The Incredible Hulk has had a pretty strange journey through film and television. From TV to the big screen, and back to TV again, check out our guide below to discover how to watch every movie and series that features The Incredible Hulk.
After debuting in Marvel comics in 1962, the Hulk quickly became a fan-favorite character. In 1977, he was brought to life for the first time in the series The Incredible Hulk. Starring Bill Bixby as the Hulk, the show was initially a hit before it began losing ratings…and thus, the strange saga of the Hulk began.
In 1982, the original series was canceled, but fans continued to be interested in the Hulk. So, in 1988, Bixby returned for a series of made-for-TV Hulk movies that aired in ‘88, ‘89 and ‘90. The final movie, The Death of the Incredible Hulk even features Banner dying at the end. From 1996-1997, the Hulk also starred in an unrelated The Incredible Hulk cartoon.
In 2003, the Hulk would find his way into another live-action adaptation, this time on the big screen. After gaining international fame for his movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, director Ang Lee decided to make the Hulk’s first theatrical film. Starring Eric Bana as Bruce Banner, Hulk became a smash hit, earning $62.6 million in its opening weekend, which, at the time, was one of the highest-grossing opening weekends ever. However, it received a mixed response from critics and its long runtime made it lose appeal with younger viewers.
Just five years later in 2008, the Hulk received another film adaptation… this time as an official part of the MCU. As a complete reboot, The Incredible Hulk had nothing to do with the ‘03 film and Edward Norton took over the role as Banner. Once again, the film received a lukewarm response from critics and only had a so-so box office performance, earning just $264 million after costing the studio $150 million to make. Though the movie wasn’t a total flop, its profit margin wasn’t enough to justify a sequel, and it remains the Hulk’s final standalone film.
In 2012, Bruce Banner was recast yet again, with Mark Ruffalo landing the role. Ruffalo is still currently portraying the Hulk throughout the MCU, though he’s never gotten his own film. But he’s starred in The Avengers series and has had appearances in films like Iron Man 3 and Thor: Ragnarok. Most recently he appeared in the Disney+ series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
While there’s still no standalone Hulk movie in the works, Marvel has announced more Avengers movies are on the way. Though the full casting details haven’t been announced yet, fans may see more of the Hulk in the future. Until then, check out our guide below to see where you can stream every Hulk show and movie in order.
