Marvel Movie Triumphs And Failures

No. 9: The Incredible Hulk

This movie is one I always seem to forget about. Mostly because the actor who plays the Hulk is different now and no one really talks about Marvel's first big screen experiment. I do think though this movie deserves more recognition and praise. Edward Norton, who plays Banner in this one-time only role, gave an amazing portrayal. To me, he looks just like Banner from the comics, skinny, frail and questioning everything he does as his other personality. With a strong story and great easter eggs for the comics fan, it is one of more solid MCU movies for sure.

The only problem I really had was with the side characters, like Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) and General Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt). Though they are all key characters in Hulk comic books, in this movie they often seemed like more important characters than the Hulk himself.

This film even had a great villain Emil Blonsky (The Abomination), one of the corner-stone villains in Hulk lore and one that looks badass in the movie. It really put the icing on the cake. Seeing Blonsky's insane quest to become like the Hulk and then have him turn out to be not as strong (always happens in the comics) was definitely well scripted.