The Avengers The Official 'Hulk in Avengers' thread. - Part 3

[elgaz]

The first transformation of Banner into the Hulk in the pilot (when he was trying to change a flat tyre in the pouring rain, with lightning, if I recall - haven't seen it in a LONG time!) was brilliant. The mood and setting of the scene was perfect, and it had a great impact.

Obviously like any 80s series, it has aged, and when you look back now the effects and such pale in comparison to what the TV and movie industry can do now. Nonetheless, the impact of the series and it's story remains intact and as strong as ever.

edit - actually, I found a video of Banner's first transformation into the Hulk. You can watch it here :

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6m5a3_the-incredible-hulk-tv-series-first_shortfilms

Great scene. It's actually a bit creepy, much more so than the transformation in the movies.

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

So Banner hulked out because of trying to change a flat tire in the pouring rain? Seems like the wrong time to me. Then again, when is the right time to hulk out? Still though that doesn't seem like a big enough reason but it's not like he needs to be pushed that hard to go over the edge.

 

[steintym]

Man, I loved that show as a kid. Every once in awhile I'll still catch it on cable. I usually have to stop and watch for a few minutes.

 

[elgaz]

So Banner hulked out because of trying to change a flat tire in the pouring rain? Seems like the wrong time to me. Then again, when is the right time to hulk out? Still though that doesn't seem like a big enough reason but it's not like he needs to be pushed that hard to go over the edge.

This was his first time remember. It wasn't so much just the tyre, IIRC he was a bit stressed from a few incidents earlier in the episode and then being caught in the rain, struggling with the tyre and hurting his hand just tipped him over the edge.

I suppose having him Hulk out in the presence of a villain or whatever may have made for a more 'typical' transformation, but by just having him on his own, it allowed us to focus purely on his transformation.

 

[Ahura Mazda]

I used to watch it as well. It was on the same night as six million dollar man.

 

[Shadowlord X]

It was a great TV show. I have to say I LOVED the movie with THOR! It was soooo cool to see another MARVEL character.

 

[kedrell]

Of the 3 TV movies I think I liked the one with DareDevil the best. The whole trial dream sequence with him Hulking out and going berserk in a courtroom was hella fun to watch.

 

[El Payaso]

So Banner hulked out because of trying to change a flat tire in the pouring rain? Seems like the wrong time to me. Then again, when is the right time to hulk out? Still though that doesn't seem like a big enough reason but it's not like he needs to be pushed that hard to go over the edge.

It wasn't just chaging a flat tire.

He had just self-radiated with gamma rays and he hadn't had any results so he was dead worried because he knew he was now poisoned by radiation. So he had to go to see his colleage, Elaina Marks, to think how to revert the poisoning. And then it was raining. And then the flat tire. And then he smashed his hand against the asphallt. And then he smashed his hand against the asphalt harder. Add to that that the whole experiment with gamma radiation was because he wanted to know how some people show super-strenght in stressful situations and yet Dr. Banner himself had seen his wife die inside of a car and he wasn't able to save her.

All in all, the whole story priopr to the scene, plus the lightnings and rain, reminding of the classic Frankenstein monster's creation night, set the right mood for a very terrific and terrorific transformation like no other I have seen.

I have to say I am terrbily dissapointed that in this day and age they're not able to surpass that scene and its tone.

I suppose having him Hulk out in the presence of a villain or whatever may have made for a more 'typical' transformation, but by just having him on his own, it allowed us to focus purely on his transformation.

The last thing the pilot needed was a super-villiain. Not because the technology wasn't able to develop one, but because the pilot was structured as a classic horror movie in which the monster is both the main character AND the antagonist. Just like we all follow and feel for Frankenstein's monster but Dr. Frankenstein himself wants to get rid of him. Here, Hulk is both the "hero" - he saves Elaina Marks and tries to save a little girl - but he's the tragedy himself since with his apparition, possibility of Dr. Banner having a normal life was ruined.

 

[marcvader]

I used to watch it as well. It was on the same night as six million dollar man.

Ahh, great memories for me too.

 

[steintym]

Thanks for the recap. I forgot about most of those details. I feel like checking the pilot out again.

 

[kedrell]

All I can say is that I'm glad I started watching the show before I ever read any Hulk comics. Otherwise I'd have probably been ticked at how much was changed.

 

[marcvader]

All I can say is that I'm glad I started watching the show before I ever read any Hulk comics. Otherwise I'd have probably been ticked at how much was changed.

Same here. I was about 6 years old and that was when i just started getting interested in superheroes. Between the tv show, the Mego figures, comics, and toons, became a fanatic of all things comicbook.

 

[El Payaso]

All I can say is that I'm glad I started watching the show before I ever read any Hulk comics. Otherwise I'd have probably been ticked at how much was changed.

To me it worked the other way around. As you, I saw the series first and then I couldn't get why Hulk kept talking and talking about every little thing he was doing, feeling or thinking, in the third person in the comics.

 

[wobbly]

I was familiar with the Hulk in the books for some time before the show, but the changes didn't bother my 10 year old self that much. At the time it was a joy to have any live action show about the Hulk (our expectations were a lot lower in those days).
Will say though that I got a bit tired of the formula after a while. there were a few neat stories among the repetitive ones (Prometheus and the First for example) but it all got a bit samey quite quickly.

 

[El Payaso]

I was familiar with the Hulk in the books for some time before the show, but the changes didn't bother my 10 year old self that much. At the time it was a joy to have any live action show about the Hulk (our expectations were a lot lower in those days).
Will say though that I got a bit tired of the formula after a while. there were a few neat stories among the repetitive ones (Prometheus and the First for example) but it all got a bit samey quite quickly.

Every episode HAD to be the same:
Act I: introduction of characters and situation. Something seems wrong.
Act II: what's wrong get more wrong. Hulk appears.
Act III: tide turns somehow.
Act IV: bad guys try to get rid of whoever and Banner. Hulk saves the day.

The great episodes are the ones that are mostly or purely about Banner himself: The Pilot, Married, Mistery Man, Prometheus, the First, Interview with the Hulk.

 

[Gamma_Powered_God]

I remember being about 4 years old, and not understanding why the Hulk in the tv show didn't look like the hulk in the comics.

 

[wobbly]

Every episode HAD to be the same:
Act I: introduction of characters and situation. Something seems wrong.
Act II: what's wrong get more wrong. Hulk appears.
Act III: tide turns somehow.
Act IV: bad guys try to get rid of whoever and Banner. Hulk saves the day.

The great episodes are the ones that are mostly or purely about Banner himself: The Pilot, Married, Mistery Man, Prometheus, the First, Interview with the Hulk.

Disagree that they had to be the same.

By virtue of the fact there were exceptions to the formula of Banner getting involved in some innocents mess and Hulking out twice an episode to save the day, means that is was not a necessary evil to make so many episodes have basically the same plot (which was essentially a rehash of 'The Fugitive's formula, but with the addition of a big green guy turning up twice an episode).

Having said that I do know it was the best they could realisticly do at the time.

 

[GhostPoet]

So...in the teaser or the trailer...can't remember which. It was on the Cap DVD preview of Avengers...we can see Bruce turning into the hulk in a very white, brightly lit room. Like a research facility....looks nice.

 

[elgaz]

Every episode HAD to be the same:
Act I: introduction of characters and situation. Something seems wrong.
Act II: what's wrong get more wrong. Hulk appears.
Act III: tide turns somehow.
Act IV: bad guys try to get rid of whoever and Banner. Hulk saves the day.

The great episodes are the ones that are mostly or purely about Banner himself: The Pilot, Married, Mistery Man, Prometheus, the First, Interview with the Hulk.

Every episode being the same was generally a given thing for 80s shows : Knight Rider was basically the same story week in / week out, as was A-Team, Airwolf, Magnum, Miami Vice, TJ Hooker, etc.

If the people involved in them shows at the time could have seen the type of stories we have in modern TV, where huge arcs span throughout full seasons, they've never have believed a viewer could get so invested in the series.

 

[marcvader]

There are still shows like that today.

 

[Dark Raven]

I don't think TIH show had to be the same each week. Kenneth Johnson also produced The Bionic Woman, and that could've also been a template for The Incredible Hulk. Even Jaime Summers sometimes fought more superhuman foes on a regular basis than the Hulk. There was Bigfoot (who was almost Hulk-like in strength and nature) or the Fembots. Even during the fights there was more action.

TIH had barely any superhuman foes apart from the evil Hulk in The First, and even then the end fight was nothing special. They just growled at each other and picked up a table together before the evil Hulk was shot dead.

Jaime Summers' battle with Bigfoot/ Sasquatch was an example of how a Hulk fight should've been. Both The Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman had more of a cold war espionage aspect to it, which would've fitted right in with the early issues of the Hulk comic.

Kenneth Johnson could've had episodes like that, which would still have been realistic, as well as the Fugitive-type episodes.

BTW, people keep calling TIH an 80s show. It was more of a late 70s show and very early 80s, but even the early 80s episodes were more in the mould of a 70s show. It's different from shows like Airwolf, Knight Rider, Miami Vice etc.

 

[El Payaso]

Gentlemen, you have defended the show more than I have, and I am a die-hard fan of it. So.... please go on.

 

[sabetoonth]

Ive actually been watching the show start to finish for the last couple days/weeks it is/was a great show but gets kinda same thing goin on here vibe.

And the Antohawk Horror episode got my hopes up for a different Superhuman/Hulk fight. Damn them.

 

[Norm3]

All I can say is that I'm glad I started watching the show before I ever read any Hulk comics. Otherwise I'd have probably been ticked at how much was changed.

I was a comic reader before the show & I was very disappointed in the show. Plus they never had a super-villain on which I hated. I only lasted about a year before it seemed too repetitive to me. You start with the name change to David that sucked. Then it was run from town to town and some thug would turn Banner into Hulk and Hulk would solve the problem & then Banner would run to the next town. Boring!

 

[elgaz]

There are still shows like that today.

CSi has got like that.