Before He Was Hulk: Mark Ruffalo’s ’90s Horror Roles Show a Totally Different Side of the Star ( Photo Credit – Wikimedia )
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Before Marvel came calling, Mark Ruffalo’s early film work looked nothing like his future superhero role. In the mid-1990s, long before his breakout in indie dramas and MCU fame, Ruffalo starred in back-to-back direct-to-video horror sequels, playing entirely distinct characters. One such flick is Mirror, Mirror III: The Voyeur (1995), which had fans reacting to how unrecognizable he looked. From his hairstyle to his model-like frame, everything in the movie clashes with the image of the green, brooding Hulk.
When Mark Ruffalo looked nothing like Marvel’s Hulk
In 1995’s Mirror, Mirror III: The Voyeur, Mark Ruffalo appeared as Joey, his second role in the same horror series after playing a distinct character named Christian in Mirror, Mirror II: Raven Dance (1994). Both films were low-budget, direct-to-video horror entries with no connection between the Hollywood Hunk’s roles.
Yet the same producers recast him, a move not uncommon in such genre fare during the VHS era. The Voyeur shows Ruffalo with parted hair, a lean build, and a piercing stare. It was nothing like his Hulk persona that he had afterwards.
The early role came years before his indie breakout in You Can Count on Me (2000), which marked a turning point. But back in the ‘90s, he was still taking whatever roles came his way. The Mirror, Mirror series, though obscure, gave him one of his earliest screen appearances, even if it meant jumping genres and characters without logic.
Ruffalo himself has referred to those beginnings with humility. “I couldn’t afford a car. I had a $250 1974 Honda XR250 that I could personally work on when it broke down, that was the only way I could get around LA. I was living in a closet for $200. My whole nut was about $300 a month,” the actor said on the Smartless podcast, acknowledging that part of his career.
Despite the bumpy start, the experience added to his reel and allowed him to get noticed later in more heavy projects. After You Can Count on Me, Ruffalo advanced toward prestige dramas, and then ultimately into the MCU’s lineup, debuting as Bruce Banner, aka The Hulk, in The Avengers (2012).
