Inspiration for some ideas [1]. Origin of the picture [2].
Marvel's The Incredible Hulk is a 2008 live-action movie produced by 20th Century Fox and Marvel Studios based around the popular superhero, the Hulk. Taking place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe it is the second film of Phase 1 released on August 1st 2008.
Production[]
20th Century Fox had originally given the Hulk a film in 2003 which opened to poor critical reviews and lackluster box office profits. In 2005, when Kevin Feige was bargaining with Fox for control over properties to adapt he requested they be allowed to reboot the Hulk franchise in order to complete their theoretical Avengers roster. Seeing the Hulk as a dead end with no immediate plans for reboot, agreed to let Marvel Studios have it. In late 2005 it was later announced a reboot of the popular superhero was in development being a part of the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe, along with Iron Man along with Black Widow and Hawkeye. Darren Aronofsky was announced as Director shortly after.
How the film would be handled was largely disputed, even more so than other Marvel productions at the time. Everything from the casting, tone and even plot was a debate between Marvel, Aronofsky, and Fox. They originally wanted the film to parallel the classic Hulk comic books with David Duchovney starring at the titular role. But when he was unavailable the time filming was scheduled and the writers couldn't find an angle on a modern day Nuclear testing plot line, the idea lost traction. It was then somewhere down the line changed more closer to the more modern Hulk comics and the TV series from the 80s, with Mark Ruffalo cast as the lead.
They did agree however agree that the Abomination would be the movie's main villain. Wanting someone who "actually challenged the Hulk" as the director said. But finding a way to make a Yugoslavian spy into a modern Hulk film proved to be a challenge. Eventually they did figure out a way they were happy with and the film entered production, filming on schedule as intended. Being released in the United States and worldwide on August 1st 2008.
Cast[]
- Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/The Hulk
- Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky/Abomination
- Daniel Dae Kim as Chang Lam
- William Hurt as General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross
- Liv Tyler as Betty Ross
- Michael Angarano as Rick Jones
- Salma Hayek as Katherine Wayensboro
- Ty Burrell as Leonard Samson
- Teddy Sears as Colonel Jack Armbruster
- Kevin Corrigan as Brian Banner (Flashback)
- Anna Silk as Rebecca Banner (Flashback)
- Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns (Cameo)
Plot[]
Act 1[]
The film starts with the inside of a human body functioning normally until it starts to mutate and turn green only after doing so showing the main title THE INCREDIBLE HULK while the camera pans out from a young boy's eye on Christmas Eve. His mother, Rebecca, comes up to him and tells him, Bruce, to get some sleep, insisting that he doesn’t want to be too tired to open his presents. Bruce does as told while also excitedly going off about everything he wants as Rebecca assures him Santa won't forget a single one before tucking him into bed and kissing him goodnight.
Later, Bruce is woken up when he hears a ruckus downstairs. He gets out of bed and sneaks down the staircase only to see his father, Brian, noticeably drunk, arguing with Rebecca that he didn't get anything for Christmas so he doesn’t have to spend a penny more on that "monster" than he has to. Rebecca tries to convince him that Bruce is still his son to which Brian responds by violently slapping her across the face. Bruce then runs down the stairs and tries to help his mother but Brian warns him to stay out of this "you little freak!" while the camera then shows Bruce's face as he witnesses his father brutally beating his mother to death.
In the present, Bruce is shown to now be an adult sitting in therapy with his psychologist, Doctor Leonard Samson, telling him how it's the ten year anniversary since his Dad died in prison, that he cried the day he found out, his father abused him too. He grew up thinking that the Banner men all had the monster gene in them, "that's why he hated me." Samson insists that he didn't hate him, he didn't know how to be a parent, but that cycle can be broken, but he has to dive deeper into that trauma, keep going down that grueling road to self-healing.
Bruce looks at the clock and realizes the session is over and thanks Samson for seeing him on such short notice, claiming he really needed it today. He then leaves to return to work at Culver University, where Bruce is shown to be a Professor of Nuclear Physics. He starts grading last class’s homework until coming across one by Rick Jones that he Grades with an F. Afterwards calling Rick out and asking to come see him in office hours. He then begins teaching one of his lectures on the electromagnetic light spectrum until eventually noticing a Military General standing outside the door. Once the class ends Bruce politely greets "Thunderbolt" Ross but he insists just Thaddeus is fine before asking if they can talk in his office.
There, the General tells Bruce that on behalf of the United States military he would like to formally invite him to join Operation Fallout a government initiative started during the Cold War that's moving forward at Culver University involving the study and implementation of a radiation exposure therapy for soldiers operating in regions under active nuclear threat. General Ross adding on that his daughter recommended him as part of their elite team.
He's one of the University's primary experts on Radiophysics, and wants to think his presence would help benefit the project, to which Bruce is honored by the offer and instantly accepts it. General Ross then gets up and proceeds to show Bruce to the lab where they come across Betty working. She greets them and gently kisses Bruce on the cheek, which General Ross seems openly annoyed with, eventually then introducing him to the other scientists on the project.
Katherine Waynesboro, Professor of Cellular Biology, says nothing, not even looking up from her work, Emil Blonsky, Molecular Biology transfer from Princeton. He shakes hands with Bruce saying that he looks forward to working on the project, and hopes to possibly use the results of their research here to be able treat or even reverse radiation poisoning. Bruce timidly says that sounds ambitious, overwhelmed by Blonsky's cool overconfidence. The third scientist then enters the lab named Chang Lam escorted by Colonel Jack Armbruster. Who quickly says "Hi" to Bruce before making casual small talk with Betty. Bruce seems caught off guard by this but doesn't react and introduces himself to Lam instead.
That night, Bruce and Betty are at home getting ready for bed until he asks if she forced her father to hire him for the project. Betty insists she couldn't force him to do anything even if she wanted, all she did was explain to him that Bruce is a tenured professor at an Ivy League school with a speciality in Gamma Radiation who he'd be crazy not to look into, and wonders why he asked. Bruce says how it just doesn't seem like he likes him very much but Betty replies that he's like that with everyone but Bruce claims he doesn't notice it and Betty replies saying she's known him a lot longer.
It then does a timeskip showing Bruce and his fellow scientists continuing to work on Operation Fallout and how to crack radiation resistance. In that time he's also seen helping tutor Rick Jones to help bring his grades up, going from continuous Fs all the way to a B. In the lab, Operation Fallout has finished synthesizing a vaccine. The vaccine is injected into a mouse who's then placed onto a Gamma Ray Projector where it's exposed to a lethal amount of Gamma Radiation, which kills it, much to everyone's disappointment. Katherine Waynesboro begins to investigate what went wrong while Emil Blonsky and Chang Lam quietly go to the corner.
Chang asks how long they need to keep the act up and Emil tells him only after they have a working prototype. They can't go back to the A.I.M. empty handed, not after everything they did to get onto this project. Chang points out it's been six months and they're not getting anywhere but Blonsky responds that he sees potential with this group and thinks they'll get what they're looking for if they stick with it. More time passes as Operation Fallout continues to work on the vaccine, through trial and error eventually finding promising results.
Betty is then seen walking on campus to the lab as General Ross is chatting alongside Colonel Armbruster. He tells him to go inside and help set up as Ross walks over to his daughter and they discuss the experiment. Betty says how Bruce's research saved the whole project, adding on that she hopes he proposes soon. The General though is irritated by her sentiment and openly expresses disapproval of her relationship, claiming their family comes from a military background and Bruce doesn't deserve to be a part of that. Betty is insulted by her father's words and they argue over it until he brings up that Colonel Armbruster seems to have a little crush on her which might be worth giving a try.
The two of them then go inside and everyone starts to prepare for more testing. Betty lets her father's words get to her and decides to listen to his advice, approaching Jack Armbruster and getting to know him, doing nothing to stop his flirtatious advances. Bruce eventually notices and looks upon it with jealousy, but before he can say anything General Ross comes up to him and says how Betty's moving on, that maybe they weren't meant to be after all. Bruce asks him what and Ross points out how he won't be able to provide for her like a Colonel could, and Betty can do so much better, if he cares, he should let her.
Katherine Waynesboro then starts setting up the next animal test subject until Bruce insists to her that he wants to test it on himself. She says how they're still weeks away from human trials but Bruce argues that a little bravery never hurt anyone, the animals have all been responding well to the treatment, they can just give him a low dosage, it'll be fine. Katherine decides to go along with it, telling Blonsky and Lam to get the Gamma Ray Projector ready. Bruce is then injected with the vaccine before stepping into the chamber which Betty notices, now ignoring Colonel Armbruster while she asks Bruce what he's doing. He insists that the vaccine works and he's going to prove it, strapping himself onto the Projector while inside the control room Blonsky and Lam turn on the Gamma Radiation.
Everyone observes how Bruce's body appears to be completely resistant to the noxious effects of the radiation which Katherine and Betty show relief as Bruce gives them a thumbs up. In the control room again Lam is excited too, claiming that it works, but Blonsky is unimpressed, insisting that they need to know how strong it is, turning the radiation up even higher. After that Bruce starts to suddenly become affected and begins having a seizure before suffering an intrusive memory from his past.
In the memory, Bruce is a child in the Courthouse where he’s called up to the stand in order to testify against his father, Brian. The lawyer asks him what happened on Christmas Eve and despite harsh glares from Brian, Bruce tells the truth. The Judge sentences Brian to life in prison and as he's being taken away he starts struggling with security trying to go after Bruce, screaming how he's going to kill him all while calling him a monster and a freak again in front of the entire Jury. Despite Bruce appearing to be emotionally indifferent to all of his father’s threats, the camera pans down to his hand which he starts clenching into a fist.
In the present, everyone is terrified at what's going on until General Ross barges into the control room and demands Blonsky and Lam to shut it off. They do as told but Bruce doesn't stop reacting to the radiation until suddenly he opens his eyes, revealing them now to be lime colored, as he starts transforming into an eight foot tall green skinned monster. The transformed Bruce goes on a rampage through the lab as Colonel Armbruster calls out to "Banner" and Bruce replies that there's no Banner, only Hulk crushing him and shattering the entire lab. The Hulk then breaks out of the building and begins getting pursued by campus security who try to shoot him but their bullets do nothing, with the Hulk responding by pounding them too.
Hulk then continues smashing through all of Culver University, fighting anyone or anything that gets in his way, only to eventually stop after he starts to calm down and, surprisingly, reverts back into his normal human form as Bruce Banner. Disoriented and confused, he gets up before being tased by the battered campus security, who finally put him down.
Act 2[]
Bruce wakes up in the hospital and starts calling for a nurse until Leonard Samson comes in, surprised that he's awake. He goes to get help but Bruce just asks where Betty is, Samson leaving before can finish the question. Afterwards, getting out of bed and trying to find her only to finally get to her room and see she's in a coma. As he looks over her about to cry, General Ross, now with a broken arm, pins Bruce to the wall telling him that he did this!
He anxiously asks what he's talking about and Ross explains after the experiment he turned into some kind of monster, giant, green, called itself the Hulk. It killed fifteen people including Colonel Armbruster, and then did this to Betty. Bruce sheepishly says that he's sorry but Ross insists that so help him God he will make him pay for this. Leonard Samson afterwards pulls Ross off and claims that nobody knows what happened in the lab that day, right now Bruce just needs to rest.
At Culver University, Rick Jones makes his way through a crowd of students only to see the destroyed property around the Biology Department. Agents revealed to be working for S.H.I.E.L.D. tell him to keep moving, that there's nothing to see here. Rick asks what happened to Professor Banner and an Agent confirms that he's at the Culver Medical Center. Behind the crowd Emil Blonsky and Chang Lam are quietly watching the S.H.I.E.L.D. Investigation unfold. Lam speculates that S.H.I.E.L.D. is going to shut down Operation Fallout after what happened and Blonsky insists they can't let that happen, not when things are just getting interesting. Lam asks how they're going to keep interest alive outside of A.I.M. but Blonsky reminds him radiation resistance might be a dead end, but they have a new selling point now.
At the hospital again, Bruce is trying to rest until Rick Jones walks in and asks what happened. Bruce breaks down ranting that he thought the vaccine was ready, so he tested it on himself, he almost killed the love of his life. He tries to compose himself and confirms that he's going away for a long time after this. Rick quickly looks around and says how he's busting him out, he has a car outside, they can get to it through the window. Bruce says he isn't going to let him do that but Jones insists that his life is already over, he doesn't have a family, he's failing his classes and is probably going to be kicked out of school soon, he was the only teacher who ever even tried to help him, this is his choice.
Bruce asks what if he gets caught too and Rick explains he's been drag racing since he was sixteen years old, this is cake. Before Bruce can reply it cuts to Leonard Samson going to check on him in his room only to see that he's gone. Samson starts to call for security as the camera pans to the parking lot outside where Bruce gets with Rick in his car as they drive away.
Later, General Ross is arguing with the police who claim they're searching the entire block but so far there's no sign of him. Ross tells them to keep looking and walks off to take a breath until being approached by Emil Blonsky. He asks how the search is going and Ross explains if Banner's not found in the next twenty four hours then the Department of Homeland Security can take over, but until then all they can do is sit on their asses and wait.
Blonsky responds that they're not going to be able to find him either, no one could, except them. Ross asks what he means and Emil insists they know Bruce and how he thinks, with a few good men and a couple million dollars, they could track him down, predict his movements, weed him out. The General admires their shared ambitions and admits he wants to put Banner away for what he did to his daughter, afterwards telling Blonsky he'll see what he can do.
It then does a montage of the next couple of weeks, where Bruce and Rick each take turns sleeping in the trunk while driving across the country. Eventually, Bruce goes up front to ask where they are and Rick tells him ten minutes from the Canadian border. Bruce rubs his face to wake up until Rick says that a buddy of his hooked them up with some fake IDs and recommends Bruce memorize his before they get to the border. The two of them then start to slow down when they reach the Canadian border, being stopped by border patrol for vehicle inspection.
They both cooperate, Bruce giving them his fake identification, Stanley Lieber. The officers then begin doing a casual search of the car until finding a gun in the front seat compartment. Rick mutters he forgot he had that in there and the border patrol officers claim possessing an unlicensed firearm is a felony. Bruce tries to claim this is all a big misunderstanding until they ask him his name again, he repeats it only to reveal they searched it and found the real Stanley Lieber who looks nothing like him. Bruce humorously tries to explain that he gained some weight... and dyed his hair.
Border patrol then tries to arrest them but Bruce refuses to comply and the officers start to force him down physically, causing him to transform into the Hulk again. Hulk takes out all the border patrol officers and almost attacks Rick too until running off through the forest and across the border. Rick follows the trail of destruction behind in his car until it's late at night and he finds Bruce no longer transformed, kneeled down and weeping. Rick comes out and tries to comfort him but Bruce says not to touch him, he's a monster.
At the Pentagon, General Ross is showing everyone a newspaper clipping of a "Green Sasquatch" spotted in Ontario. He says that Bruce Banner is now an active international threat which Homeland Security and the Canadian Mounted Guard have been struggling to control. Ross then gives his pitch for Project Greenskin an initiative made up of scientists and experts on Gamma Radiation who will all put their combined knowledge together to find and contain Bruce Banner. Ross then calls up all the scientists hired for Project Greenskin which happen to include Emil Blonsky and Chang Lam in addition to his daughter, as it shows a now recovered Betty join them too.
Months pass by as Bruce and Rick continue to live as fugitives traveling through Canada, Bruce having multiple transformation close calls at seemingly random until he and Rick eventually realize they're occurring whenever he gets angry or stressed. At the same time, Project Greenskin is continuing to work tirelessly in order to track their movements. Emil Blonsky and Chang Lam are designing special sonic cannons that are capable of physically restraining the Hulk when used. In the middle of their research, Chang begins reminiscing over how much time they've spent designing these specs and hopes Banner really is worth all of this.
Blonsky warns him not to downplay it, what happened to Bruce is more than just some accident, it's transformation, evolution in action, man bypassing his limitations to become something better, only to be wasted on someone who doesn't deserve it. They have a moral obligation to right that wrong, to make sure history is only made by those who earn it. That's why he joined A.I.M. to do science the right way, afterwards asking Chang if he agrees, he doesn't say anything.
Meanwhile, unlike the rest of her colleagues, Betty is working on her own project, a cure. General Ross eventually visits his daughter and after exchanging one sided formalities, informs her that on account of budget cuts her funding for the antidote is going to be allocated to weapon's development instead. Betty angrily tells her father how it's insane that he's prioritizing hunting Bruce down instead of helping him, he's not a criminal.
Ross says that they can focus on curing him once he's detained but Betty responds that curing him first would be just as effective. General Ross clarifies that his job is to protect his country, and if the best way to do that is to take down Bruce Banner kicking and screaming then that's the way it has to be, and maybe that's not fair, but life isn’t. In Canada, Bruce and Rick settle down in Yellowknife where they stop at a bar to rest. Rick tells Bruce to stay calm and order a beer but he asks if that's a good idea, not knowing what the Hulk could be like when he's drunk and Rick insists it will relax him, which should prevent another incident. They both then sit down and order whatever is on tap, making small talk to each other while watching a Hockey game on the Television.
Bruce begins to start having a good time until accidentally knocking over someone else's drink. He tries to apologize but he only seems to get more upset. Bruce then warns him not to get him angry, "you wouldn't like me when I'm angry". He doesn't take the threat seriously though and pours the rest of his beer over Bruce's head, asking him what he's gonna do about it. Rick tries to calm Bruce down before he snaps and when that doesn't work, Bruce responds by hastily storming out the door to prevent anything from happening. He then walks over to Rick's car and takes the gun out of the dashboard before leaving into the wilderness.
Once he gets out far enough Bruce then points it towards the side of head and shoots himself, collapsing to the ground as his eyes turn lime and he transforms into the Hulk, spitting the bullet out. At the Pentagon, Project Greenskin is instantly alerted that the Hulk has been spotted in the Northwest Territories and General Ross calls in an entire platoon to secure the area and to have everyone else on standby.
The Hulk begins ripping apart Yellowknife and terrorizing the population until the Military along with General Ross show up as he has a dozen tanks shoot at him. They then continue to shoot everything they have at him which only serves to make the Hulk more angry, and therefore stronger. As the Hulk continues to attack and becomes more and more unstoppable Ross calls out Blonsky and Lam's sonic cannons, which are so powerful they subdue the Hulk enough that he eventually calms down and turns back into Bruce Banner. It then cuts to Rick Jones attempting to skip town in the chaos but is spotted and arrested by the Military, eventually taken into the same truck where Bruce is being held.
Act 3[]
In Washington DC, Bruce and Rick are both detained and prevented from seeing anyone before being escorted to a Military trial. During the trial, Bruce is tarnished and a case is made against him to be prosecuted until Leonard Samson is called up to the stand and demonstrates through his research that his transformations into the Hulk appear to be an involuntary reaction to stress that he exhibits no sign of control over after he transforms. After the trial has ended for the day, Betty sees Bruce and they walk over to each other before awkwardly hugging, they then start talking about the case and getting his cousin to represent him at the next trial.
In their laboratory at the Pentagon, Blonsky assures Lam that this is just a temporary setback, he'll never win the trial. Lam puts his foot down and firmly insists he can't know that, and he's done waiting, they're leaving tonight. Blonsky says that if he leaves he's not coming with him to which Chang reminds him you don't quit A.I.M. He then grabs Blonsky by the shoulder but before he can do anything Emil pulls out a pocket knife and stabs him in the chest, causing Lam to instantly bleed out as Blonsky realizes what he did and quickly cleans the knife before leaving in a hurry.
At the same time, General Ross is in his office until Betty storms in and asks him why he's filing an objection against Samson's testimony. Ross responds that it was a decision made by the United States Military's legal team dictated by dozens of lawyers and personnel. Betty becomes disgusted how he won't even tell the truth afterwards insisting the Judge will never accept this, Samson clearly has no "conflict of interest". Ross then asks her if that really matters, they have Bruce where they want him, and enough resources to keep dragging this out for years until they find an angle, or she just gives up.
Before Betty can respond a loud security alarm starts blaring and Ross goes to see what's going on, Betty following not far behind. Ross is then escorted to the laboratory where he's shown Lam's corpse, the soldiers explaining that the cameras picked up him and Blonsky arguing until it got violent, he snuck off the premises before anyone could tag him.
Ross demands to know why this happened and the soldiers claim they have an idea, walking over to Lam and Blonsky's desks where they pull out belongings linking them to A.I.M. realizing they were spies, sent here to gain intel on Operation Fallout at Culver. Betty then speaks up asking what's A.I.M. and Ross explains it stands for Advanced Idea Mechanics they're a bunch of crackpots obsessed with pushing the limits of science without regulation. Ross then begins barking orders at his soldiers to find and detain Blonsky while Betty slips off.
In the Pentagon's prison, Bruce and Rick are in adjacent cells separated from each other by a concrete wall. Rick asks him if he really can't remember anything when he transforms and Bruce explains sort of. He doesn't black out, it's more like a dream, he remembers fragments and images, but never the whole thing. Rick points out if he remembers then it must still be him. Before Bruce can answer, all the cameras suddenly turn off as Betty enters through his cell and tells him that they're getting out of here.
Bruce slows her down claiming this could sabotage their whole case but Betty yells at him it already is, even if they win this trial there'll just be another one, and another one after that, her father is never going to leave him alone. Betty then explains she's taking him to Grayburn College in Philadelphia, she and Katherine Waynesboro have been collaborating there to come up with a cure using the same Gamma Radiation treatment that turned him in the first place.
Bruce though talks back asking even if this cure works what are they gonna do afterwards, wondering if she even has a plan. Betty just insists they'll figure it out, all she knows is that they're never going to get another chance if they don't leave now. Rick in his cell then asks what's going on and Bruce tells Betty that Rick has to come with them too.
At Grayburn College, Katherine Waynesboro is shown to be trying to replicate the vaccine as well as induce the exact same Gamma Radiation levels that Bruce was exposed to. In the middle of her research, she begins to see someone's shadow coming into the room. She calls out for Betty, thinking it's her, only to see a deranged Emil Blonsky barge in instead. He pulls out his knife and holds it to her throat, confessing that he's been keeping an eye on her work, how she's still doing experiments with Gamma Radiation, that he wants her to recreate what happened that day at Culver, with him this time.
Waynesboro becomes confused by his request and wonders why he would want to do that. Blonsky explains that he always knew he could be the smartest man in the room, but then he saw what a little radiation could do to someone, someone like Bruce Banner, he wants more. Katherine responds that the effects of the Gamma Radiation are still unpredictable, what might've worked for Bruce could turn him into an abomination! Blonsky though ignores Katherine's warning and just demands she get to work.
She does as instructed and injects him with the vaccine before setting up the Gamma Ray Projector, turning it up to the highest setting. As Blonsky gets exposed he starts to viciously transform, his eyes turning teal as he grows massively in size while his skin turns hazel and his hair falls out, with bones protruding from his arms, legs and backside. He then accidentally thrusts Katherine onto the floor with his new found strength before smashing through the wall and into the city.
Betty, meanwhile, is shown across town yelling at traffic while driving through the streets of Philadelphia with Bruce and Rick. She starts to get a phone call and picks up only to hear a desperate Katherine on the other end of the line telling Betty that Blonsky found her and used Gamma Radiation to turn himself into a monster, they have to get out of the city now until the three of them start to notice cars flying in the distance.
She hangs up as they all get out of the car and start running while the Abomination destroys everything in his path, eventually hitting Bruce alongside a crowd of pedestrians in the destruction. Betty screams and Rick watches in anguish until, suddenly, the Hulk's fist emerges from the rubble before digging himself out and yelling "Hulk, Smash!", getting Abomination's attention while they both run at each other and tear Philadelphia apart. Rick meanwhile taking Betty and any nearby civilians to safety on the sidewalk while the two behemoths clash.
After a long, intense, and drawn-out battle the Hulk finally has the upper-hand on Abomination, but just before he can kill him the Hulk sees a reflection of himself in a broken mirror and then afterwards turns his gaze to Abomination. Contemplating his decision he lets out a loud roar and decides to spare the Abomination, jumping out of sight. The Military eventually makes it to Philadelphia and takes the Abomination away. General Ross asks about the Hulk and his daughter but the soldiers claim they're nowhere to be found. It then shows Bruce at Grayburn College with Betty and Rick where Katherine Waynesboro performs tests on him using the Gamma Ray Projector.
After observing the results Katherine says that these mutations are hardwired into Bruce's genome, and doesn't know where to begin with reversing them. Betty starts arguing with her on alternative angles they could approach treating him until Rick notices Bruce is gone, with only a note left over. They all read over the contents of the note as Bruce does a voice over of it to the audience, claiming he knows what they're all thinking right now and that he's sorry for what he's about to do, but they deserve to live normal lives, and knows that's going to be impossible as long as he or the Hulk are around.
He's been on his own since he was eighteen, never really fit in anywhere, this is just gonna be another phase of life for him, except now he has a new challenge to overcome, one that he has to do alone. Because even if it might seem impossible now, he will find a way to beat this, and when he does, he'll be back. As the message was being read it shows Bruce now in Brazil getting off of a pickup truck he hitchhiked with. After they drive away he takes a deep breath and walks forward, the camera panning into his eye.
End Credits[]
Teasing The Incredible Hulk 2
A janitor is seen mopping the floor after hours while a wall-mounted Television plays in the background. On it, the news is doing a report on the Hulk while the janitor turns around to begin watching, the light from the Television revealing him to have the name tag Samuel Sterns on his uniform.
Trivia[]
- Culver University, the fictitious school Bruce Banner is a Professor at, is based on the Culver Institute where David Banner worked in the 1978 Bill Bixby The Incredible Hulk TV show.
- Operation Fallout is inspired from the Hulk's Ultimate Comics origin where the Military used him to try and recreate Captain America's Super Soldier Serum, as opposed to having him directly create a Gamma Bomb.
- Emil Blonsky was originally, in the comics, a Yugoslavian spy who was sent undercover by the Communist Bloc on the experiment that turned Bruce Banner into the Hulk. He is given a more modern interpretation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a mole for A.I.M. instead.
- Jack Armbruster replaces Glenn Talbot, who in most adaptations is Bruce Banner's romantic rival for Betty's affections.
- Chang Lam in the comics is the Ultimate version of the Abomination, who instead of working for A.I.M. is a Chinese national trying to perfect the Hulk formula.
- Bruce Banner’s fake alias, Stanley Lieber, is the real name of the famous Marvel Comics writer Stan Lee, an image of whom is seen when Border Patrol pulls up a picture of the real Stanley Lieber.
- While in the film it's Emil Blonsky who sabotages the experiment that causes Bruce Banner to become the Hulk, in the comics it's Russian spy Igor Drenkov, who Blonsky is instead amalgamated with.
- Rick Jones, in the comics, was saved by Bruce Banner from a Gamma Bomb explosion which motivates him to protect the Hulk, he never tutored him in school.
- S.H.I.E.L.D. the organization A.I.M. tries to avoid, is the same one headed by Director Nick Fury who appeared in the end credits of Iron Man.
- Bruce and Betty talking about getting his cousin to represent him in the next trial is an in-universe reference to Jennifer Walters, a lawyer and Bruce's paternal cousin whom he was always close with.
- Katherine Waynesboro telling Emil Blonsky that his reaction to the Gamma Radiation exposure could turn him into an "Abomination" is a reference to his supervillain codename in the comics, which he is otherwise never referred to as in the film.
- Samuel Sterns, the janitor who's seen in the end credits scene, is the civilian identity for one of the Hulk's enemies codenamed The Leader.