The Incredible Hulk’s place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been complicated since the beginning. Due to the dispute over rights to the character with Universal, Marvel Studios haven’t been able to produce a solo film about Hulk after The Incredible Hulk. Furthermore, the troubled production of that film led to a rift between actor Edward Norton and the studio, which further prompted Marvel to replace Norton with Mark Ruffalo in The Avengers.

Now, a decade later, it was in Disney+’s original She-Hulk: Attorney At Law that Marvel jokingly referenced the actors’ swap in the MCU for the role of Hulk. The show addressed in a conversation how Hulk was a different person back then and has “literally” changed over all these years. But the showrunners didn’t want to stop there.

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In an interview with The Direct, showrunner Kat Coiro addressed the idea of bringing back Edward Norton for She-Hulk. She addressed that the writers and creators discussed Tim Roth’s Abomination facing a “new” Hulk in the series, which spun the idea of having Norton back for the show. Obviously, it didn’t pan out.

There was just one moment in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law which featured Tim Roth uniting with Mark Ruffalo. The two indulge in a brawl at the retreat in the bizarre final culminating fight; however, Jennifer Walters breaks the fourth wall and obliterates that ending by removing Bruce from the sequence. Coiro revealed that the particular scene was one of the first sequences the team shot, which also confused the actors.

There was a lot of talk about the fact that the last time they were together a different actor was playing the Hulk. And Mark [Ruffalo] made quite a few jokes about that. And we did entertain the idea of swapping Mark out for Edward Norton. But that did not come to pass.

The other thing that I think is kinda fascinating for people to know is that we filmed that finale sequence with everybody in the lodge at the very beginning of shooting. And all the actors were like, ‘What in the hell is going on?’ And I had to say, ‘It doesn’t make sense, but don’t worry. That’s the point.’ And that was really unique, from a director’s point of view, because you have to get people to trust you. But then you’re telling them, ’It doesn’t make sense. It’s not supposed to. Just come along for the ride.

Edward Norton’s Return Would Not Have Been Possible

     Marvel

While the idea to bring Edward Norton is a good one to toy around, it would never have become fruitful. Norton’s involvement in the MCU is a bad mark on the franchise, which causes specific continuity issues with the character arcs of Hulk to date. During The Incredible Hulk, Norton and the studio executives often got into disputes concerning creative decisions. It started with Norton disliking the initial script, which he even changed by incorporating his input. Later, the rift got so severe that Norton refrained from promoting the film, distancing himself from the tours and other events. At the time, Marvel Studios released a statement.

Later, in 2012, Marvel Studios replaced Norton with Ruffalo, who has played the character to date, gaining a massive fan following and critical acclaim. At the time, Marvel Studios released a statement justifying recast, saying,

Given the strained relationship between Marvel Studios and Norton, it would have been impossible to bring Norton to the table. With Marvel Cinematic Universe moving towards the Multiverse Saga, there are opportunities to have more than one Hulk in the continuity. Still, even then, it would be easier to get a new actor to play the part rather than Edward Norton.

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. The Avengers demands players who thrive working as part of an ensemble, as evidenced by Robert, Chris H, Chris E, Sam, Scarlett, and all of our talented casts.