Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk in Thor: Ragnarok Includes Reference to Edward Norton’s The Incredible Hulk That We All Missed

There’s a lot of work that goes into the vast tapestry that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe, from the filmmakers behind the scenes to the actors that portray the characters on screen. Everyone collaborates on pushing the narrative forward in a cohesive faction, careful to stay true to the events of the past while putting the characters in brand new situations. Sometimes there are continuity errors or, worse, actors have to be recast. But there’s still an attention to detail that makes it rewarding to watch all of the movies released.

So even though Marvel Studios suffered a setback when they had tor recast Edward Norton after The Incredible Hulk, they found a fan-favorite when Mark Ruffalo took over the role in Avengers. And they didn’t ignore the key details that took place in Hulk’s solo movie, but instead have put them on display for eagle-eyed fans to appreciate.

The visual effects team in Thor: Ragnarok made sure to include a very particular scar that Hulk receives from the Abomination in The Incredible Hulk. Check it out in the image below:

Hulk has been a key figure in the MCU lately, helping Thor find his way back to Earth and stopping his sister from destroying Asgard, and even helping crack the physics of time travel in order to save the universe in Avengers: Endgame. It’s not clear what the character’s future holds, but his cousin Jennifer Walters is getting her own debut series with She-Hulk in development for Disney+.

Marvel creative chief Kevin Feige addressed Hulk’s future while answering fan questions on Reddit earlier this year, explaining that “many years ago, Mark came in for a meeting with us at Marvel Studios to discuss ways in which the Hulk could grow and evolve in upcoming films. He pitched a lot of cool ideas, some of which led to what you saw in Thor: Ragnarok, Infinity War and Endgame, and some of which would still be cool to see someday.”

It will be interesting to see Hulk’s path forward in the MCU, especially now that Norton has opened up about what he wanted from the franchise. He even revealed that he planned to do the sequel and pitched his ideas to Marvel.

“I laid out a two-film thing: The origin and then the idea of Hulk as the conscious dreamer, the guy who can handle the trip,” Norton said to the New York Times. “And they were like, ‘That’s what we want!’ As it turned out, that wasn’t what they wanted.”

Hopefully we learn more about the future of the Hulk soon.