Mark Ruffalo talks about the wild way he found out he landed the role of Hulk in the MCU

Actor Marco Ruffalo began his career in small roles in the 1990s, which led to more leading parts in romantic comedies such as View from above, 13 ongoing 30AND Just like heaven. He has also acted in several unusual dramas which have attracted him a lot of attention, including Eternal light of the pure mind, CollateralAND Zodiac.

On the heels of Ruffalo’s first Oscar nomination for his role in the 2010 drama The children are fine, the actor was approached by Marvel to take on the role of Bruce Banner aka The Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This was just a couple of years later Iron Man was released and the Marvel machine was in full swing, headed towards the implementation of The Avengers, changing superhero movies forever. But Ruffalo was unsure whether to take on the lead role, especially afterward Edward Norton be released from the role. But in the two weeks between his firing and the San Diego Comic-Con panel that would introduce Ruffalo as the new Hulk, executives were eager to finalize the deal. However, in the actor’s eyes it was all very cloak and dagger.

In the book “MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios,” by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales and Gavin Edwards, Ruffalo explained that when he was first contacted, he read the pages of the script that Avengers director Joss Whedon had given him sent, then called Norton to get his blessing. He said the two joked that Hulk was their generation’s Hamlet, and eventually everyone would play the character.

Representatives from Marvel and Ruffalo negotiated his contract until the end, and the night before the unforgettable Comic-Con panel, Ruffalo received a call from his agent, who said:

“Look out the window at 5 in the morning. If there’s a car there, you got the part. If there’s not, go back to bed.”

The next morning, Ruffalo followed the directions and woke up to find a limousine waiting for him outside his house. The book says that Ruffalo stumbled upon it by chance and went to the airport to catch a plane to San Diego. Ruffalo says, “I was happy. And I was scared to death.” Later that day at Comic-Con, Robert Downey Junior. made a surprise cameo to announce new MCU additions Joss Whedon, Jeremy Renner, and Ruffalo.

The actor has continued to perfectly embody the Hulk through all of his story arcs and changes in the MCU, and has also had a successful film and television career beyond Marvel, earning two more Oscar nominations, as well as two Emmy wins, and a Golden Globe win as well as several nominations.

Mark Ruffalo will reappear as Bruce Banner/Hulk Avengers: Secret Warsdue out in 2027. He is also in post-production on the upcoming sci-fi drama Mickey Mouse 17by director Bong Joon Ho (Parasite), in which he will star alongside Robert Pattinson, Toni Collette, Steven Yeun and Naomi Ackie. The plot of the film is still under wraps and will be released on March 29, 2024.