The Hulk may be one of Marvel's most famous heroes, but after the release of The Incredible Hulk, Bruce Banner was sidelined until The Avengers rolled around four years later. And even then, the Hulk's role in the MCU has largely been a supporting one. So why did we never get to see The Incredible Hulk 2? When The MCU began, their core actors were in place: Chris Evans as Captain America. Chris Hemsworth playing Thor. And of course Robert Downey Jr., nailing the role of Iron Man. Well, three out of four isn’t bad, because we all know what happened with Bruce Banner. So why did Edward Norton fail to make the cut for Earth's mightiest heroes?
While most of the actors playing Avengers have had a long and prosperous relationship with Marvel Studios, Norton seems to have gotten off on the wrong foot from day one. In fact, he doesn't appear to have even been the first choice for the role. In an interview with the Huffington Post, director Louis Leterrier let it slip that, while he appreciated what Norton brought to the table, his first pick had actually been Mark Ruffalo.
On top of his runner-up status, numerous rumors have arisen over the years suggesting that Norton may have been difficult to work with on the set, that he was "very vocal" at times when he disagreed with something, and that he was overly involved in tampering with the script. While none of these are particularly rare qualities in Hollywood stars, they're not likely to stack the deck in your favor, either.
It didn't take long after the film came out for the first hints of discord to begin surfacing. Two years after The Incredible Hulk's release, Marvel boss Kevin Feige made the announcement that Norton would not be brought back to "portray the title role of Bruce Banner in The Avengers." At the time, Feige insisted that the decision wasn't a monetary one. His statement read:
"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."
Feige's statement made it clear that something had been going on behind closed doors something more than a few friendly disagreements over the script. Luckily, the Hulk was still set to appear in the first Avengers movie and would continue to make appearances in other characters' future films. But the removal of Norton from the role shed a little light on why Iron Man, played by the immensely popular Robert Downey Jr., became the center of a burgeoning franchise while the Hulk languished on the sidelines.
Norton's agent was quick to respond to Feige's statement. Keep watching the video to learn What Really Happened to The Incredible Hulk 2 Explained!
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A new Avenger | 0:17
Feige's feedback | 1:21
Norton fires back | 2:17
Marvel's way | 3:19
Universal's rights | 4:30
Box office woes | 5:44
Green money | 6:39
Tonal shift | 7:27
A little lost | 8:30
The secret movie | 9:17
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