Marvel Dumped Edward Norton For Mark Ruffalo. (Photo Credit – Instagram/Wikipedia)
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Before Mark Ruffalo began his reign of destruction as a perennially angry Hulk on Avengers in 2012, Edward Norton played the superhero during the character’s first appearance in the MCU in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. However, Norton, the front-runner for the subsequent sequels, was dumped for Mark Ruffalo following a dispute with Marvel.
The reason behind the recast differs depending on who you’re listening to. The actor has his own narrative, while the studio has maintained its story. After the studio alleged Noton was fired due to creative differences, the actor fired back at Marvel for allegedly misrepresenting the truth, noting he was fired over a salary dispute.
According to Marvel, while filming the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk, Edward Norton reportedly expected a modicum of creative control. The studio obliged on the initial demand, agreeing for the actor to serve as an unnamed co-writer alongside Zak Penn.
However, according to the studio, things came to a head after Edward Norton and director Louis Letterier disagreed on the film’s runtime. This was compounded when Marvel Studios cut a dark prologue scene where Bruce Banner (Hulk) allegedly attempts suicide infuriating Norton. Given the creative differences while shooting The Incredible Hulk, the Marvel Studio Director Kevin Fiege reportedly decided to sever ties with Norton.
After Norton was recast with Mark Ruffalo, Kevin Feige issued a statement 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.“
Shortly after, Edward Norton fired back in an interview with The Independent, alleging that his exit was solely about money. He also denied the rumored clashes on 2008’s The Incredible Hulk set. Norton said: “I found it a cheap and unnecessary representation that it was about things other than money. They came to me avidly to talk about it and then, at the end of the day, it was just a business decision.”
Norton added, “Marvel’s going to have to deal with their own karma – they’ve got bigger problems than me.”
It is clear Norton and Marvel did not part ways on amicable terms.
