Edward Nortonhas been pretty vocal about his exit from the Marvel Cinematic Universe after 2008’sThe Incredible Hulk. The actor appeared at theComedy Central Roastof Bruce Willis where he was reminded that he was replaced by Mark Ruffalo in the MCU by more than a few fellow roasters. So, when it was Norton’s turn to hit the podium, he took a shot at Willis while simultaneously throwing shade at Marvel Studios andThe Incredible Hulk.
While makingThe Incredible Hulk, Ed Norton had some say in the creative decisions, which is a testament to how hard the actor works to make good movies. However, that aspect of his personality has given him a reputation as being difficult to work with. When it came down to the final cut of the film, Norton wanted final say, but Marvel cut him out of the process. Norton has blamed the lack of character development in the movie for that very reason. During the roast of Bruce Willis, he had this to say.
“I tried to be like you. I did a big action movie calledThe Incredible Hulk. You know what went wrong? I wanted a better script. I thought we should try to make one Marvel movie that was as good as the worst Chris Nolan movie, but what the hell was I thinking.”
After Ed Norton made the comments aboutMarvel Studiosand Christopher Nolan, the camera panned over to a laughing Joseph Gordon Levitt, who was inThe Dark Knight Rises. While some of Norton’s criticisms ofThe Incredible Hulkare well warranted, the movie is a bit underappreciated and has gotten a little bit better with age, according to some hardcore MCU fans. However, Mark Ruffalo is now the version of Bruce Banner that everybody now knows and loves.
After the fallout fromThe Incredible Hulk, Marvel Studios chose not to work with Ed Norton again. The studio stated that they wanted to work with someone who was more collaborative and maintained that Norton wasn’t someone who they felt that they could do that with. In 2014, Norton spoke about the movie again, but under a better light. The actor said he came out of it with an appreciation of how superhero movies are made and enjoyed his time on the set. In the end, he says, “There were just a lot of things… I wanted more diversity.”
In addition to roasting Ed Norton aboutThe Incredible Hulk, the actor’s 1998 filmAmerican History Xwas brought up more than once, with a few comedians bringing the humor into the political realm. As far as Marvel Studios is concerned, 10 years after working with Norton, the studio is flourishing. But, there still has not been another standalone Hulk movie starring Mark Ruffalo. You can read more about what Ed Norton had to say about his time as the Hulk and Marvel Studios atThe Hollywood Reporter.
