Reflecting on two Hulks, as both mark major anniversaries

Some superheroes get multiple screen incarnations simply because they are challenging to capture cinematically. The Fantastic Four will be on their fourth iteration in 2025. The Punisher has been portrayed by four different actors, most successfully by Jon Bernthal on the small screen. Then there is the Hulk, who has been portrayed by four different actors; once on TV and three times in films.

This week marks both the 20th anniversary of Ang Lee’s Hulk starring Eric Bana, and the 15th anniversary of Louis Leterrier’s oft-ignored MCU entry The Incredible Hulk starring Edward Norton. Both had interesting takes on the character, both were a hybrid of the original comic series and the popular television iteration, and both struggled with how to bring the character to life on screen. One could argue that a combination of the two approaches might have created a more potent whole. But they both have their merits.

Comic book aficionados know that scientist Bruce Banner was originally transformed into the Hulk after trying to save a reckless young teen named Rick Jones who wandered onto a military test site on a dare. Banner shoved the kid into a trench but was irradiated by gamma rays from an experimental bomb blast that would alter his body chemistry when he became angry. Although that fantastical explanation worked in the ’60s, it would not pass muster in the ’00s. Further, while General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross’ tireless hounding of the Hulk was important to translate to the screen, the idea of Jones as a sidekick/confident to the Hulk (and later, a sidekick to Captain America, Rom, and Captain Marvel) was nixed.

The Stan Lee and Jack Kirby comics material was not the only source of cinematic sustenance for big screen green. Both the 2003 and 2008 Hulk movies paid homage to the television series by having Bruce Banner experiment with gamma radiation in his laboratory, then an accident in each case led to exposure that would transform our protagonist into the destructive green rage monster, particularly when provoked. It seemed more “realistic,” one might venture.

Small-screen origins for a big hero

One cannot underestimate the appeal and significance of the 1977 Kenneth Johnson-curated Incredible Hulk TV series on the psyche of Gen Xers, even if many episodes come off as silly today. The show deviated radically from the comics, but it became a hit that lasted five seasons and produced three TV movie sequels. After the Hulk became a part of his life, the renamed David Banner became a man on the lam not from the military but from a pesky tabloid reporter named Jack McGee who wanted to prove his existence and bring him to justice. Every episode found Banner assuming a new last name and taking on a new menial job and ultimately helping someone in need. In the end, despite any good he and the Hulk may have done, he had to hit the road again lest he be brought in. There were no other superheroes or villains present, although Daredevil, Thor, and Wilson Fisk emerged in the movies.

The small-screen Hulk clicked because of the great balance between Bill Bixby’s empathetic and gentle portrayal of Banner and Lou Ferrigno’s ferocious yet also sympathetic presence as the Hulk. Another important factor was the music by Joseph Harnell, whose forlorn piano theme “The Lonely Man Theme” became a staple of the series. And let’s not forget Banner’s green eyes that signaled that the Hulk was going to emerge! The 2008 movie utilized the eyes and the theme (in one scene), while Ferrigno had cameos in both films as a security guard. He also provided the intense bellows and growls for Norton’s Hulk.

Getting back to the movies, the writers of each—James Schamus, Michael France, and John Turman for Hulk, and Zak Penn for The Incredible Hulk—tackled the story and characterizations very differently. Bana’s Banner was less in control of the changes as we caught him at the start of his Hulk journey, and he was initially unaware that his father had experimented on himself and passed on the ability to absorb gamma radiation that would kill a normal person.

With his origin tale encapsulated in the opening credits montage, Norton’s Banner was further along in his story. He started out hiding out from the U.S. military in the mountain slums of Rio, keeping his changes under control and seeking to cure himself.

The lead characterizations were also very different. Bana portrayed more of a nerdy, less imposing Banner, whereas Norton learned martial arts not only for self-defense but for discipline to keep his anger, excitement, and heart rate under control. Bana’s emotionally pent-up scientist could not control the changes, but he liked the adrenaline rush he got from letting his inner Hyde out. The more self-confident Norton version wanted to be free of the monster within, and there was more of a King Kong quality to Leterrier’s CG portrayal of the Hulk. In both stories, his fellow scientist and girlfriend Betty Ross wanted to help him in his struggles.

Oddly enough, both films cost around $140–$150 million, and both just about doubled their budget at the box office. Neither was a massive hit. That’s not to say they didn’t have their strengths, but many critics and audience members found flaws as well.

Ang Lee offers a thoughtful take

In the case of Ang Lee’s movie, audiences did not seem ready for his metaphysical, philosophical look at a man who’s tortured by demons past and present. Especially after the more action-packed adaptations of Spider-Man and X-Men had hit screens in the previous three years. The Hulk did not show up for the first 40 minutes (certainly an old-school approach), but then dominated the second half of the movie. He also could make himself bigger the angrier he got. He’s the largest onscreen Hulk to date.

What made Lee’s version special is that he dug into the humanity of the characters, particularly Banner’s repressed childhood trauma. Thunderbolt Ross may have been a hardass, but he loved his daughter and begrudgingly acknowledged Banner’s goodness beneath the Hulk’s brutal exterior. Betty herself came to terms with her flaw of trusting the wrong people (like her father). She unintentionally betrayed Bruce and realized by the end that he needed to keep away from her because they would always be monitored. Glenn Talbot, on the other hand, was a self-serving bioscience executive who deservedly met a grim end. Banner’s own father David was not even concerned for his well-being, eventually using gamma rays to turn himself into a more surreal and tragic version of the Absorbing Man from the comics (without being named). This would lead to a titanic clash at the end in which the sins of a twisted father were visited manyfold upon the son.

Lee recently acknowledged that when he made Hulk in the early 2000s, there were fewer people around him with an agenda. The MCU did not yet exist, digitally driven superhero movies were still new ground, and he was given more free reign to indulge his artistic whims, which leaned towards creating an intense sci-fi/horror psychodrama. Sure, he had a big budget, but having come off the international success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, he had some clout. While it was criticized for some of the digital effects, the overly bright green hue of Hulk’s skin, and a lot of exposition, Hulk is also a much better and smarter film than many people might remember. Lee’s occasional use of multiple frames in some scenes to replicate comic book panels was an interesting (if superfluous) choice.

Louis Letterier brings the action

By contrast, Leterrier’s rendition eschewed more of the philosophical ruminations that Lee invoked and focused on hard-hitting action which the director handled well. As Norton’s Banner struggled with controlling and curing himself, almost everyone around him wanted a piece of him. Cold-hearted jingoist Ross wanted his DNA to continue his scrapped World War II super soldier experiments, which he revived anyway to give the equally odious Captain Emil Blonsky the chance to become one. Blonsky wanted to take down Hulk and become the alpha monster who could crush anyone in his path—which he did when pumped up into the bombastic Abomination. Even the mysterious scientist Mr. Blue (aka Professor Samuel Sterns) who sought to help Banner through encrypted emails turned out to be an opportunist who was collecting and replicating his blood samples in hopes that he could win a Nobel Prize. He also wanted a taste of that Hulk power, and in the comics world he would become The Leader, a role actor Tim Blake Nelson will finally reprise in next year’s Captain America: New World Order. (Liv Tyler will also return as Dr. Elizabeth Ross.)

Being the second movie in the MCU right after Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk was meant to be part of a larger whole. Leterrier acknowledged years later that it was a stressful shoot. He had a year to make the movie and said there was no finished script. Norton contributed writing during production and reportedly clashed with Marvel execs which resulted in him not reprising the role. In the end, Leterrier had a leaner and meaner-looking Hulk—and still the most intense on-screen portrayal ever—that definitely captured the darker aspects of the comics character. He’s also a slightly smarter Hulk. But the film’s villains generally came off as one-dimensional in relentless pursuit of their nefarious goals.

The Platonic ideal—a smashing concept

Which then leads one to wonder: What if the intellectual aspects of Lee’s movie and the visceral impact of Leterrier’s had been combined? That would have packed a wallop. It’s a similar scenario to the two Exorcist prequels from nearly 20 years ago—if Paul Schrader’s meditation on evil had been married with Renny Harlin’s supernatural extravagance, that could have been something.

The widely embraced Mark Ruffalo version of the big green guy—through four Avengers films, Thor: Ragnarok, and now the She-Hulk series—has evolved over time where Banner can control his transformations and has managed to merge his brain with Hulk’s brawn. If Marvel can wrestle the rights from Universal for a Hulk solo movie, it would be exciting to see what could happen with a more multi-dimensional portrayal of the iconic character. It would also be nice to see characters like Doc Samson and The Leader arrive on screen, and for Betty Ross to be more than just a scientist in name. While she got an upgrade from her original comics role as simply General Ross’ daughter and Banner’s love interest, it would be an improvement to have her directly help the love of her life rather than find help for him. That hasn’t worked out well so far.

While many MCU fans have been pleased with the Hulk’s personal growth and character arc over the last 15 years, there are some who feel like the Hulk has been neutered and not allowed to show off his true potential, particularly in terms of expressing unbridled fury. This is where Leterrier’s sinewy version shines best. Marvel’s Multiverse could also open the door for other Hulks—and there have been many—so the possibilities for new interpretations of the character abound. And who knows, maybe someday Ross will become Red Hulk and Betty will become Red She-Hulk.

In retrospect, both Hulk movies have something to offer even as they each leaned in a different direction. Ruffalo’s Hulk and the MCU certainly owe them both a debt, particularly the latter film which has gotten some positive reappraisal. That being said, it feels like there is an opportunity for an epic new solo movie that can combine those different elements into something even greater. There are likely many fans champing at the bit for that.

Hulk smash! And devour shawarma.