One of the main advantages for an actor like Mark Ruffalo joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe is that it means he gets to earn MCU money. And when someone like Mark Ruffalo gets MCU money, he’s not using it to collect sports cars or buy multiple mansions. Instead, he uses that financial security as a buffer that allows him to take on more roles that he truly wants to tackle and that he believes in, regardless of how much they do or don’t pay.

With an estimated net worth of $35 million, Ruffalo has seemingly moved beyond the point in his career where he has to take a role just for the payday ever again. And he’s made good on that, continuing to take on smaller roles in between big budget superhero movies, romantic comedies, and so on. During his most prolific stint as the Hulk, Ruffalo still found time to add smaller, more character-driven work like “Thanks for Sharing,” “Infinitely Polar Bear,” and “Dark Waters” to his filmography. 

Ruffalo also started doing more television in the 2020s for the first time since “A Normal Heart,” not just on Disney+ but also by way of the Netflix drama series “All the Light We Cannot See” and the HBO miniseries “I Know This Much Is True.” The latter brought Ruffalo his second Emmy win. He’s used to awards shows these days, but, while he didn’t get nominated for “You Can Count on Me,” he came away with something more valuable — a platform to build on. If he never got that, then he wouldn’t be making the kind of money that lets him indulge in passion projects.