Marvel reveals brutal reason why they decided to recast Hulk in MCU

MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios lifted the lid on why the entertainment company decided to recast the Hulk.

A whole line of actors have taken on the role of the large, green Marvel superhero but Mark Ruffalo is the performer who probably springs to mind when you first think of the Hulk. And while Ruffalo has reprised the role multiple times, not all actors who've taken on the Hulk have.

An excerpt from the book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios was shared to Reddit thread r/marvelstudios by u/eBICgamer2010 and nods to a reason why Edward Norton - who played the titular character in the 2008 version of the film - wasn't invited back.

Part of it reads: "The Incredible Hulk, starring Edward Norton and released in the summer of 2008, remains one of Marvel's least-loved projects. It's the movie that newcomers to the MCU are encouraged to skip.

"But it also taught Marvel Studios a valuable early lesson about the limits of collaboration. Put another way, Marvel learned that top-down authorities and creativity are not necessarily in conflict with each other.

"Marvel eventually boiled that moral down to its essence. 'We have a no-asshole policy on our movies,' one Marvel performer summarized. Craig Kyle, who joined Marvel Studios as a producer back in the days of the kite factory, agreed: 'It's a great policy."

While they don't name Norton as one of the 'assholes,' then-president of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige, did issue a statement about the actor not returning to the role.

The Incredible Hulk (2008) starred Edward Norton in the titular role (Universal Pictures)

He told HitFix, as quoted by Cinema Blend: "We have made the decision to not bring Ed Norton back to portray the title role of Bruce Banner in The Avengers.

"Our decision is definitely not one based on monetary factors, but instead rooted in the need for an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members.

"The Avengers demands players who thrive working as part of an ensemble, as evidenced by Robert, Chris H, Chris E, Samuel, Scarlett, and all of our talented casts. We are looking to announce a name actor who fulfils these requirements, and is passionate about the iconic role in the coming weeks."

And Norton himself addressed the decision in a post to Facebook.

Norton never returned to the role (Universal Pictures)

The actor wrote in July 2010, as quoted by The Hollywood Reporter: "It seems it won’t work out for me. I sincerely hoped it could happen and be great for everyone, but it hasn’t turned out as we all hoped."

He later said to NPR in 2014: "My feeling was that I experimented and experienced what I wanted to. I really, really enjoyed it. And yet, I looked at the balance of time in life that one spends not only making those sorts of films but then especially putting them out, and the obligations that rightly come with that."

He added: "I think you can sort of do anything once, but if you do it too many times, it can become a suit that’s hard to take off, in other peoples’ eyes."

Ah well, however, the relationship ended, let's hope over 10 years on it's water under the bridge, eh?