The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been going strong for over 15 years, releasing projects in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order will remember the first phase of projects was a bit experiment, especially the OG crossover movie The Avengers. I had no idea Mark Ruffalo credited Robert Downey Jr. for his MCU casting, but his take is both practical and super sweet.
Mark Ruffalo took on the role of Bruce Banner/The Hulk from Edward Norton in The Avengers, and is still attached to this role today. While fans are wondering when hell return in an upcoming Marvel movie, information about his early days are still trickling out. During a conversation with NPR, the 56 year-old actor gave credit to RDJ for opening the door to his casting. In his words:
Not in my wildest dreams did I ever see myself coming from You Can Count on Me or, even a romantic comedy, 13 Going on 30, or In the Cut, to doing a superhero movie. Robert [Downey Jr.] revolutionized the sort of tentpole studio film and really the industry by his performance in Iron Man. And they took a big swing with him, and it really paid off. But what Robert did was he created a space for really complex indie actors to come into these big spectacle films and ground them in really wonderful character work.
There you have it. Robert Downey Jr.'s casting was very unlikely going into the first Iron Man, although now it's hard to imagine anyone else playing Tony Stark with the same swagger. And Mark Ruffalo seems to think that was key in him being considered to play Bruce Banner in the share universe.
While a number of the OG Avengers have retired (although RDJ is returning as Doctor Doom), Mark Ruffalo has continued popping up as Bruce Banner. That includes a cameo in Shang-Chi's credits scene, as well as a number of appearances in She-Hulk. And fans are hoping that he'll be back in the next crossover project Avengers: Doomsday.
Later in the same conversation with NPR, Mark Ruffalo addressed the extensive motion capture work he's done to bring Hulk to life on the big screen. He got honest about adjusting to the mo-cap suits, saying:
I hated it. It's the man-canceling suit. It makes you look big everywhere you want to look small and small everywhere you want to look big. It's the most humiliating thing in the world. I had a little loincloth made for it at one point as the years went on because it's just so not modest. It's the most vulnerable thing in the world. As an actor, you learn to love a costume. You learn to hide behind props, you learn to sink into a set and lose yourself in the world.
In the end, he was able to make it work, and has brought both the classic Hulk and the new era Smart Hulk to life through this process. And I wonder whether or not he would have gotten this chance if another actor besides RDJ started the shared universe with Iron Man.
As previously mentioned, it's currently unclear when Mark Ruffalo will return to the MCU. But fans are expecting The Russo Brothers to once again assemble a big crew of characters or their two Avengers movies.
The next MCU blockbuster hitting theaters is Captain America: Brave New World on February 14th. For now, check the 2025 movie release dates.
