Mark Ruffalo joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe way back in 2012 when he replaced Edward Norton as Bruce Banner in The Avengers. He's been playing The Hulk ever since, and next up for the actor is Disney+'s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. At this point, it's fair to say he's now a Marvel Studios veteran.
It's no wonder, then, that he's quick to defend the MCU when it comes under fire, and the actor did exactly that during a recent interview with Metro (via SFFGazette.com).
However, he did so by making some pointed remarks about the Star Wars franchise! "It’s not something I worry about," Ruffalo initially said when asked about the rapidly expanding MCU. "I understand that these things run their course and then something else comes along."
He'd go on to praise the studio for allowing filmmakers to put their spin on the comic books with "their own style [and] their likeness." To reinforce the point he was making, Ruffalo used Star Wars as an example of a franchise that doesn't necessarily evolve or differ as much as the MCU (for example, Moon Knight, Thor: Love and Thunder, and What If...? are all worlds apart).
"If you watch a Star Wars, you’re pretty much going to get the same version of Star Wars each time," Ruffalo said, making a valid observation. "It might have a little bit of humor. It might have a little bit of different animation. But you’re always, really, in that same kind of world. But with Marvel you can have a whole different feeling, even within the Marvel Universe."
Some Star Wars fans might not appreciate the actor's viewpoint, but he's not wrong. There's a very specific approach that needs to be taken with that Galaxy Far, Far Away in order to maintain a certain feel to the franchise, and when someone veers away and attempts to put their own stamp on a project, they get fired (look at Phil Lord and Chris Miller with Solo: A Star Wars Story). The MCU, however, is a little more varied tonally.
What do you think about Ruffalo's take on Star Wars? Let us know down in the usual place.