Marvel's What If...? writer A.C. Bradley jokingly asked if they would ask Edward Norton to voice Bruce Banner if Mark Ruffalo was unavailable. In the latest episode of What If...? the series explores a timeline where The Avengers never formed, jumping back to a moment in 2008's The Incredible Hulk where Bruce Banner is surrounded by troops led by William Hurt's General Ross at Culver University. The 2008 film starred Edward Norton as Banner, prior to actor Mark Ruffalo taking over the role for 2012's The Avengers when Marvel Studios decided to switch actors.
Directed by Louis Leterrier, The Incredible Hulk served as the introduction of Bruce Banner/Hulk in the MCU, but rights issues have inhibited any future solo films featuring the character, which is why he's shown up in team-up roles ever since, be it The Avengers movies or other solo films, such as Thor: Ragnarok. The only actors from the 2008 film to continue in the MCU thus far are William Hurt, who later becomes Secretary Ross beginning with Captain America: Civil War (and most recently in Black Widow), and Tim Roth, who returns as Emil Blonsky/The Abomination in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, as well as the upcoming She-Hulk series on Disney+
While talking to Discussing Film, Marvel's What If...? writer A.C. Bradley joked about bringing back Edward Norton to voice Bruce Banner in episode 3 if current Hulk Mark Ruffalo wasn't available. The episode follows a timeline where most of the original members of The Avengers are never formed and with a very different outcome to the Culver University sequence from The Incredible Hulk. Ruffalo, however, was available and ended up supplying the voice. Here's what Bradley had to say:
"...I’ve seen The Incredible Hulk probably three or four times. I love the bottle chase sequence in the beginning. We wanted to make sure that with all three movies we pulled iconic moments that people would recognize. So for The Incredible Hulk, it was the Culver University fight scene. We wanted to use, if possible, the fight in Harlem. But the Culver one lends itself better to the story, so we went there. I did joke early on, “If we can’t get Ruffalo back are we going to ask Norton?” And I was told that Mark Ruffalo already agreed to do the show. He’s a very lovely human being, and he was great. He came in, had fun, and you really can’t get a better Hulk than Mark Ruffalo."
While the controversy of Norton's exit from the role is still a perplexing one, Ruffalo has made good on taking over the Hulk, so far appearing in five MCU movies as the character. Sadly, with Universal holding the rights to a standalone Hulk movie, it's unlikely that Ruffalo will play the Hulk in a solo film again. However, he is appearing in the Disney+ She-Hulk series alongside Tatiana Maslany's Jennifer Walters, so he hasn't hung up his gamma-rays just yet.
While Bradley's comments were made in jest, the irony of mentioning the possibility for a show entitled What If...? is not lost on the situation. Norton has gone on to many different projects since The Incredible Hulk and although he may not have meshed with Marvel Studios in the beginning, it's worth considering how his Bruce Banner would've played in future MCU films. Ruffalo has done an amazing job as the character and it's hard to imagine anyone else in the role at this point, but it's the only major recast in the MCU timeline, which makes it a legitimate thing to ask...what if...? For now, Ruffalo will Hulk out again for She-Hulk, while Norton will next be seen in Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch.
Next: Why Shang-Chi Suits Abomination More Than The Incredible Hulk Did
Source: Discussing Film
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