FAQ for
The Incredible Hulk (2008) More at IMDbPro »

The following FAQ entries may contain spoilers. Only the biggest ones (if any) will be covered with spoiler tags. Spoiler tags are used sparingly in order to make the page more readable.

For detailed information about the amounts and types of (a) sex and nudity, (b) violence and gore, (c) profanity, (d) alcohol, drugs, and smoking, and (e) frightening and intense scenes in this movie, consult the IMDb's Parents Guide for this movie. The Parents Guide for The Incredible Hulk can be found here.

The Incredible Hulk is based on a fictional character created by American comic book artists and writers Stan Lee and Jack Kirby for a Marvel Comics comic book series of the same name. The Incredible Hulk #1 first appeared in May 1962.

No. This is a "reboot" of the Hulk movie franchise, much like Batman Begins (2005) was to the Batman film franchise. However, there are references to the previous film. For example, The Incredible Hulk begins in Brazil, which is where Hulk (2003) leaves off. This is because the script that was used for The Incredible Hulk was originally supposed to be a sequel, until Marvel decided against it, and Edward Norton re-worked the script to firmly establish it as a reboot.

The Obvious: Bruce Banner / The Hulk (main character) and Emil Blonsky / The Abomination (main Villain).

The not-so-obvious: Tony Stark makes a cameo appearance at the end of the film to talk to General Ross about the "Avenger Initiative." Stark Industries products are all over this film as well. Nick Fury's name appears briefly during the opening credits on a government document, hinting that, like in the comic books, he is behind the Hulk task force.

Sequel Hints: Samuel Sterns / The Leader tries to help Banner cure his condition. Sterns' transformation into the Leader begins to happen when Banner's blood drips into an open cut on Stern's forehead. His head begins to pulse and grow, setting up a sequel with The Leader as the villain.

Allusions to: (1) Captain America when Ross talks to Blonsky about the super-soldier serum that was tested in WWII and was put on ice. There is a scene that didn't make the cut where Banner goes to Antarctica to kill himself. When he attempts to shoot himself, he becomes the Hulk and smashes an iceberg--the same iceberg which is supposed to contain Captain America. (2) Thor: A freak lightning storm allows Hulk to escape a battle with Ross and the army. And when Hulk and Betty are in the caves, a lightning bolt seems to strike or frighten Hulk. This is an allusion to an old issue of the comic book where Thor strikes Hulk. (3) Doc Samson: The psychiatrist whom Banner talks to about his "problem" (i.e., the Hulk transformations). This is an allusion to an old issue of the comic book where Dr. Samson attempts to cure Banner by draining out the gamma radiation that turns him into the Hulk. Later, he bombards himself with the radiation and becomes a massively-muscled green haired superhero. (1) Wolverine/Wendigo: At the end of the movie, Banner is in a Canadian forest and the days without incedent counter resets and you see Banners eyes go green. Wolverine's first comic book appearence was when he was sent by the Canadian government to hunt the Hulk in one of the countries forests. When he found the Hulk, Hulk was already fighting the Wendigo, Wolverine then joined the battle.

He has a cameo. He tells General that they are assembling a team, which we all know to be The Avengers. He knows about it because in Iron Man, Nick Fury visits him at the end. There seems to be a trend in the new Marvel movies. Marvel have gained the rights back to Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, Thor and Ant-Man. These characters were the classic line-up of the Avengers. Marvel wants to make the individual movies (which reference each other and establish that these characters all live in the same world), then cross them over into a multi-character super-hero epic. Sources - Re: Stark's cameo. Re: The Avengers. Re: The Avengers film series.

Yes. In Hulk, he was 15-25 feet tall, becoming taller the more angry he became. In The Incredible Hulk, he will not go over nine feet tall, which is closer to his comic book counterpart's height of seven feet. Read more here.

- Doc Samson says "See a shrink." Banner replies "It's a bit more complicated than that."

- Blonsky describes the Hulk to General Greller: "8 foot, 1500 pounds easy... and green."

- General Greller gets angry about General Ross's "bioforce project".

- Banner walks along a snowy hillside where he is going to attempt suicide.

No.

Louis Leterrier said "all of the footage will be on the DVD", so most likely there will not be a director's cut.

The ending is left ambiguous. There has recently been talk that the script for The Avengers will have The Hulk as the main villain. The scene at the end with Bruce changing but smiling while he does it, is left open to either mean he's got control over the change or that he enjoys the power and is becoming lost inside the monster. If Tony Stark was going to recruit him, he likely would have tracked down Banner and recruited him personally, not gone to the General who wanted to capture and or kill Banner.

Kevin Feige said that while the film met Marvel's expectations, a sequel will wait 'til The Avengers is released.

While the filmmakers and cast felt that the contributions Edward Norton made to the screenplay were significant, the WGA felt differently and gave sole credit to Zak Penn. The WGA tends to favor plot and structure, rather than dialogue and character changes, much to many screenwriters' chagrin.