The object lesson in this one is really that as a headlining cinematic act the Hulk really just doesn’t work. It’s what Marvel clearly believed was a key to the new SFX era of filmmaking, because he’s a giant monster and traditionally, giant monsters (Godzilla, King Kong, dinosaurs) become cinematic icons. But the Hulk is a giant green man. The only thing the two Hulk movies decided to do with that was to have him fight other monsters. With apologies to the current Monsterverse where Godzilla and King have actually successfully done that (even though culturally you’d still hardly know it because while audiences show up they never talk about it), it’s the lowest grade of superhero movies. Which is insane, since this second entry, as per Edward Norton, obsesses, otherwise, in the classic vibe of its TV show predecessor, the one based on The Fugitive.
Was it Norton or the budding MCU that ends up forgetting, after a while, right around the third act? Well, probably the MCU. The weakness and repetitiveness of its third acts became a staple of the film series, after all, and eventually helped torpedo the whole point of the latest volume, which was supposed to revolve around Kang (a controversy surrounding the actor portraying him was partially responsible, too, but recasting was a thing literally with this second entry, a loose sequel to Hulk starring Eric Bana).
The MCU machine would have you believe that Norton was the problem, taking an admittedly active role in the production akin to his infamous handling of American History X, which is regarded by some (me, certainly) as a masterpiece, and, well, The Incredible Hulk is not, though it spends most of its time trying to obsess over more grounded elements, which end up being rewarded almost twenty years later in one of the few MCU sequels, Captain America: Brave New World, which brings back Liv Tyler, Tim Blake Nelson, and the character of Thaddeus Ross, all of whom are riffing on the events of this film. The only one missing is a version of Bruce Banner (but we see more of his actual current state and relationship to the Hulk, rewardingly, in Spider-Man: Brand New Day).
By the time Robert Downey Jr. saunters in, at the very end of the movie (not yet solidified as post-credits material) and makes the crucial connection between films and ensuring that audiences are aware that the MCU is in fact a thing, it no longer matters what exactly Incredible Hulk does or doesn’t accomplish on its own, if it’ll even be remembered, because suddenly there’s a sense of momentum that moves everything along without having to worry too much about individual installments, so much as the sense that there’s more to look forward to, the excitement that this crazy superhero world continues, and that you never know how these characters are going to react to each other, which is the classic Marvel model all over again, from the comics. They aren’t just good buddies and teammates. Frequently, and this is where the studio heads who obsessed over Batman and Superman fighting each other when their respective film franchises had stalled (that’s the real reason that film happened) didn’t get, Marvel characters will fight first and wonder if they’re friends only later. That’s what made the ‘60s the original Marvel Age. Any one of these new superheroes could randomly show up in each other’s comics and they’d probably end up in combustible situations…
So what does Iron Man have to do with the Hulk? The filmmakers themselves left it wide open, in case they got to make another one, the way they instantly made another Iron Man, before introducing other Avengers. Was the Hulk stuck in opposition to the world? Was he doomed to a lonely existence?
Well, not exactly built for stealth, as the big green guy. That’s the real message of his escape at the end. And that’s why you can’t just have a Hulk movie of his own anymore. Too much Hulk just isn’t interesting. But he’s impossible to ignore in literally any other context. He needs good material to bounce against. But the comics never figured that out, either. They get weird. With apologies to Peter David, the Hulk ain’t exactly the Ninja Turtles. He’s a Thing without a Fantastic Four, who does his best moping when he isn’t a monster. General audiences want the monster. But Marvel can’t figure out (it was never about the tangled rights) how to have its cake and eat it too, except as a support act. Which makes him, in the end, perfect MCU fodder.
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