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The Hulk

Real Name: Dr. Robert Bruce Banner

The Green Goliath · The Jade Giant · Smart Hulk · Professor Hulk

3
Actors
8
Films
23
Years On Screen
2003
First Film

📖 About

The character no studio has fully cracked on its own. Three actors have played Bruce Banner across recent eras — Eric Bana (2003), Edward Norton (2008), and Mark Ruffalo (2012-onwards). Ruffalo's decade-plus motion-capture run has made the Hulk a continuing presence even though Marvel doesn't own his solo film rights.

🎭 Every Actor Who Played The Hulk

Across 23 years and 8 films, these are the performers who brought The Hulk to life on screen.

Eric Bana
🎭
Eric Bana
2003
Hulk
Ang Lee's ambitious art-house Hulk. Bana plays Banner; the Hulk is fully CGI. Critically divisive on release; reputation has improved over time.
Edward Norton
🎭
Edward Norton
2008
The Incredible Hulk
Marvel Studios' first Hulk. Recast for The Avengers (2012) due to creative disagreements. Norton's Banner remains canonically the same character — just with a new actor.
Mark Ruffalo
🎭
Mark Ruffalo
2012 · 2015 · 2017 · 2018 · 2019 · 2022
6 MCU films + She-Hulk + Shang-Chi cameo
The MCU's definitive Banner. Performance-captures both human Bruce and Hulk. Has played the character in 8+ films/shows. The "Smart Hulk" merged form debuted in Endgame — combining Banner's mind with Hulk's body.
Thor: Ragnarok
★ Definitive Performance
Thor: Ragnarok (2017) →
The MCU has never made a great solo Hulk film (legal issues with Universal still owning distribution rights). But Thor: Ragnarok features the funniest, most fully-realized version of Ruffalo's Hulk on screen — the buddy dynamic with Hemsworth's Thor lifted both characters into their best era.

🎬 Every Film Appearance

All 8 appearances of The Hulk on the big screen, in chronological order.

2003Eric Bana
Hulk →
Lead

Ang Lee's ambitious art-film Hulk. Comic-panel split-screen, philosophical themes about anger and parenthood. Box office disappointment; cult reappraisal.

2008Edward Norton
The Incredible Hulk →
Lead

Marvel Studios' second film, second-tier in profile. Sets up Hulk's MCU presence. Tony Stark cameo at the end.

2012Mark Ruffalo
The Avengers →
Lead

Ruffalo's debut. "I'm always angry" before Hulking out in the Battle of New York. Defining Avengers moment.

2015Mark Ruffalo
Avengers: Age of Ultron →
Lead

Banner co-creates Ultron with Tony — the film's biggest mistake. Romance with Natasha Romanoff. Hulk leaves Earth at the end.

2017Mark Ruffalo
Thor: Ragnarok →
Co-lead

Hulk as a gladiator on Sakaar — has been Hulk for two straight years. "Hulk is friend!" Hulk-Thor buddy comedy is born.

2018Mark Ruffalo
Avengers: Infinity War →
Lead

The Hulk refuses to come out after Thanos beats him on the asgardian ship. Banner pilots Hulkbuster armor in Wakanda.

2019Mark Ruffalo
Avengers: Endgame →
Lead

The film introduces Smart Hulk — Banner has spent 5 years merging his mind with the Hulk's body. The only one who can survive wearing the Gauntlet.

2021Mark Ruffalo
Shang-Chi →Cameo
Cameo

Ruffalo's Banner appears in the post-credits scene. Confirms his arm is still injured from the Snap (introducing future Smart-Hulk arm storyline).

📚 Comic Storylines That Inspired the Films

The original published stories that screen versions have drawn from.

#92–105 (2006–07)
Planet Hulk
by Greg Pak & Carlo Pagulayan
Hulk exiled to Sakaar; becomes a gladiator-king. Direct partial inspiration for Thor: Ragnarok.
5-issue mini (2007)
World War Hulk
by Greg Pak & John Romita Jr.
Hulk returns to Earth and tears through the Marvel Universe in revenge. The Mark Ruffalo film World War Hulk has long been speculated.
50 issues (2018–21)
The Immortal Hulk
by Al Ewing & Joe Bennett
Modern-classic horror reframing of Hulk. Multiple personalities, gamma-mythology, body horror. Currently inspiring She-Hulk and Shang-Chi MCU content.
2-issue mini (1992)
Future Imperfect
by Peter David & George Pérez
Introduces Maestro — the dark future Hulk. Setup teased in MCU's What If…?