The absolutely shocking Hulk scene that was cut from the Marvel movie

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe has lost touch with the real world, but in 2012’s “The Avengers” its heroes felt like real (and dysfunctional) people. Take the crucial argument scene before everything descends to hell on the SHIELD helicarrier, where anger and resentment flare. What finally shuts everyone up? Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) reveals that they can’t kill his other self, the Hulk… because he already tried:

“I felt weak. I didn’t see the end, so I put a bullet in my mouth…and the other guy spit it out.”

It’s dark for an otherwise light-hearted film. This stands out even more because Marvel Studios had already cut the scene referencing this line from 2008’s “The Incredible Hulk.”

The scene can be viewed online; it depicts Bruce (then played by Edward Norton) hitchhiking to a frozen tundra. He climbs to the top of a glacier and pulls out a gun, but before he can use it, his eyes turn green and Hulk emerges. Cut to a POV shot of Hulk crushing the gun in his hand, then a wide shot of the glacier collapsing as Hulk roars.

According to “The History of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe,” there was a different version of this scene where, as writer-director Joss Whedon mentioned in “The Avengers,” Banner put the gun in his mouth. The concept comes from “Startling Stories: Banner” by writer Brian Azzarello and artist Richard Corben; issue #1 ends with Banner shooting himself in the mouth, issue #2 opens with Hulk spitting out the bullet.

“The Avengers” is stronger because this scene was removed. It’s not just shocking to the characters that Banner almost killed himself, it’s shocking to them. We. “The Incredible Hulk” lost crucial character development, however.

Norton had big ambitions for Hulk, but was disappointed by a loss of creative control over “The Incredible Hulk.” Hence his and Marvel’s vow to never work together again (and Ruffalo’s subsequent casting). The deletion of this scene is symptomatic of this clash between the actor and the studio.

Norton wanted “Incredible Hulk” to be more character-driven and rewrote the script uncredited. Marvel and director Louis Leterrier then recut “The Incredible Hulk” into an action film with only hints of what Norton wanted. (For example, Bruce practices meditation to keep his temper in check.) Remember, Ang Lee’s 2003 film “Hulk” was criticized for having too much character development and too little action. Lee’s film focused on the Hulk’s history, including how Bruce’s alter ego stems from his abusive childhood.

The Hulk is a difficult character to portray in a film; he is closer to Frankenstein’s tormented monster than to a traditional superhero. But it is also a giant, muscular and angry monster that can pierce tanks and buildings. Many just want to see Hulk crash and aren’t interested in finding out how Hulk is Banner’s curse. “The Incredible Hulk” was recut to appeal to that audience, so of course that opening was removed. Starting your film with a suicide attempt is a pretty depressing note.

Whedon is the only writer-director to find a happy medium between Banner’s bleakness and Hulk’s crush. In “The Avengers,” the Hulk is still seething under Banner’s skin, and when he first appears, the film shifts into horror mode. Yet the third act also gives Hulk plenty of screen time to crush the aliens. Since then, no film has really broken this balance.

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