The Incredible Hulk is the black sheep of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Releasing just after Iron Man, it aimed to introduce Hulk and Agent Ross into the MCU as well as expand the universe.
However due to legal issues regarding ownership, the film was dropped from the official MCU timeline which leaves many fans asking if they should bother watching it.
The Incredible Hulk is NOT a Superhero Movie
The Incredible Hulk is not a story about being a hero and living that life. It’s a story of a man with a curse who cannot live a normal life because of his abilities. Whilst other superheroes accept the price of being a hero (injuries, being alone etc), Bruce Banner suffers with being a “hero” and puts all of his effort into finding a way to stop it.
Bruce only ever suffers from his powers. When he turns into the Hulk he causes damage to everything around him, completely blacks out so has almost no idea of what’s going on and has to relocate to a new quiet part of the world to try again. Even worse, is that at this point there’s no reason for the Hulk to exist because supervillains don’t exist, so his powers are unnecessary.
All of this comes together to make The Incredible Hulk a drama film instead of a superhero film which, especially when watched nowadays, is very refreshing. It’s a study of what great power would actually be like in the real world and the social effects that it would have on people.
The first 10 Minutes Tell You Everything That You Need to Know
There’s only so many characters in the superhero genre that I could say were truly amazing characters and Bruce Banner is one of them. This is mostly due to the filmmaking and how it conveys several messages at once throughout scenes.
We learn that the start that Bruce was apart of an experiment testing out gamma rays which went wrong and caused him to transform into the Hulk. During the following freakout, he injures his Girlfriend, Betty Ross, and is then hunted by the head of the experiment, Secretary Ross. This is all conveyed in the opening credits.
We then skip forwards 5 years and see that Bruce is living in a shanty town in Brazil and working undocumented at a bottling factory. He takes extreme measures to keep his anger under control as well as to stay under the radar. This opening shows us everything about his character as we see his routine, set up, and mindset through several interactions.
For example, the boss tells him that he is too good for the factory and offers him a promotion which he turns down because that would make him a documented employee. This shows that he is willing to sacrifice a better life in order to stay under the radar. Over the next few scenes, we see Bruce taking breathing classes to control his anger, learning Portuguese, and dealing with some workplace bullies. By the 10 minute mark of the film, we already have an in-depth understanding of who Bruce Banner is and what he stands for in life.
Bruce Banner is an Amazing Character
The Incredible Hulk might not be a superhero film, but Bruce Banner is a hero. We see this throughout the film as he consistently puts himself at risk to help others.
It’s established early on that Bruce will turn into the Hulk if his heartrate reaches 200 beats per minute. He uses a watch to track his heartrate and checks it frequently to make sure he stays at a safe amount.
At one point, the workplace bullies start harassing a female coworker and Bruce walks past. They don’t know each other but she looks at Bruce for help, who does pause but then continues on his path. He then, without looking at his watch, goes back to help the woman. This shows that he is willing to do the right thing at his own risk if it helps others, the hallmark of a hero.
Bruce also accepts that he cannot have friends or relationships as he could harm that, and this is a part of the film that you won’t see anywhere else. He eventually meets back up with Betty and the two talk about getting back together. Bruce says that they cannot, and they both go to their separate rooms in the house. Betty cries about this, whilst Bruce just sighs and goes to sleep. This is amazing character work as it shows that Bruce accepts his situation whilst others around him don’t.
People are Scared of The Hulk
The Hulk is an imposing figure, standing 8.5ft and being mostly muscle, and cannot be harmed by most means. We see the military forces throughout the film try several different methods to stop Hulk and getting more scared with each failure. The campus fight is a great example of this where the Secretary bring in 4 different weapons to stop the Hulk but each only barely touches him. The sound weapon does the most damage but even that can only hold him in place.
This is quite realistic as almost no one would stand a chance against the Hulk in a fight. The first encounter with the Hulk is shot like a horror film which adds to this theme. It’s filmed from the solders perspective who think that Bruce has released an animal, or this is something in armour. They are completely unprepared to deal with a Hulk which leaves them terrified and having to retreat.
You don’t see fear any many movies these days but it’s an idea that adds a lot of realism. Police officers going up against a Whiplash would be terrified, even if he wasn’t in gear. It’s still a highly trainer super assassin trying to kill you and almost anyone would be terrified of that. The Incredible Hulk shows how terrifying the Hulk is by showing the military, police, civilians, and others being terrified when they can’t stop the hulk. It’s a small detail, but it adds so much.
Overview
So, should you watch The Incredible Hulk? I’d say yes. It’s a much deeper film than anything else you’ll find in the MCU and that’s refreshing. If you’re a hardcore Marvel fan then it might not be for you, but if you like deep character studies then this is a film that you have to see.