10 Comic Book Movie Performances So Boring It Actually Hurt

8. Bruce Banner - Edward Norton - The Incredible Hulk

Marvel didn't have much luck casting Bruce Banner until they eventually stumbled upon Mark Ruffalo, the first actor since forever to successfully render the character "interesting," achieved by making him far more good humoured and self-deprecating and far less mopey mopey. Unfortunately for Edward Norton, his performance as Bruce Banner in the relatively good - but ultimately forgettable - The Incredible Hulk movie didn't leave much of a mark: aside from feeling a little phoned-in, it also felt remarkably shy of "character." His Banner just felt like Ed Norton. Eric Bana's performance as the Hulk in Ang Lee's movie of the same name fell into a similar trap as Norton's: by making Bruce too broody and too sulky, it also made him feel super dull. So perhaps we'll never know if Norton's "flat" performance was a conscious choice here, or whether he just got tired of the project and decided to play his fatigue as a character trait. You almost feel sorry for him in the sense that Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner felt complete the moment he uttered his first line. People have already forgotten that Ed Norton was the Hulk.