In a 2024 interview with GQ, Ruffalo stated that it's financially tricky for Marvel Studios to make a Hulk movie, saying that "it's very expensive if you did a whole movie, which is why they use the Hulk so sparingly." As valid and accurate as that statement is, there is also the matter of the Hulk distribution rights.
Edward Norton sat out doing interviews for The Incredible Hulk during the promotional campaign. EW reported that this boiled down to a disagreement he had with producers over the movie's runtime, as Norton wanted a “longer, more detailed” story, and Marvel preferred a “faster, leaner one.”
'" Ruffalo revealed. "And I said, 'Well, I'd like to take him from this raging maniac to kind of this integrated character. ' And he was like, 'Okay, we'll do that over the course of four movies. We'll never give you a standalone Hulk, let's just get that – I don't mean to burst your bubble… but that's not happening."
Ruffalo, who appeared as Dr. Bruce Banner/Hulk in 2012's “The Avengers,” took over the role from Edward Norton, who played the not-so-jolly green giant in Marvel's 2008 film.
While Ruffalo has starred as Hulk in Marvel movies, the rights to the character are actually owned by Universal Pictures, predating Disney's 2009 acquisition of Marvel Studios, which means Universal has the right of first refusal to distribute any stand-alone Hulk movies.
The Real Reason Edward Norton Was Fired From The MCU
What was Mark Ruffalo diagnosed with?
Personal life. Ruffalo married Sunrise Coigney in 2000. They have three children. After completing work on the film The Last Castle, Ruffalo was diagnosed with a vestibular schwannoma, a type of brain tumor also known as an acoustic neuroma.
After the mixed reception to Universal's 2003 film Hulk, Marvel Studios reacquired the rights to the character, though Universal retained distribution rights.
Mark Ruffalo says another standalone Hulk movie would be too expensive. “I'd love to do a standalone Hulk, I just don't think that's ever going to happen,” the actor said, going on to add that bringing the Hulk to life is a costly endeavor.
According to Di Pego, at the film's climax Banner would be forced to recreate the accident that transformed him into the Hulk in order to stop the villains' plans. The sequel was canceled because of the disappointing ratings for The Death of the Incredible Hulk.
After she and Banner parted ways due to the Hulk still being hunted across the globe, she likely continued her work as a scientist and professor at Culver University. However, it was confirmed that Betty Ross did get snapped by Thanos in Infinity War and later brought back with the rest of the population in Endgame.
Avengers: Infinity War saw Ruffalo double his earnings, as he was paid $6 million for the film. While Ruffalo's salary for Avengers: Endgame has not been publicized, it's likely he also earned close to $15 million.
Ruffalo's most recent appearance as Bruce Banner/The Hulk was in Disney+'s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law in 2022. The series carried an eye-opening expense of $25 million per episode due to the high cost of the titular character's motion capture VFX and suffered production issues due to “half-baked scripts”.
Captain America: Brave New World, as its title states, is not a Hulk movie. Bruce Banner is not set to return for the MCU film — save for a surprise appearance — but despite the story being focused on Sam Wilson, the MCU's new Captain America, multiple Hulk characters will show up in the 2025 movie.
In a 2024 interview with GQ, Ruffalo stated that it's financially tricky for Marvel Studios to make a Hulk movie, saying that "it's very expensive if you did a whole movie, which is why they use the Hulk so sparingly." As valid and accurate as that statement is, there is also the matter of the Hulk distribution rights.
Universal Pictures actually owns the rights to any movies focusing solely on Hulk, predating Disney's 2009 acquisition of Marvel Studios, meaning that Universal has the right of first refusal to distribute any solo Hulk movies.
The film was initially released and distributed by Universal on June 13, 2008, and the company held the rights to the title for 15 years. Now, in a notable shift, the rights have reverted to Marvel Studios, leading to the film's release on Disney+.
The simple answer? Marvel Studios doesn't own the distribution rights for solo Hulk movies, and they don't want to pay another company to distribute the movies when that company isn't going to be providing any effort in making the movie.
So while the MCU's Hulk may never go back to being angry the same way he was before, Bruce has a new set of personal demons to deal with that can have lasting repercussions on the MCU.
Since then, Ruffalo has used plant-based food to fuel various on-screen transformations—including losing 20 pounds and doing 500 push-ups a day for his role as Dominick in the HBO miniseries I Know This Is True, then gaining 30 pounds to play the role of his twin brother six weeks later.
While Tim Roth reprised Abomination in Shang-Chi's debut outing and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Edward Norton only got to play The Hulk once. Beginning with 2012's The Avengers, Marvel Studios replaced Edward Norton with Mark Ruffalo, who delivered his own spin on the Green Goliath.
