The Incredible Hulk is one of the most iconic and adored characters in Marvel. The character showed complexity and relatability that is rare to see, with Bruce Banner, who is a calm, calculating, and brilliant scientist, suddenly switching into the big, green, raging Hulk, who only acts on instinct and nothing else. While the character was first introduced by Eric Bana’s portrayal of the 2003 film titled Hulk, and then by Edward Norton in 2008 The Incredible Hulk, Mark Ruffalo’s portrayal of the character has become the most well-known and loved representation.
First appearing in The Avengers and being one of the original Avengers, Ruffalo played the character for more than ten years. Though, however, iconic the character may be, recent decisions about the character have made this version quite controversial. Joe Rogan has been very vocal about his views on the subject, however, it would seem that he isn’t the only one, with Louis Leterrier, the director of The Incredible Hulk, also having spoken out on the subject.
The Director of The Incredible Hulk Hates Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk
The Hulk is a character known for having many different versions of himself, each having a specific characteristic that makes them unique. While the MCU only showcased two of these versions, Rage Hulk and Smart Hulk, they were in quite a contrast, making the latter seem much more childish and underpowered, rather than growth for the character. Louis Leterrier, the director of The Incredible Hulk agrees with this sentiment, talking in quite a lot of detail on the matter.
“Hulk is a complex character within the Marvel Universe. You want the primeval Hulk… the rage Hulk. And then when you go Grey Hulk and Smart Hulk you lose that a little bit and you get a little bit more kiddish with it.” he said.
The director explained that the Hulk is an incredibly complex character and while versions like Rage Hulk and Red Hulk are what the character is known for, his other versions, like Grey Hulk or Smart Hulk, can come off as much more childish and innocent in comparison. Leterrier then went on to talk about how he is not a big fan of the direction Marvel has taken but the Hulk and Bruce Banner’s cousin, She-Hulk.
Louis Leterrier Had A Direction In Mind For A Second Incredible Hulk Film
The Hulk’s character has become quite the disappointment for Marvel fans, with many being upset with the Hulk not even making an appearance in Avengers: Infinity War and Bruce Banner having to fight in the Hulkbuster, to the fact that the character took a completely different turn in Avengers: Endgame, becoming almost a parody version of his original self. Adding to this were the questionable plot decisions made by Marvel on She-Hulk, fans were not happy and Louis Leterrier was one of them.
“But that was the fun of where I was in my movie, with the access to consciousness and all that stuff. That was really fun. And that’s what I was aiming to do. But take my time with it. Because there’s so many characters they want it all fast [laughs].” he added, “I like ‘She-Hulk,’ but then you know, yoga between Hulk and… I was like ‘Okay! yeah, we’re very far from my Hulk.'”
The director first mentioned that he had quite a few ideas in mind after The Incredible Hulk for a potential sequel, with plans of featuring the Red Hulk, one of the most loved versions of the character from the comics. This obviously did not pan out after this version of the character was recast. Leterrier, did, however, mention that he wasn’t a big fan of how many characters Marvel was introducing in a very short span> He added that though he was a fan of She-Hulk’s character, he wasn’t all too fond of the direction the project took.
Source: The Direct
