runtime and genre orientation. The situation became worse when 23 minutes of the film, including a prologue scene where Banner attempts suicide was cut by Marvel Studios.
Norton then became frustrated that his work was meddled with and he kept rewriting the script every day to no avail. Eventually, things became uncomfortable and Norton cut ties with Marvel.
Eventually, Norton was fired from the role and recast. Kevin Feige issued a statement shortly after saying:
“Our 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.“
Norton’s agent reacted badly to Feige’s statement but Norton instead split from Marvel on amicable terms.
Will Edward Norton return to the MCU?
Edward Norton will very likely not return to the MCU, as he likely now knows that their creative process does not line up with his own creative process.
For more MCU content, find out when Eyes of Wakanda could come out. Also, find out if Charlie Cox’s Daredevil will be in Echo.