Andrew Week 1: The Incredible Hulk (2008) is Underrated

The Incredible Hulk (2008) is one of the most underrated Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies. It has solid acting, a fun plot, and special effects that hold up pretty well for a movie that came out in 2008. I think this movie is not looked on fairly when compared to all of the other movies in the MCU. 

As this was the second movie to be released in the entire franchise, the filmmakers didn’t have a lot to look at when trying to draw inspiration. The movie that preceded it, Iron Man (2008) was a critical and commercial success, and it spawned the entire franchise. What followed The Incredible Hulk was the most successful movie franchise in history. Movies like Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame were worldwide blockbusters and cultural phenomena. Others like Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: No Way Home are beloved by fans. This movie, however, is almost forgotten.

Here’s the thing, I don’t think the movie is perfect. However, I don’t think that it deserves to be forgotten either. It incorporates aspects into Bruce Banner’s character that are pretty much never seen again. A main plot point of the movie is Banner trying to control his heartbeat with fear of turning into the Hulk. The later MCU movies pretty much ignore this altogether. In the later entries, all that is needed for Banner to turn into Hulk form is his friends being in danger. It is no longer a practical fear, it is just a convenient plot device that he becomes strong when everyone is in trouble. One of the core aspects of Bruce Banner’s character in any comic or TV show is that being the Hulk is a struggle. It is the Mr. Hyde to his Dr. Jekyll. In the 2008 film, while being pursued by the US military, Banner has to try to not turn into his Hulk form while having literal tanks shooting at him. Another reason I prefer Edward Norton’s take on the character is his depth. In the later movies, Hulk is really just used as comic relief. Yes, he beats people up. Yes, he snaps everyone back into existence. But this is because he is big and strong. His actual struggle as the Hulk, that being, stopping this monster from hurting everyone, isn’t there anymore. Had Edward Norton continued playing the role, I think that this film would be more appreciated. My hope is that as time goes on, more and more people will share the same view I do. *Note, this was written before the airing of most of the episodes of “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.” Some of these concerns may be addressed after the writing of this blog post.*