Mark Ruffalo Loved the Edward Norton Reference in She-Hulk

August 26, 2022

The latest episode of the Disney+ series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law has a fun nod to The Incredible Hulk, as well as a line that actor Mark Ruffalo loved to see.

Late in the new episode, in a conversation between Tatiana Maslany’s Jennifer Walters and Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner, the pair discuss Tim Roth’s Emil Blonsky. Jennifer is looking for information on Blonsky and brings up the fact that both Banner and Blonsky have fought before as the Hulk and Abomination. However, Ruffalo dryly replies that the “fight was so many years ago, I’m a completely different person now — literally,” a clear joke to the fact that Edward Norton was the one playing Bruce Banner/Hulk at the time.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly about the show, Ruffalo recalled the scene, saying that he found it “funny” and was glad to see them reference something that it feels like fans and those behind-the-scenes alike are often dancing around.

“I think it’s really funny. It’s just the reality that we all are often dancing around, but it’s true,” Ruffalo said before comparing the Hulk to this generation’s version of Hamlet. “I actually joked with Ed about this. I was like, ‘It’s like our generation’s Hamlet. Everyone’s going to get a shot at it.’ And there’ll probably be another couple before it’s all over. People will be like, ‘Remember when the Hulk used to look like Mark Ruffalo? Now it looks like Timothée Chalamet.'”

Ruffalo also talked about how often his portrayal of the iconic character has changed and noted that it was “cool” that, years down the line, the Hulk could end up being a totally different thing, even referencing stories like World War Hulk.

“The cool thing about this world is that it could just be anything,” said Ruffalo. “Five years from now, it could totally morph into anything, whatever’s pertinent at the time. I almost see him going back to ‘Berserker Hulk’ or ‘World War Hulk.’ It could go anywhere. That’s the exciting part — I’ve played five different versions from beginning to now, and that’s kept it interesting for me and, I hope, interesting for other people.”

Described as a 10-episode legal comedy, the She-Hulk series is led by Emmy and Golden Globe winner Tatiana Maslany, who plays the titular role of Jennifer Walters. She is joined by Avengers: Endgame star Mark Ruffalo and Tim Roth (The Incredible Hulk) as they reprise their respective roles as Bruce Banner/The Hulk and Abomination.