Robert Downey Jr. Saved Marvel by Convincing One of the Original 6 Avengers Actor to Accept Role After Edward Norton’s Acrimonious Departure
Life gave Robert Downey Jr. a second chance at reviving his career as a professional actor after his infamous encounter with law due to his drug addiction. He proved to be an asset to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the success of 2008’s Iron Man in which he played the eponymous superhero. Since this was the first film in the MCU, Robert Downey Jr’s performance was a real game-changer.
There was another way in which Robert Downey Jr. contributed to the MCU and it is not one that is known by everyone. Mark Ruffalo joined the MCU as Bruce Banner aka Hulk in 2012 in the movie Avengers, but he would have never joined the franchise if it wasn’t for Downey’s portrayal of Iron Man.
Read More: “F*ck Mark”: Robert Downey Jr Shows No Mercy to Mark Ruffalo For Betraying the Avengers
Robert Downey Jr. Helped Mark Ruffalo Seal the Deal
Mark Ruffalo gained worldwide recognition with his role as Hulk, and he is not planning to let go of that character any time soon. However, there was a high probability that he would have declined the role because he was more inclined towards getting involved in independent and personal projects instead of huge commercially successful projects.
Ruffalo is a big fan of The Incredible Hulk so one would think that he would be ecstatic to be replacing Edward Norton but he still saw the MCU as a blockbuster franchise. This is where Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man helped him make the decision as it gave him a new outlook on what comic book hero movies can achieve. While talking to Australia’s Sunday Herald-Sun (via MTV), the Poor Things actor said: “Because of what Robert [Downey Jr.] had done and where that genre has gone since then, I did it.”
Despite what he said, Mark Ruffalo was quite wary about the green screen and special effects that he would be using for his role in The Avengers. Director and writer Joss Whedon believed that the Foxcatcher actor would do well in the movie regardless of how he felt about the use of artificial things on the set.
Mark Ruffalo Had to Be Convinced
Joss Whedon also played a great part in convincing Mark Ruffalo to take the role of Hulk. Recalling his casting story in Avengers during an interview for Abrams Books’ The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ruffalo said:
“Joss said, ‘Well, I’m not supposed to do this … but I’ll give you half the script and all the Banner/Hulk scenes I’ve written. I loved what he did with it. I loved the humor. Banner’s introduction was amazing. I felt like it was a fresh take on this character we hadn’t seen that I could fit nicely into. So I said, ‘Let’s do it.'”
Whedon clearly took a huge risk given how secretive Marvel is about its projects. That being said, there was still a high chance that Mark Ruffalo would have been dropped from the movie altogether as his agent said that he should consider himself onboard only if he sees a limo outside his house at 4AM. That’s one shady way to confirm a role but fortunately, the limo was there that morning.
Source: MTV, The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe
