Hulk Actor Explains How MCU Boss Had To Fight For Diversity
By ESR on 26 februarie 2020
Mark Ruffalo, who plays the Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is well-known for being outspoken and passionate. It’s also no secret that the Marvel Universe was, for a long time, overwhelmingly focused on straight white men–and it’s only recently that movies like Black Panther, Captain Marvel, and the upcoming Black Widow have bucked that trend.
Mark Ruffalo has addressed this is an interview with The Independent, where he has talked openly about the whiteness of Hollywood, and directly discussed the Marvel films. In his discussion, Ruffalo praises Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige for his strong belief in the importance of diversity–even if it took a long time for him to get to a position where he could actually implement those beliefs.
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Ruffalo tells a story from his time working on the original Avengers movie, where Feige told Ruffalo on set that he “might not be there” the next day, depending on how a discussion with Marvel chairman Ike Perlmutter went. Ruffalo recalls that Feige told him “Ike does not believe that anyone will go to a female-starring superhero movie. So if I am still here tomorrow, you will know that I won that battle.”
Ruffalo says that Feige has “changed the whole Marvel universe, because he “wanted black superheroes, women superheroes, LGBT superheroes.” Ruffalo says, “We now have a gay superhero on the way,” presumably referring to Phastos, played by Bryan Tyree Henry, in The Eternals.
“No other studio is being that inclusive on that level,” Ruffalo said, before adding, “They have to, though. This is the f***ing world.”
Ike Perlmutter officially stopped overseeing the developments within Marvel Studios in 2015.
It’s not entirely clear what Marvel’s plans are for Ruffalo’s Hulk, going forward. There are plans for two Marvel movies in cinemas for 2020: Black Widow and The Eternals, which will be the first and second Marvel movies to be solely directed by women (Cate Shortland and Chloé Zhao respectively). Shang-Chi, Black Panther 2, and Blade are also coming.
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