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The Incredible Hulk (1982 TV series)

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The Incredible Hulk
Created byStan Lee (characters / created for television)
Jack Kirby (characters)
Voices ofMichael Bell
Bob Holt
Michael Horton
B.J. Ward
Narrated byStan Lee
ComposerJohn Douglas
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producersDavid H. DePatie
Lee Gunther
ProducerDon Jurwich
Production companyMarvel Productions
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 18, 1982 (1982-09-18) –
October 8, 1983 (1983-10-08)

The Incredible Hulk is an animated television series based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. The series ran for 13 episodes on NBC in 1982, part of a combined hour with Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (as The Incredible Hulk and the Amazing Spider-Man). Unlike the previous live-action The Incredible Hulk television series from Universal in the 1970s, this series was based upon the Hulk comic books and was able to portray the more fantastical elements of the comics as sticking to his true name and origin as well as featuring the return of the original characters in his life, all of which the live-action series refused to show. It featured stories faithful to the source material from Marvel. In addition, new recurring characters were created for the series including the Hispanic family of father Rio and his youthful daughter Rita.

Plot

The series focused on Dr Bruce Banner's attempts to cure himself of his transformations into the Hulk, and the Hulk defeating various monsters and villains whilst fending off the army's attempts to subdue and capture him. This was the second Hulk animated series: in 1966, the Hulk appeared in 39 seven-minute segments as part of TV's The Marvel Super Heroes.

The 1982 Incredible Hulk series featured accompanying narration by Hulk co-creator Stan Lee. Some of the same background music tracks were used for Dungeons & Dragons. Boyd Kirkland, who became a writer/director for Batman: The Animated Series and X-Men: Evolution, was one of the layout artists for The Incredible Hulk.

Production

The character design for both Bruce Banner and the Hulk were based on the artwork of Sal Buscema, who penciled the Incredible Hulk comic during the 1970s and 1980s. There is also the more frequently remembered quirk that whenever the Hulk transformed back to Bruce Banner, his clothes would miraculously return to normal. Also, the series would frequently reuse the same stock sequences when Banner transformed into the Hulk.

The series did have a number of changes to avoid censorship issues with a younger audience, including arming the troops at the army base with futuristic sci-fi-style weaponry.

Characters

Main article: List of The Incredible Hulk characters

Episodes

No. Title
1"Tomb of the Unknown Hulk"
When high cosmic ray activity triggers Bruce's transformations without him getting angry, he tries to lock himself in a cave to protect his friends, but the cosmic rays also block communications and allow Doctor Octopus an opening to stage an attack on Gamma Base.
2"Prisoner of the Monster"
Rick stumbles upon a map for a potion held by a lost tribe that can cure Bruce of the Hulk, but the cure becomes bitter sweet when the Spymaster (who's named as such, but did not wear a costume of any type.) kidnaps Betty and her father, stealing a deadly weapon from Gamma Base that only the Hulk can defeat.
3"Origin of the Hulk"
The retelling of the origin of the Hulk, with the original Russian Cold War spies replaced with aliens seeking the secrets of Bruce's Gamma Bomb.
4"When Monsters Meet"
Arriving in Paris for a scientific conference, Bruce is given a possible cure for his condition, but his chances of using it are threatened by the appearance of a descendant of Quasimodo who wreaks havoc in the city. (This episode was adapted in comic book format by Marvel, in the one-shot "The Incredible Hulk versus Quasimodo". A back-up, one-page comic featuring editor Al Milgrom disguised as the Hulk explained how this book fit into the animated cartoon continuity, and not current Marvel Comics continuity[1])
5"The Cyclops Project"
Due to the inadvertent actions of the Hulk, Cyclops, the most world's powerful military defense computer, malfunctions and seeks to take over the world. The Cyclops computer tries to obtain the aid of the Bruce Banner and Hulk to do so.
6"Bruce Banner Unmasked"
When the Puppet Master attempts gain control of the Hulk as a part of his plan to take over Mesa City and its surrounds, the army are finally able to defeat the creature and learn of Bruce Banner's secret identity.
7"The Creature and the Cavegirl"
Bruce learns of a colleague whose developed a working time projector, seeing it as a chance to go back and stop the creation of the Hulk, only for the device to malfunction and transport the entire lab and its occupants back to 1,000,000 B.C.
8"It Lives! It Grows! It Destroys!"
A rival scientist at Gamma Base develops a part plant, part animal lifeform which can eat almost anything in its path. But the creature escapes and threatens the planet as it grows uncontrollably.
9"The Incredible Shrinking Hulk"
After his latest gamma experiment malfunctions, Bruce is shrunk down until he is one inch tall, as two spies attempt to steal a new tank.
10"Punks on Wheels"
When a motorcycle gang kidnaps Rita, Bruce and his friend discover the gang is secretly working for the Leader, who seeks their aid in stealing a shipment of Vibranium.
11"Enter: She-Hulk"
Bruce and Rick travel to Los Angeles to visit Bruce's cousin Jennifer Walters to try and learn how she is able to maintain her intelligence when she changes into the She-Hulk, but their attempt is endangered thanks to the efforts of terrorist group HYDRA to take over the city.
12"The Boy Who Saw Tomorrow"
Betty's nephew Jonah arrives at Gamma Base to demonstrate his amazing psychic ability, able to predict the future with uncanny accuracy he has a vision of Betty's space shuttle crashing into a mountain, with the Hulk and a mysterious madman involved.
13"The Hulk Destroys Bruce Banner"
While testing his new Transmat teleporter on himself, Bruce transforms into the Hulk in mid-teleportation, convincing Betty that the Hulk interfered and leading the charge to capture the creature to attempt to save Bruce.

Cast

Bruce Banner was played by voice actor Michael Bell, while the Hulk himself was voiced by Bob Holt, whose stock library of roars created for this series would be used in various other Marvel Productions series and movies.

  • Michael Bell - Dr. Bruce Banner, Doctor Octopus
  • Pat Fraley - Major Ned Talbot: In this version, Major Talbot's first name was changed from Glenn to "Ned". He was nicknamed by the troops secretly as "Noodle-head Ned" because of the fact that he was very clumsy, was somewhat cowardly, he sucked up to General Ross, and is often deceived by the enemy throughout the 13 episodes.
  • Bob Holt - Hulk, Puppet Master: As previously mentioned, the Puppet Master appeared in the episode "Bruce Banner: Unmasked". He gets control of the residents in Mesa City while also attempting to control the Hulk - his Hulk 'doll' even allows him to exert some slight influence over Bruce Banner, although Banner simply feels uncomfortable rather than falling under the Puppet Master's control - simultaneously causing the Hulk's true identity to be revealed, although even when the Hulk is in his natural state his sheer strength of will allowed him to eventually throw off Puppet Master's influence. The only person he doesn't make a puppet of is his stepdaughter Alicia, which allows Bruce and Rick to track him down, Rick subsequently using the Puppet Master's equipment to erase all memory of the Hulk's true identity prior to its destruction.
  • Michael Horton - Rick Jones: Here, Rick was blond, wore a cowboy hat, and had a girlfriend named Rita.
  • Stan Lee - Narrator
  • B.J. Ward - Betty Ross: In this incarnation, Betty is a research scientist working alongside Bruce Banner at Gamma Base. Like the 1966 series, Betty (as are most of the series regulars, other than Rick Jones) is unaware that Banner transforms into the Hulk.

Credited cast

  • Michael Bell - Dr. Bruce Banner, Doctor Octopus (Tomb of the Unknown Hulk), Military Soldier #1 (Prisoner of the Monster), Controller (Origin of the Hulk), Military Soldier #1 (Origin of the Hulk), Military Soldier #2 (Origin of the Hulk), French Cab Driver (When Monsters Meet), Professor Royale (When Monsters Meet), Minister of Finance (When Monsters Meet), Military Soldier #3 (Bruce Banner Unmasked), George (It Lives! It Grows! It Destroys!), Spike (Punks on Wheels)
  • Susan Blu - Rita, Rainbow Murphy (Tomb of the Unknown Hulk), Female Jungle Warrior #2 (Prisoner of the Monster)
  • Bill Callaway - TV Interviewer (Tomb of the Unknown Hulk), Octopus Trooper #1 (Tomb of the Unknown Hulk)
  • Hamilton Camp - Dr. Brandon Jones (The Creature and the Cavegirl)
  • Victoria Carroll - She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters (Enter: She-Hulk)
  • Roberto Cruz - Rio, Mateo (Prisoner of the Monster)
  • Alan Dinehart - Military Soldier #1 (Tomb of the Unknown Hulk), Military Soldier #3 (Tomb of the Unknown Hulk), Octopus Trooper #3 (Tomb of the Unknown Hulk)
  • Ron Feinberg - Cosmos (Prisoner of the Monster), Claw (Punks on Wheels)
  • Elliot Field - Nagira (The Creature and the Cavegirl)
  • June Foray - Umeela (The Creature and the Cavegirl)
  • Pat Fraley - Major Ned Talbot, Military Soldier #2 (Tomb of the Unknown Hulk), Military Soldier # 4 (Tomb of the Unknown Hulk), Octopus Trooper #2 (Tomb of the Unknown Hulk), Octopus Trooper #4 (Tomb of the Unknown Hulk), Beta Squad Pilot (Origin of the Hulk), Scott Grant (Bruce Banner Unmasked)
  • Bob Holt - The Hulk, Military Soldier #2 (Prisoner of the Monster), Dr. Carlston/4-3 (Origin of the Hulk), Puppet Master (Bruce Banner Unmasked), Military Soldier #1 (Bruce Banner Unmasked)
  • Michael Horton - Rick Jones, Beta Leader (Origin of the Hulk), Military Soldier #2 (Bruce Banner Unmasked), Jonah (The Boy Who Saw Tomorrow)
  • Stanley Jones - The Leader (Punks on Wheels)
  • Stan Lee - Narrator
  • Dennis Marks - Dr. Curt Donovan (The Cyclops Project), Dr. Proto (It Lives! It Grows! It Destroys!)
  • Vic Perrin - Countdown Announcer (Origin of the Hulk), Number 1 (Origin of the Hulk), Post 3 Soldier (Origin of the Hulk), Military Soldier #4 (Origin of the Hulk)
  • Bob Ridgely - General Thunderbolt Ross, The Spymaster (Prisoner of the Monster), Military Soldier #3 (Origin of the Hulk)
  • Stanley Ralph Ross - Quasimodo (When Monsters Meet), Bellboy (When Monsters Meet)
  • Michael Rye - Supreme Hydra/Dr. Steve Perry (Enter: She-Hulk), Jasper Bryn (Enter: She-Hulk)
  • Marilyn Schreffler - Lab Computer (Prisoner of the Monster), Jamala (Prisoner of the Monster)
  • John Stephenson - Wally Waldo (The Boy Who Saw Tomorrow)
  • B.J. Ward - Betty Ross, Female Jungle Warrior #1 (Prisoner of the Monster), Nurse (Origin of the Hulk)
  • Alan Young - Cyclops Computer (The Cyclops Project), Cyclops Drones (The Cyclops Project), Dr. Vadara (The Cyclops Project)

Crew

Marvel Mash-Up

Scenes from Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends and The Incredible Hulk were re-cut, edited, and re-dubbed into comical shorts as part of Disney XD's Marvel Mash-Up shorts for their "Marvel Universe on Disney XD" block of programming that includes Ultimate Spider-Man and The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes.[2]

DVD

The series was planned for release on Region 2 DVD in the UK in August 2008 by Liberation Entertainment as part of a release schedule of Marvel animated series. However, due to unforeseen circumstances the release day was pushed back to October, and then again to November 3. Liberation Entertainment then closed its UK division, making 12 staff redundant. This brought many delays to the releases.

Lace International bought the rights to distribute the series on DVD.[3] Amazon.co.uk was the first store to receive stocks of the resulting two disc DVD set, which includes a short restoration featurette.

Clear Vision re-released the series on DVD in the UK on the June 7, 2010.

Footnotes

  1. ^ Review of the cartoon-based "Hulk vs. Quasimodo" comic at THE ISB
  2. ^ http://marvel.com/news/story/18341/doing_the_marvel_mash-up
  3. ^ [1] Archived 2008-09-17 at the Wayback Machine
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