The Edward Norton-starring The Incredible Hulk back in 2008 was only the second entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and despite the confidence shown in Jon Favreau’s Iron Man earlier that year, the franchise wasn’t entirely sure what it needed to be, with Hulk struggling to find the right balance of humor and drama. The struggle behind the scenes among the cast and crew ultimately led towards Norton leaving the franchise, though Hulk director Louis Leterrier recently confirmed that the actor had a good point when it came to wanting to lean into the more serious dramatic themes of the concept.ย
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“The whole way, everybody was in lock step. It just got tense at the end,” Leterrier shared with the Happy Sad Confused podcast. “The end, it was very tense about the tone and the level of humor. Although Edward is very funny, all his friends are comedians and he is an extremely funny guy, he was very right in defending the seriousness of the movie. You have to remember, the mid-2010s…The Dark Knightย had such an impact on superhero movies.”
Despite still being an integral component of the MCU and many creatives who were involved with Iron Man also being involved with The Incredible Hulk, it failed to earn the critical and financial success of its predecessor. While a majority of Marvel stars don’t sign on just for one movie, but instead commit to long-term deals that include years of appearances, Norton was replaced by Mark Ruffalo for 2012’s The Avengers.
One contingent of Norton getting involved in the MCU was to get to contribute on both the script and the edit, though Marvel Studios ultimately deviated from his wishes to deliver a more action-forward and less dramatic experience. This seemingly soured his relationship with Marvel Studios to the point that he left the franchise behind.ย
Despite the events of The Incredible Hulk largely being ignored in the MCU for years, William Hurt would ultimately return in 2016 as “Thunderbolt” Ross for Captain America: Civil War. Additionally, Tim Roth’s Abomination would become a key component of She-Hulk: Attorney at Large, with the comedic tone of that TV show even poking fun at the actor swap for Bruce Banner.
While Ruffalo has found major success as Bruce Banner/Hulk, Norton has previously admitted he would be open to returning to the franchise in some capacity.
What do you think of the director’s remarks? Let us know in the comments!
