She-Hulk: Attorney at Law featured tons of MCU Easter eggs, but there was a memorable meta-reference about Bruce Banner's recasting after 2008's The Incredible Hulk that raised some eyebrows. In She-Hulk Episode 2, Mark Ruffalo's Smart Hulk told Jen that he's a "completely different person now, literally" when the latter asked if it's okay to take Emil Blonsky's case, making direct reference to Edward Norton's tenure as the MCU's Hulk.
Tim Roth has been expressing his excitement in terms of working with the new Hulk actor, with him previously offering high praise toward Ruffalo. The pair even had a good dynamic on set, as they would “hang around and muck about between takes.”
Now, the Marvel actor has shared more details about the giant-sized reunion in She-Hulk.
She-Hulk Has A Hulk and Abomination Reunion
Tim Roth, who plays the MCU's Abomination, sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to tease a potential rematch with Mark Ruffalo's Smart Hulk in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
Given that Roth's Abomination was closely tied to Edward Norton's version of Bruce Banner in 2008's The Incredible Hulk, the actor was asked if he thought that he wouldn't because of that association, to which he responded no, saying that he "never thought that deeply about it:"
"No, I never thought that deeply about it. I remember when they changed the actor, and I remember enjoying what Mark [Ruffalo] did. I was a fan of Mark as an actor. He’s just an incredible guy and an incredible actor."
Roth then implied that he filmed a scene with Ruffalo's Hulk, describing a sequence where Abomination and the Avenger "messed around:"
"I’ve always wanted to work with him, and it just happened to be this, which was kind of fun. But we messed around with [the recasting]. I don’t know if any of it made it into [She-Hulk], but when I looked at him as we were shooting, I was like, “You’ve put on weight. There’s something about you …” So it was that kind of stuff. We messed around, and we were encouraged to improvise and play. So we dealt with [the recasting]."
In a previous interview, Roth credited Ruffalo for helping him find his way in his Marvel return, saying, "Oh, that's how you do it! With a sense of humor."
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Roth confirmed that he filmed a scene where he acknowledge the fact that the last time he played Blonsky was with Norton, noting that Bruce Banner looks extremely different.
However, the actor isn't sure if this made the final cut of episodes:
“It was great. I don’t know if it’s in there [in the episode], but there is a slight bit of confusion when I see him. We riffed on that a lot when we were shooting but I don’t know if any of it made it in. ‘You really put on weight,’ that kind of stuff. It’s very funny. But listen, I got to work with two great actors, that’s the bottom line. Ed’s fantastic, and Mark Ruffalo, I’ve always wanted to work with Mark Ruffalo, and I got to do it. That’s pretty much a bonus. I’ll take that.”
Will Hulk and Abomination Square Off in a Potential MCU Rematch?
It is unknown how Tim Roth's Abomination and Mark Ruffalo's Smart Hulk will reunite in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, but the actor's comments suggest that it will be a hilarious moment for the series.
Still, it's possible that Abomination's turn to the good side is a one-off and his rampage could be the reason why Smart Hulk decides to intervene. As a result, a rematch of the Harlem incident could be in the cards for the Disney+ series.
However, given that She-Hulk is a legal comedy, it is expected that there is still a sense of humor in Hulk and Abomination's scenes, especially after Roth revealed that his character hilariously points out the Avenger's different look.
Hulk's comeback in the latter episodes of the series has already been spoiled by a behind-the-scenes photo, thus further cementing his encounter with Abomination.
While the context of why Hulk's return is still unknown, the Avenger could team up with Jennifer Walters to go up against the combined forces of Titania and Abomination, setting up an epic finale for She-Hulk.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law's first three episodes are now streaming on Disney+.
