Eric Bana Explicitly Denies Rumors of His Hulk Appearing in Deadpool & Wolverine: ‘I Can’t See That Happening’
Back in 2003, Marvel’s so-called cinematic universe consisted only of Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man (2002), a pair of X-Men movies, Ben Affleck’s Daredevil and Eric Bana’s much-maligned Hulk. Today, if one believes the rumors, the word is that Bana is going to reprise the role, but the actor expressly denies claims that his version of Dr. Bruce Banner is going to appear in this summer’s Deadpool & Wolverine. While appearing on The Jess Cagle Show, the host told Bana that he “ran across a couple of things” inferring that Bana would appear in Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman’s highly anticipated team-up in the MCU. But Bana claims “it’s the first I’ve heard of it.” Bana said (per SiriusXM):
It’s the first I’ve heard of it [laughs]. I can’t see that happening. I’m sorry, Jess. Hugh [Jackman] is a very close friend of mine. Still can’t see that happening.
I can’t see it. I can’t see it […] Nah, I can’t see it happening.
‘It Was Always Going to Be a Frustrating Character to Play’
Eric Bana’s Hulk being in Deadpool & Wolverine is clearly just a drop in the bucket when it comes to all the speculation swirling around the Merc with a Mouth’s first appearance in the MCU this summer. Josh Brolin wants to be in the film as Cable, but claims he isn’t. And then there are the Michael B. Jordan/Fantastic Four rumors However, when it comes to Bana, he never expected to play the role of Bruce Banner/Hulk more than one time. And the actor ad mits Hulk “was always going to be a frustrating character to play.” Bana said in 2021 with Vulture:
“It was always going to be a frustrating character to play. The challenge is to convey all that pent-up, repressed energy, emotion. It’s one reason why I was excited to do it, but it’s not the most expressive character to portray because that job is for the alter ego; you’re meant to feel euphoric when he finally turns into the Hulk. I convinced myself that I was just part of a family drama and that the green guy was the star, so I tried not to let the pressure get to me. But I was aware that it was going to challenge people.”
Hulk still ranks among the best Eric Bana films, but the actor never had any desire to become a part of the then Marvel Universe, which predated the MCU by a full five years. In fact, the thespian doesn’t seem all that well suited to play a character who is required to appear in a number of spin-offs and sequels, as happens in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — Bana refers to himself as a “commitment-phobe” in the same sit-down:
“I’m a commitment-phobe — that’s the reason why, up until now, I haven’t done series in television, because work security doesn’t speak to me. I like work insecurity. So, it’s never been a huge carrot for me for someone to say, ‘If you do this, there’s a good chance that there’ll be this and this.’”
