MCU Retrospective #3: The Incredible Hulk

This article contains spoilers for The Incredible Hulk and other MCU projects.

The Hulk in the film’s final fight.

The Incredible Hulk had a tough job: introduce Bruce Banner’s quintessential backstory, Betty Ross and General Ross, without feeling redundant to Hulk, a Universal movie made five years prior. It couldn’t be scrapped, because audiences buying into The Avengers might be clueless. We are awarded with strong opening credits: seeing Banner getting infected with Gamma Radiation, harming Betty and Ross, his escape and Ross using his position in the U.S. government to hunt him down.

We even get immediate connections to Stark Industries and Nick Fury, which fulfills Iron Man’s promise. This was a fantastic compromise on Marvel Studios’ part.

There’s an elephant in the room: Edward Norton, and not Mark Ruffalo, is playing Bruce Banner. It’s exclusive to this movie, but the glaring change makes this feel unconnected to the MCU at large. Alongside the movie’s execution, the studio’s clear lack-of-confidence on the subject matter and subsequent ignoring of plots set-up are defining reasons The Incredible Hulk is considered one of their worst projects to date. Luckily, the movie gets better as it progresses.

Banner is in Brazil, five months since his escape from Ross (William Hurt). He’s supposed to be a genius, like Tony Stark, but he’s juxtaposed to Stark in regards that he is quiet, somber and lonely. This movie isn’t interested in proving Banner’s intelligence, but focuses on him learning, through meditation, that fear isn’t good, which is basic thematic work.

Banner’s intelligence is shown when he repairs an electrical box and uses his home-grown lab. Most people can do the former, and Stark’s cave lab makes the latter lackluster. This intelligence is further nullified when he is incapable of spotting his contaminated blood on a bottle at his job.

The exposition never lands, because so much is pointless. Martina (Débora Nascimento) is unneeded, nor are the unnamed men who bother her. Mr. Blue, our only good exposition, is an anonymous scientist trying to help Banner cure himself. Mr. Blue sends Banner flowers, and the disappointment faced when it fails works. Banner sends his digital friend a blood sample, which seems insignificant, but has major ramifications. It’s good this wasn’t heavy-handed.

Stan Lee ends up with the contaminated bottle. This cameo is incredible because, unlike his previous one, it’s funny and pushes the story forward, allowing Ross to approximate Banner’s location. The Incredible Hulk has decent subtlety here, especially when Banner looks at a picture of (yet unnamed) Betty and tells Mr. Blue the data is “at home”, which foreshadows that she ultimately has it.

Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) gets a shallow, cinematic and unearned introduction to the movie when we’ve never met him. Blonsky’s mission to capture Banner is bound to fail, because Ross refuses to inform them of The Hulk. This further sequesters Brazil’s relevance, and only serves to capture Blonsky’s thirst for power.

Brazil’s chase sequence proves how uneven the movie is: Blonsky killing Bruce’s dog is grim; Banner seeing Martina almost-naked is sloppy. Ross and Banner’s first contact is fueled with great disdain; the random Portuguese men also chasing Banner are irrelevant. This all leads to the factory where Banner works.

We never see The Hulk’s full transformation. Here, Hulk (voiced by Lou Ferrigno)emerges from the shadowy corners, which works really well as tension-building. Hulk bursting to life is enormously satisfying, and it’s excellent to see him stomp on U.S. agents and crush their tranquilizers. This movie’s atmosphere is a blend of war and thriller; it was unique to the MCU then, and it still is now. Bruce is the protagonist, but when Hulk is out, the perspective shifts to the U.S agents, making us ask: Is Hulk the antagonist? Are we rooting for Blonsky and Ross?

Ross’ daughter is Betty, which is withheld until Culver University. Blonsky, in the aftermath of Hulk’s escape, questions the aforementioned picture of her. Ross insists she’s “no longer a factor,” which is a good clue. Tim Roth is incredible: crafting a performance of having a monster within much better than the leading man. Blonsky’s confusion and fear about Hulk is palpable, but there is also anger, jealousy and thirst to replicate that.

Banner finds himself in Guatemala (in one the prettiest sets seen within the MCU), but this doesn’t last: with no income, shelter or food, he hitchhikes to Mexico. Meanwhile, Blonsky returns to service with determination. Ross, recognizing the opportunity, introduces Blonsky to a serum that’ll make him a “Super Soldier.” The serum stems from a WWII-era project, with a subgroup (S.H.I.E.L.D.?) tasked with creating biotech weapons. This is exposition for The Incredible Hulk and Captain America: The First Avenger, hitting a less-exciting movie with a bolt of lightning.

Ross also suggests “[Banner’s] whole body is U.S. property,” which foreshadows Blonsky’s fate and the role Ross will play in Captain America: Civil War.

Banner inexplicably arrives in Virginia two weeks later, proving the stop in Mexico wasn’t relevant. He stalks Dr. Elizabeth Ross, or Betty, which isn’t great. Banner stops upon learning she’s with someone new: Leonard (Ty Burrell).

Banner turns to Stanley (Paul Soles), a pizzeria owner, who offers a spare bedroom. Banner extorts this, delivering a pizza to the laboratory. This was clever, but the long flashback to what we’ve seen is redundant. He’s surprised to learn that, as an international fugitive, he was erased from the university’s system.

Betty is the center-of-gravity: her performance as a longing, confused woman when she sees Banner is remarkable. They have real chemistry, and their reunion feels deserved. Leonard, who was supposed to be a stake in their love, dissolves away into another ineffective character. Banner becomes better with her around: he becomes more charming and endearing. Betty reveals she’s withheld the data from Ross (building on the foreshadowing) and that Ross’ goal is to produce a Hulk-line of weapons.

Ross is the movie’s Obadiah Stane, without the charisma. Stark Industries created Cyrosync, where the serum is located. For a budding shared universe, this was vital. The parallels to Iron Man might be to train audiences what the “MCU Formula” is, or it might be a lack of creativity. Blonsky getting his first dose of serum is gritty in a way that the MCU no longer is: two in the neck, one on the spine.

Culver University’s fight is the best moment in the movie: it captures the base-level strength of a Super Soldier, makes us understand why Bruce swallows the USB data, and engages us when Betty reveals Ross is her father. Hulk shows restraint as he protects Betty, which is fundamental to Bruce and Hulk becoming one entity, as shown in Avengers: Endgame. Betty also tried to save Hulk, but as the helicopter comes crashing down, he carries her away from the danger.

The hidden transformation to Hulk is repetitive, because it lacks the tension of the factory, and the CGI is horrific; multiple shots looking like an animated TV show.

Blonsky proved a good fighter, but was still brutalized by Hulk. He shattered a majority of his bones, and shouldn’t be alive, but the serum repairs his body fully. It would’ve been appreciated to get more exposition about the regenerative effects of the serum, because this application is questionable.

Leonard gets his one good moment: jabbing Ross for not caring about his daughter, and highlighting that she never talks about him. The Incredible Hulk casts a large net to have us understand these characters, but there is hardly pay-off. Betty has compassion for Hulk and Banner, but gets no reward. Banner has PTSD, but for no reason.

Banner is better now: he puked up the data, contacted Mr. Blue and got a haircut. As his relationship to Betty deepens, you see that he cannot have sex due to it elevating his heart rate, which illustrates why he struggles with Hulk inside of him.

Ross and Blonsky don’t work for S.H.I.E.L.D., but we see them have access to their files. How? Where is Coulson? Like Obadiah, Blonsky’s quest for power chips away at him: the second dose of serum makes him look sickly. We’re trained to see Blonsky lose, so any stakes towards a final battle are minimal.

Mr. Blue is Dr. Samuel Sterns, which is a lackluster reveal. Stark, who we see “building a team” at the end, would’ve been a better selection. Stark could be using Banner’s genes to find a way to control Hulk. In fairness, Sterns’ reveal could be disappointing because later MCU movies train us to assume a mysterious figure is someone important.

Hulk’s protection of Betty is our sole nugget that they can become one, which makes Banner’s lack of memories of Hulk’s takeovers more interesting. Why does Hulk feel this same sentimentality? It’s a question for another movie.

Sterns is a more “curious than cautious” scientist who agrees to Banner’s haphazard plan to control Hulk, which could kill Banner too. This electroshock and transfusion procedure is the best transformation to Hulk we see. Banner’s veins enlarging, his blood changing and his body expanding is a nightmare. Hulk, too, looks visibly terrified at what is happening. It proves how bleak their shared existence is, and we feel relief when the procedure seemingly works.

Sterns’ success emboldens him to reveal he’s replicated Banner’s blood to cure illnesses. It’s twisted, and exactly what the U.S. wants. This storyline is incredibly fascinating, one that deserved so much more. Could this be in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law?

Ross (who has the most MCU appearances from this movie) establishes himself really well with his cold, distrusting and anti-hero attitudes. His sheer anger at Banner when he spews “If you took [Hulk] from me, I’m gonna put you in the hole…” is lethal. Ross doesn’t have respect for the creature he wants to weaponize. Ross might care for his daughter, as he didn’t arrest her, and the movie’s vagueness here is superb.

Banner is captured, and Blonsky stays behind to repossess Sterns’ lab. Instead, Blonsky asks for a transfusion of the replicated blood, which is heavy-handedly referred to as “an Abomination,” which is fun, but tacky. Abomination is born with little blood used, and when he escapes, that same blood gets on Sterns’ head, which causes it to inflate. This huge tease that is never followed-up is frustrating. What was the initial direction?

Our Iron Man parallels continue: two creatures like two iron suits. The execution here is marginally better, or more interesting. Ross’ hunt for Abomination is suspenseful, the shots of street destruction are well-done. Abomination catching a missile and bursting into flames is good stake-building.

Hulk inevitably has to join, but the narrative explanation is bizarre: Ross has a change-of-heart, because Banner says “We [all] made this thing.” It makes no sense, especially since Banner is unable to control Hulk. Ross, who wants to weaponize the creatures, inexplicably advocates for Abomination’s death?

It’s cheap that we never get a full Banner-to-Hulk transformation. Banner hops out a plane, crashes into the street, and emerges as Hulk. Hulk, so far in this movie, has only attacked the people or things hurting him. Why does he target Abomination, who has yet to directly hurt him? Does he know it’s Blonsky?

Their showdown is CGI fun, and is a strong climax to the story. Ross’ and Betty’s helicopter is taken down, and pure action leads to character-driven moments. Hulk protects Betty; Abomination destroys what’s in his way. Hulk temporarily sedates his opponent and somehow extinguishes the fire with his bare hands. This is where the fight should end, but Abomination bursts back to life for another prolonged sequence of things we’ve seen.

Abomination is sedated, again, and then no one gets any real resolution. Abomination is missing until Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which brings him back with no explanation. Has Blonsky been transformed the whole time? How did he evade prison? Hulk is given permission to flee, which should feel triumphant, but instead feels shallow.

Betty hasn’t been seen since. Banner, who is now in a gorgeous U.K. cabin alone, is seen meditating (echoing the beginning), implying he has control of Hulk when his eyes open and are green. This, however, is disregarded when we see Banner again in The Avengers.

***

The Incredible Hulk does a pre-credits scene, where Ross, defeated in a bar, is approached by Stark. This egotistical and witty personality is a breath of fresh air in a serious movie. It expands on Iron Man’s post-credit scene, with Stark being Fury: informing Ross that he’s building a team. This is excellent, albeit redundant and confusing. Why is Ross defeated when he lets Hulk go? Why would Ross agree to this plan? Why isn’t this mentioned in The Avengers?

Stray Observations:

1. The Incredible Hulk deserves more in-universe connection. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings started this, and I hope She-Hulk: Attorney At Law will handle this. Expanding on the lore can make this movie feel infinitely more important. I’d love to see Betty (the M.V.P.) too. What if…? and Marvel Zombies have/will deal with this movie, too, which is a good sign.
2. Valhalla Entertainment, the production company, feels like a Thor: Love and Thunder connection.
3. The opening credits were phenomenal. I’d love to see more of this, and I think Spider-Man: Homecoming would have benefited from it.
4. Banner’s isolated cabin reminds me of Wanda’s in WandaVision.
5. Steve Rogers is said to be the only successful product of the serum. This project, and many other MCU projects, disregard this sentiment entirely.
6. There are two moments when the time-of-day changes: during Banner’s Brazil escape and after the helicopter is brought down at Culver University.
7. Betty purchases Hulk’s classic pants, which Banner dismisses as ugly. I’m indifferent when the MCU pokes fun at the comics, but can see how it’s grating to comic fans.
8. Who named him Hulk? How does a news lady know this?
9. Brazil, Ecuador and Mexico not getting the yellow tint is very good.
10. Banner using Norton 360 dates this movie really badly.
11. All credits should be mid-or-post credits. Stark’s pre-credit cameo usurped any excitement the movie had.
12. R.I.P. to William Hurt.

Present Ranking of Projects:

1. Iron Man
2. The Incredible Hulk

WANNA READ MORE?

#1: Introduction | #2: Iron Man | #4: Iron Man 2