While the original Avengers film ended with the cast eating shawarma, the stars actually participated in an even bigger celebration after filming one flick. Stories about the cast's matching tattoos have been making the rounds for years, specifically in regard to the fact that one of the original six stars, Mark Ruffalo, refused to get his. What I didn’t realize, though, was that Robert Downey Jr. explained exactly how it all went down, including his thoughts on the Hulk actor's last-minute decision.
The Iron Man actor was asked about his tattoos during an interview with Wired. Given how candid the beloved star tends to be, I'm not surprised that he had no issue divulging the specifics. And, of course, he also took a humorous shot at his good buddy, Mark Ruffalo for deciding not to get inked:
That happened the evening of the premiere for Infinity War. Scarlet got it first, then Chris Evans got it, then I got it, then Jeremy Renner got it, then Chris Hemsworth got it, even though he was a little tentative about it and seemed to overreact to the pain. And then Mark Ruffalo said, ‘I’m not getting that tattoo. I don’t want to be part of your Hollywood inside game.’ To which I applauded him.
Since this is Robert Downey Jr. we're talking about, it's evident that his sincerity at the end was more sarcasm. He loves a good f-bomb mic drop and, after applauding the Dark Waters actor, he mouths “Fuck You, Mark” at the camera.
He isn’t serious of course. The original Avengers stars are very close, and they even have a group chat together. Jeremy Renner even revealed on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon that he tried very hard in that text thread to convince the 13 Going On 30 actor to join in on the group tattoo. When the time came though, Ruffalo chickened out, in Renner’s words. When Ruffalo himself appeared on Tonight, he admitted he was scared of the needle, but also thought it was “punk-rock” to be the only one without tattoos.
Honestly, they should have made Mark Ruffalo go first. I think watching the big and tough Chris Hemsworth "overreact" to his own inking might have been the nail in the coffin on that debate. The overall order does make sense to me, though. Scarlett Johansson has proved to be a badass both on and off screen. Also, Chris Evans inadvertently went viral years back for showing glimpses of his tatted chest and torso during press interviews, so he’s no amateur. Both Renner and Downey Jr. have other tattoos as well.
It may not be too late for Ruffalo to get his Avengers official seal. In the MCU, a character’s story is never really over, especially with the multiverse’s endless possibilities. Even Robert Downey Jr., whose Iron Man sacrificed himself in Avengers: Endgame, has shown that despite their character's demise, an actor can return to the MCU. Downey is set to play Doctor Doom in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. The films should be huge, but I'm not sure if anything the Russo Brothers put together in their MCU return could top the iconic OG Avengers assemble scene.
So perhaps if Mark Ruffalo returns in the upcoming Marvel movies, he will finally be convinced to get that tattoo, although it wouldn't be quite the same without some of his longtime buddies. Ink or not, Ruffalo deserves credit for being one of the original six Avengers actors, and I love that all of them remain bonded in various ways. You can watch their on-screen dynamic by streaming MCU films using a Disney+ subscription.
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