Too bad. We liked him when he was angry.

Hitfix reported the rumor yesterday that Ed Norton wasn’t going to be playing The Hulk in the upcoming film The Avengers, or any sequels to 08′s The Incredible Hulk for that matter. The reason? One could only guess monetary/creative differences. Well, now it seems they have confirmed what fans have long expected given the relationship between Norton and Marvel. Recently the actor said he was waiting for a phone call from Marvel and was game to play the character again, but apparently the studios opinion of him hadn’t changed. Here’s what Marvel studio head President of Production Kevin Feige sent to Hitfix.

We have made the decision to not bring Ed Norton back to portray the title role of Bruce Banner in The Avengers. Our decision is definitely not one based on monetary factors, but instead rooted in the need for an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members. The Avengers demands players who thrive working as part of an ensemble, as evidenced by Robert, Chris H, Chris E, Sam, Scarlett, and all of our talented casts. We are looking to announce a name actor who fulfills these requirements, and is passionate about the iconic role in the coming weeks.

That’s not very nice Kevin. It seems to me that Marvel was lucky to have hired an actor who cared so much for the character of the Hulk he even wrote the screenplay to that film.

Norton's uncredit on "The Incredible Hulk"

When you promise someone creative control and then cut a ton of character moments/scenes from their movie they are going to be upset. Why blame Norton? Instead we will get an Avengers film without a key ingredient.

It was ok when Don Cheadle replaced Terrence Howard in Iron Man 2 because it was a minor character at that point. Recasting one of your biggest draws in The Avengers when you want the movie to the largest superhero film ever? Maybe not such a good idea. One things for sure, I wouldn’t want to be the actor replacing Norton at Comic-Con. Those fans will eat him alive.