The Hulk is one of the most popular Marvel characters of all time. The character has been a fixture of the Marvel universe and has been an Avenger, a Defender, and part of many iconic storylines ranging from Secret Wars to his own Planet Hulk and World War Hulk miniseries. He is one of the first Marvel superheroes to break into mainstream popularity due to the success of the 1978 series The Incredible Hulk. He was arguably the biggest superhero Marvel Studios had the rights to when they started their shared universe experiment, hence why he was one of the first characters to get a feature film in the MCU (though whether it’s canon is up for debate).
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Unlike Iron Man or Wolverine, who are commonly associated with one actor, The Hulk has been played by many different actors over the years in live-action. This is in part due to the nature of many attempts to reboot and relaunch the Hulk film franchise which, despite his popularity, has never translated to successful box office results on his own. Yet this is fitting for the character, for just as the comics have multiple different personalities and personas for the Hulk, the various actors who have played the character have reimagined and brought something new to the hero. Star Mark Ruffalo once compared the Hulk to his generation’s Hamlet, as each actor brings something new to the part, and in many ways that is true. Bill Bixby, Eric Bana, Edward Norton, and Mark Ruffalo have all turned a shade of green, and this is what their portrayals show about the Hulk.
Billy Bixby and Lou Ferrigno - Hulk as the Everyman
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
The first to bring the Hulk to life is arguably the most famous and the most unique in that it is the duo of Bill Bixby as David Banner (changed from the comic book name Bruce Banner) and Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk in 1978’s The Incredible Hulk television series and three follow-up television movies: 1988’s The Incredible Hulk Returns, 1989’s The Trial of the Incredible Hulk, and 1990’s The Death of the Incredible Hulk. Whereas the later portrayals bring the Hulk to life with CGI, the television series sees the role being split between the two, as Ferrigno is able to bring the Hulk to life due to his incredible size and years as a bodybuilder.
Bixby in many ways sets the template for the role of the Hulk’s human identity, and while many comics and later portrayals focused on the tragic nature of the character as a man traveling from town to town, one underrated element is the fact that his Banner is very much a normal person. This works to sell the idea that this version of Banner can hide and lie low, while also giving a warm, comforting presence that’s contrasted when he loses control of the Hulk. Bixby’s Hulk is also one of the most active Bruce Banners. While he is still looking for a cure, he also always finds a way to help out those around him. Despite trying to keep hidden, he can’t help but lend a hand to those in need, because even if his Hulk isn’t a superhero, he can still be.
Eric Bana - Hulk as the Scared Child
Universal Pictures
Eric Bana starred as Bruce Banner in 2003’s Hulk from director Ang Lee, which was the character’s first big-budget motion picture. Hulk opened big but quickly fell off and had one of the worst second-weekend box offices in history, and was considered a disappointment, with many audiences put off by the darker more cerebral take on the character.
However, the tone of the film draws from the ’80s and 90s eras of the Hulk comics. Specifically writer Bill Mantlo’s work, which first introduced the concept of Bruce Banner suffering from childhood abuse at the hands of his father (who is the film’s primary antagonist), which would be expanded upon by later writers. It also draws heavily from Peter David’s run on the character, which dived into the concept of multiple personalities and the Hulk as a manifestation of Banner’s abuse.
Bana’s Bruce Banner is that of a scared child, repressing his traumatic childhood. This is depicted in a number of ways, from how Banner is dressed to his haircut, designed to make him look more like a little boy, and his Hulk having a slight baby face. The film even refers to Banner’s Hulk-out as tantrums, further enforcing the child parallel. The Hulk itself is played as a manifestation of Banner’s trauma, first shown in his mind trying to break free from the door of his childhood he’s hiding from.
This Hulk is born into a world of violence and destruction, and he reacts in kind. The film ends with Banner defeating his father who is responsible for much of his childhood trauma, and sees him hiding out acting as a doctor in South America. This signifies that this Banner has now grown into the traditional version of the characters from the comics and television series.
Edward Norton - Hulk as the Man on the Run
Originally conceived as a loose sequel to 2003’s Hulk, 2008’s The Incredible Hulk eventually morphed into a reboot of the character and set within the new Marvel Cinematic Universe, with actor Edward Norton being cast as a way to show that Marvel Studios was serious about reinventing the character. In many ways, The Incredible Hulk is a big-budget adaptation of the classic television show in the vein of The Addams Family or The Fugitive as much as it is the comic book series. Norton’s Bruce Banner is very much going for the vibe of Bill Bixby, as the film sees Banner as a man on the run trying to cure the beast that dwells within him, which was the main crux of the series.
Yet Norton goes for a more traditional weak timid and scrawny Bruce Banner found in many Marvel Comics from the 1960s and ’70s.
However, casting Norton in the role also adds another layer to this version of the Hulk. While Bixby has an everyman feel to him, Norton’s presence adds a level of danger to this Bruce Banner. At the time of The Incredible Hulk’s release, Norton was known for playing characters with two sides in films like Primal Fear and Fight Club. That adds an added sense of danger to his Banner, which rides the line between monster and hero. His Banner decides that his Hulk can do some good, choosing to aim it at the Abomination in combat. This gamble pays off, but the film ends on an ominous note that sees Banner no longer looking to rid himself of the Hulk but instead control it, with a smirk indicating he has the power and could use it for good or evil.
Mark Ruffalo - Hulk as the Hero
Marvel Studios
Norton was originally intended to be the MCU incarnation of the Hulk in The Avengers, but a falling out between Norton and Marvel Studios led to the role being recast. Mark Ruffalo was cast in The Avengers and since then reprised his role in Iron Man 3, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, What If…? and the upcoming She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Interestingly, The Incredible Hulk director Louis Leterrier revealed he originally wanted to cast Ruffalo as the Hulk before they went with Edward Norton.
Due to Ruffalo’s Hulk being featured in multiple films, his character has had the most growth and development of any incarnations, going through multiple comic arcs. The Avengers builds off Norton’s storyline from The Incredible Hulk and sees him stepping up from rampaging monster to superhero. Even after he stumbles and finds himself off planet in Thor: Ragnarok, which draws from the Planet Hulk storyline, the character eventually finds peace by merging Banner and Hulk into one: Professor Hulk, a concept first introduced in Peter David’s run on the character and later expanded on in the Doc Green persona in 2013.
The biggest thing that separates Ruffalo’s Hulk from his past incarnations is the fact that he is one that exists in a world full of superheroes, and has formed long-lasting friendships and relationships within his community. While initially only recruited into the Avengers by Nick Fury for his Bruce Banner persona and thinking The Hulk was a burden, it is Iron Man who makes him realize the Hulk can do some good and becomes an Avenger. He forms a romantic relationship with Black Widow and friendships with Captain America and Thor which help him realize his full potential.
Slowly over the course of his appearances, Banner begins to open up and Ruffalo is allowed to have more fun with the character, realizing his status no longer as a tormented individual but as a jokey scientist and a laid-back relaxed man who is enjoying his life. It is telling in the five-year gap between Thanos’ snap, after many of the heroes have been dusted or retired, that Bruce steps up and takes on the role of a more traditional superhero, one adored by the general public. Whereas other Banner stories end with him on the run, this is a Hulk who has found a home and a sense of family. This is no longer a monster; this Hulk, more so than any other, is a superhero.
