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Are you among those who wonder what happened to Edward Norton’s version of Hulk? You will find different opinions from MCU fans all trying to answer this. We think that the first movie of the Marvel franchise, The Incredible Hulk, was not any better than Universal’s 2003 adaptation of Hulk. We believe that Mark Ruffalo worked on his character and perfected it. Perhaps his version can be thought of as the best representation of the green monster.
Then again, Edward Norton should not be taken lightly as well. He made the green monster look exactly what he was, a monster. Therefore, what went wrong that made Marvel drop Edward and move on to Mark till the end?
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Edward Norton’s Hulk Was Not Fit For MCU
Normally, when Marvel lands an iconic actor for one of their characters they tend to stick with them. This is what we have seen with Iron Man, Captain America, and Captain Marvel. However, Bruce Banner saw some shake-ups.
It is said that Edward Norton was replaced due to creative differences. His idea of Hulk was much darker than what Marvel was looking for. For Marvel, the type of character that Edward Norton displayed might have taken on a whole different trajectory. Consequently, Avengers would have to deal with darker narratives, the way DC Universe tries to display in its movies. However, under the leadership of Kevin Feige, Marvel did not want that. Now, it is highly unlikely that we will ever get to see a dark Hulk.
According to CheatSheet, there was another Hulk movie coming in that would have featured Edward Norton. However, when Feige joined the MCU the idea was scraped away and Norton was left out of the show. Although he now says that it doesn’t matter to him anymore, we can still sense a feeling.
Let’s face it, anyone would be prepared to dive into the superhero universe that Marvel has created for the world. For Hollywood, it is just too hard to resist now. The money involved, the global recognition and prestige, it is just too irresistible and tempting.
Perhaps Hulk should be left with Mark Ruffalo and that is for the best.