Chatting recently with
The Wall Street Journal, the actor whose taking over the Incredible Hulk role in this summer's long-awaited superhero flick
The Avengers, Mark Ruffalo discussed the evolution of the Jade Giant.
"I don't think Bruce Banner's any longer trying to run from the inevitable, which is his voice, and that's a kind of maturation that all of us go through," Mr. Ruffalo says. "At this point, I think he's ready to turn and face this beast that he's partially created and try to integrate it into his life and use it for the good that he intended it to be used for."
"There's a lot of world-weary charm in the character," Mr. Ruffalo says, "a lot of sense of humor about himself and where he finds himself. He has this maturation that I think makes him ready to accept whatever his fate may be." Joe Wos, the executive director of a museum of comic and cartoon art in Pittsburgh, also commented on the beastly character suggesting that he's one of the most popular comic superheroes. Mr. Wos said the top three comic-book characters with that demographic tend to be Spider-Man, Batman and Superman, with the Hulk being fourth.
"The Hulk is a very difficult character to pull off without making it cartoonish," Mr. Wos says, adding that Lou Ferrigno, who played the Hulk in the 1978-1982 television series, became a caricature because the special effects wouldn't allow for complexity. This character has such exaggerated proportions, it's very easy to lose the humanity and inner turmoil of the character underneath" computer generated imagery.
The complexity extends to the character's face: An actor must capture the Hulk's psychological as well as physical struggles, Mr. Wos says. "This is a character whose power comes from his anger. But, at the same time, once he's in that position, he still has to struggle to maintain that control so that anger doesn't go too far," he says.
Marvel Studios presents in association with Paramount Pictures “Marvel’s The Avengers”--the super hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel super heroes Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.
Starring Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, & directed by Joss Whedon from a screenplay by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when “Marvel’s The Avengers” assemble on May 4, 2012. The film is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. In addition to "Marvel's The Avengers," Marvel Studios will release a slate of films based on the Marvel characters including "Iron Man 3" on May 3, 2013!; and “Thor 2” on November 15, 2013.