Marvel Shows How Ed Norton's Hulk Can Return To The MCU

Edward Norton hasn't played the Hulk since 2008, but some of Marvel's current narrative experiments on What If...? could allow him to come back. The Incredible Hulk, which starred Norton as the title character, was released in June 2008 as the second film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, following Iron Man's release by little more than a month. However, Norton publicly exited the role and the franchise in 2010, and beginning with 2012's The Avengers, Mark Ruffalo took over as Bruce Banner/Hulk in a fan-favorite casting.

Marvel's fourth Disney+ series, What If...? builds on the multiversal groundwork laid by Loki and Avengers: Endgame by telling alternate history-style stories of MCU events. It is based on the general concept of the comic book series of the same name, as well as a few other points of inspiration, such as the Marvel Zombies limited series, which will be adapted in a future episode. Both the half-hour run times and the animated nature of What If...? make it less of a commitment for actors, and as such, many stars of the MCU have returned to voice their characters.

Although What If...? is technically canon in the MCU, its creative goal seems to be to shake things up outside of the constraints of a heavily serialized narrative, while also capitalizing on audiences' familiarity with said narrative. The first two episodes have already shown that an effective expression of this is characters taking on each other's roles, so it could be fun to have the Ruffalo Hulk encounter the Norton Hulk, playing with one of the MCU's most prominent recasts in a meta way. As previously mentioned, the show already features high-profile voice acting talent, so it wouldn't be a huge stretch to bring in Edward Norton, who is now only moderately less connected to the MCU than current cast members.

Mark Ruffalo, Eric Bana and Edward Norton as Hulk

Of course, the viability of Norton's return rests not only on narrative allowance but also on the actor's interest, if any. Unlike Terrence Howard, who was replaced by Don Cheadle as War Machine in the Iron Man films after reported salary disputes, Norton notably walked away from the role of the Hulk, allegedly out of a desire to avoid being pinned down as a specific character in the public consciousness, although conflict with the studio was rumored. His vaguely self-parodic character in Best Picture winner Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) even has a disdain for and a distance from superhero films in reference to this.

In the theatrical realm, Spider-Man: No Way Home is set to bring back many actors from previous Spider-Man films, including Alfred Molina and Jamie Foxx, setting a precedent for Norton to return to the multiverse on film. And this isn't even taking into account the fact that the previous Sony Spider-Man series weren't even remotely connected to the MCU before No Way Home, whereas The Incredible Hulk was, featuring a post-credits appearance by Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark, as well as Thaddeus Ross and Abomination, with Ross going on to appear in Captain America: Civil War and Black Widow and Abomination in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, respectively. At a time when anything seems possible in terms of crazy casting, bringing back Norton, whose Bruce Banner had such a markedly different vibe from Ruffalo's, could be a great addition to Marvel's current antics, whether on What If...? or on the big screen.

Next: Phase 4 Proves Marvel Is Finally Embracing The Incredible Hulk