Evelynn Mottley: 'Avengers' Star Mark Ruffalo Says Bruce Banner, Tony Stark Share 'A Real Admiration'

Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man likes watching Ruffalo's character turn into the Hulk, actor reveals.
By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Mark Ruffalo
Photo: MTV News

When MTV News sat down with "Captain America" star Chris Evans — whose solo superhero flick hits theaters in July — we wanted to know about the prospect of joining up with the all-star team known as the Avengers for a 2012 big-screen adventure. Will the Captain be able to play nice with the likes of Thor, Bruce Banner's Hulk and Tony Stark's Iron Man?

"I think there's certainly a dichotomy — this kind of friction between myself and Tony Stark," Evans explained. "They're polar opposites: One guy is flash and spotlight and smooth, and the other guy is selfless and in the shadows and kind of quiet. They're polar opposites, and they have to get along, and they explore that, and it's pretty fun."

As expected, Captain America won't be the only superhero who clashes with Robert Downey Jr.'s brash Stark in "Avengers." Mark Ruffalo, who's taking on the Hulk role, also expects both to butt heads and bond with Mr. Iron Man.

"He's like the fallen-angel version of Tony Stark," Ruffalo told us of Banner, a scientist exposed to gamma radiation and, at times, transformed into that hulking green beast. "He was the renegade professor who was kind of a rebel, arrogant, doing things that were unorthodox. There's a real admiration between the two of them that's interesting."

It also seems like writer/director Joss Whedon is going to wring some humor out of their uneasy relationship, as Stark apparently will take particular pleasure in baiting Banner to get riled up and become his alter ego.

"Tony Stark really enjoys the idea of watching this guy turn into the Hulk," Ruffalo revealed. "He's nudging him in an interesting sort of way. There's a lot of nice, fun play between the two of them."

Check out everything we've got on "The Avengers."

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