Edward Norton as
Dr. Bruce Banner / Hulk: A genius scientist who, because of exposure to
gamma radiation, transforms into the Hulk when stressed, enraged, or excited.
David Duchovny was a front-runner for the film before Norton's casting.
[4] Gale Anne Hurd recalled Norton's portrayals of duality in
Primal Fear and
Fight Club,
[5] while Norton reminded
Kevin Feige of
Bill Bixby, who played Banner in the TV series.
[6] Lou Ferrigno, who played the Hulk with Bixby, remarked Norton "has a similar physique [and a] similar personality".
[7]Norton was a Hulk fan, citing the first comic appearances, the Bixby TV show, and Bruce Jones' run on the comic, as his favorite depictions of the character.
[8] He had expressed interest in the role for the first film.
[9] He initially turned down the part for this film, recalling "there [was] the wince factor or the defensive part of you that recoils at what the bad version of what that would be", as he felt the previous film "strayed far afield from a story that was familiar to people, [...] which is a fugitive story". When he met Leterrier and Marvel, however, he liked their vision, and believed they were looking to him to guide the project. Thus, Norton rewrote the script.
[3] "Norton's script has given Bruce's story real gravitas," Letterier said. "Admittedly I'm not the most adult director, but just because we're making a superhero movie it doesn't have to just appeal to 13-year old boys. Ed and I both see superheroes as the new
Greek gods."
[10]Lou Ferrigno voices Hulk: During the 2008
New York Comic Con Leterrier publicly offered Ferrigno the chance to voice the Hulk for the film.
[11] This marks the third time Ferrigno portrayed the Hulk, having also voiced the character in the
1996 animated series. Originally, the Hulk's only line was "Betty" at the film's ending, which would have been his first word. Leterrier was aware that fans wanted him to speak normally, and added "leave me alone" and "Hulk smash!" The latter line received cheers during a screening he attended.
[12] Ferrigno also has a
cameo in the film as a security guard who is bribed by Banner with a pizza.
[13] Ferrigno had also made a cameo as a security guard in the 2003 film.
Liv Tyler as
Dr. Elizabeth "Betty" Ross: Bruce's girlfriend, whom he is separated from due to his condition, and a
cellular biologist. Tyler replaced actress
Jennifer Connelly, who portrayed Betty Ross in the 2003 film Hulk. Tyler was attracted to the love story in the script, and was a fan of the TV show, because of the "humanity and what [Banner] is going through".
[8] She was called about the role while driving to her home, and she accepted the part after a day without reading the script.
[14] Tyler and Norton spent hours discussing Bruce and Betty's life before he became the Hulk.
[15] She said filming the part "was very physical, which was fun",
[16] and compared her performance to "a deer caught in the headlights", because of Betty's shock as Bruce's unexpected return into her life.
[15]Tim Roth as
Emil Blonsky / Abomination: A Russian-born officer from the
United Kingdom Special Forces loaned to General Ross. Recognizing he is past his prime, he lusts after the Hulk's power. Roth said he took the part to please his sons, who are comic-book superhero fans. As a teenager, Roth was a fan of the 1970s TV series, and he also found Leterrier's ideas "very dark and very interesting". Roth started watching the 2003 film to prepare for the part, but stopped as he did not want to be caught up in the controversy over its quality, and to compare himself to it.
[17] It was Roth who suggested Blonsky be a special forces soldier, whereas in the comics he was a
KGB agent.
[18]Leterrier is a fan of Roth's work, and felt "it's great watching a normal
Cockney boy become a superhero!",
[10] but Marvel and Norton were initially reluctant to cast him.
[19] Before he was cast in
Punisher: War Zone,
Ray Stevenson was in discussions for the role.
[20] Roth prepared for the part by learning to fire guns and break into rooms with two experts.
[18] Roth found it tough shooting the chases, because he could not work out to show Blonsky's aging.
[15] He especially found it difficult to run while pulled with a harness, which was used to show the injected Blonsky's 30–40 mile per hour running abilities.
[21] Cyril Raffaelli performed some of Roth's stunts.
[5] Roth enjoyed the
motion capture, which reminded him of
fringe theatre, and he hired his trainer from
Planet of the Apes to aid him in portraying the monster's movement.
[15]William Hurt as
General Ross: Betty's father, who has dedicated himself to capturing the Hulk. Letterier cast Hurt because "Ross is more physical, more explosive in this movie, and no actor goes from zero to 100 as well as William."
[10] He compared Ross to
Captain Ahab.
[19] The Hulk is Hurt's favorite superhero, and his son is also a big fan of the character. Hurt found production very different from the typical "pure anxiety" of a studio movie, finding it more akin to an independent movie.
[22] He described Ross as "humiliated by Hulk's
conscience: he actually sees and recognizes that it's more developed than his own, even though he's a patriot and a warrior for his country. He's sacrificed [much] for that purpose, but at the expense at times of his humanity — which he occasionally recovers."
[23] Sam Elliott, who played Ross in the first film, would have liked to reprise the role, noting it was odd seeing someone take his part, "but I'll be looking forward to seeing this one".
[24]Ty Burrell as
Dr. Leonard Samson: The psychiatrist in a relationship with Betty during Bruce's absence. Burrell had performed with Norton in the
off Broadway play
Burn This in 2003, and when Leterrier met him, he recognized Burrell as the "jerk" from the 2004
Dawn of the Dead remake,
[25] which was how Samson was characterized in the script before Norton rewrote it.
[26]Additional cast members include
Tim Blake Nelson as the scientist
Samuel Sterns, and
Robert Downey Jr. cameos as
Tony Stark at the end of the film, reprising his role from
Iron Man. He did it as a favor to
Marvel Studios, which he acknowledged as a smart move, because when he was promoting his film he would also have to mention their other production.
[27] Hulk co-creator
Stan Lee cameos as a man who becomes ill when drinking the soda poisoned by the Hulk's blood.
Michael K. Williams appears in the film, in a role that was written for him by Norton, who is a fan of
The Wire.
[28] Paul Soles, who voiced Banner in the 1966
The Marvel Superheroes cartoon, cameos as Stanley, a kindly pizza restaurant owner who helps Banner. Additionally, the late
Bill Bixby appears, when a scene featuring Bixby on his TV
comedy-drama The Courtship of Eddie's Father plays on a television Banner is watching at the beginning of the film.
Rickson Gracie has a small role as Bruce Banner's martial arts instructor, despite his
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu background, he is credited as an
Aikido instructor.
