Mark Ruffalo Slams Star Wars When Comparing It To Marvel
Hulk Smash Jedi!
Bruce Banner might have just stirred up some trouble in the Disney family. Mark Ruffalo just brought up the subject of Star Wars in an interview, and he wasn’t exactly complimentary about it. It’s a good thing the San Diego Comic-Con is already over, otherwise tone of the stars of the upcoming She-Hulk: Attorney at Law might have some angry Darth Maul cosplayers coming after him with plastic lightsabers.
In an interview with Metro.co.uk that was published Thursday, Ruffalo was asked about whether or not there was “too much Marvel content.” The Spotlight star said it wasn’t a question he bothered himself with.” [T]he thing Marvel has done well is that, inside the MCU, just as they do with comic books, they let a director or an actor sort of recreate each piece to their own style, their likeness,” Mark Ruffalo said. Then came the Star Wars jab: “If you watch a Star Wars, you’re pretty much going to get the same version of Star Wars each time. It might have a little bit of humor. It might have a little bit of different animation. But you’re always, really, in that same kind of world. But with Marvel you can have a whole different feeling even within the Marvel Universe.”
It’s an interesting criticism though it includes at least a little bit of unintended irony considering most of Marvel’s biggest critics will immediately attack what they see as the films’ formulaic nature. But Mark Ruffalo isn’t wrong about the differences between Star Wars and Marvel. While it’s clear plenty of fans are split between the qualities of the various Star Wars trilogies, they’re all big, epic sci-fi adventure flicks meant to elicit the same kind of wonder. Meanwhile, some of Marvel’s most beloved films can feel like political thrillers (Captain America: The Winter Soldier), heist flicks (Ant-Man), supernatural horror films (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness), or martial arts epics (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings). The advent of Disney+’s original Marvel series has broadened the scope further, bringing in stronger elements from the genres of psychological thriller (Moon Knight) and teen drama (Ms. Marvel) among others.
And while fans might understandably not like what Mark Ruffalo has to say about Star Wars, some of the criticisms leveled at one of the franchise’s more recent entries serve as wonderful examples. A lot of fans wound up disappointed with Disney+’s The Book of Boba Fett. Along with other valid criticisms, Temuera Morrison’s character proved to be not nearly as ruthless as the bounty hunter fans were hoping for and a large chunk of the series took the focus away from the clone. In spite of the series being described as a kind of Godfather in space, Boba Fett felt less like a crime drama and more like your average Star Wars conflict in slightly darker clothing.
If Mark Ruffalo has any more shade to throw at Star Wars, it will likely be after his next Marvel appearance begins streaming on Disney+ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law premieres on the streamer next Thursday, August 18. We don’t know that the Jedi council will be sending anyone after the Hulk, but if so maybe Nick Fury can talk to Mace Windu and work something out.
