Earlier this month news broke that Collateral and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind star Mark Ruffalo was in deep talks to take on the role of the Incredible Hulk in Marvel Studios’ The Avengers. According to Deadline, this is now etched-in-stone confirmed.

The reports indicate that Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Marvel have reached an official deal and that Ruffalo is signed and sealed. This would set up a potentially exciting reveal tomorrow during the Marvel panel when the entire cast of The Avengers is expected to appear together.

For those who aren’t aware, Edward Norton played the pre-Hulk Bruce Banner character in The Incredible Hulk, and many wanted him to return to the role again. Marvel, being aware of Norton’s reputation as sometimes being difficult to work with, decided to go in another direction and bring someone new in. This didn’t sit well with fans, but as a business it was a decision that had to be made. Norton is an immense talent, but he does have a history, so they either jumped in blindly with him and hoped for the best or cast a new name a la Don Cheadle to Terrence Howard in Iron Man 2.

Surprisingly, many seemed to think Ruffalo was a terrible choice and I’m not sure why. He’s always been solid in what he’s done, and he could definitely pull off the unassuming and sometimes paranoid Banner. For those who loathe the casting, I think they may find themselves surprised.

What do you think of the casting of Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner in The Avengers?