8 Actor Recasts That Completely Changed Everything

By Brian Wilson / March 13, 2016

1. Bruce Banner - The Avengers

Just as Bruce Banner struggles to control The Hulk, so too have film studios struggled to control the awfulness that appears inevitable within every big-screen iteration of the green-skinned monster.

Marvel's first attempt came in 2003, helmed by celebrated director Ang Lee (famous these days for Life Of Pi) and fronted by Eric Bana. The film was a critical nightmare, and the character was left alone for five years, until director Louis Leterrier tried to revive the beast once more in 2008. This time the film fared slightly better with critics, but it was still not particularly loved by fans of the comic.

While Edward Norton improved on Eric Bana and the woeful film that came before him, he was himself outshone by Mark Ruffalo, who finally managed to make Banner an incredibly likeable and sympathetic character in The Incredible Hulk follow-on The Avengers. This is significant because sympathy is key to Banner's successful portrayal; without it, the audience simply wouldn't care about his internal struggle, which is basically the entire point of the character. Coupled with Ruffalo's charm and charisma, the character also integrates very well with the rest of The Avengers.

Could Ruffalo be the one to lead us towards a legitimately great Hulk movie? Only time (and merch sales) will tell. Which other famous roles were recast? Were they successful? Share any more down in the comments.