Marvel has spent years turning its strangest comic book ideas into blockbuster entertainment. Gods, monsters, talking raccoons, and a guy who can shrink himself have all found an audience. But back in the 1970s, bringing superheroes to television was a much trickier business. Special effects were limited, budgets weren’t exactly enormous, and not every comic book character was an obvious fit for prime time. Still, television executives were willing to take a few chances. Marvel already had superheroes making the jump to live action, and there was another character who seemed ready for his own shot.
This particular hero didn’t rely on super-strength or a fancy suit of armor. His world involved ancient magic, strange dimensions, and supernatural threats that weren’t exactly easy to explain to someone settling in for a quiet evening with their television. The result was an unusual experiment that aired on CBS in 1978. It had a recognizable Marvel name behind it, some ambitious ideas, and the potential to become something much bigger. Instead, the story ended after a single television movie. For fans wondering what Marvel’s supernatural corner might have looked like decades earlier, it’s a fascinating missed opportunity.
The 1982 The Incredible Hulk animated series had an advantage that its live-action predecessor never quite managed to exploit. It actually treated the source material like source material. Bruce Banner was Bruce Banner, not David Banner, and his transformation began with the familiar gamma bomb accident in the New Mexico desert. Rick Jones was there, too, just as he was in the original Stan Lee and Jack Kirby origin story. For comic book fans, these details mattered. They weren’t asking for a panel-by-panel recreation, but they did want to recognize the character they had spent years reading about.
As a long-time Incredible Hulk comic fan, I’ve decided to revisit this series. Let me tell you, it’s incredible… Seriously. I’m currently reading The Infernal Hulk, and I enjoy it for what it is. But personally, I feel like Bruce Banner and the Hulk have evolved so far from the superhero version that was prevalent in the ’80s and into the ’90s that his character and story aren’t interesting to me anymore. My favorite Hulk is the pinnacle Peter David achieved in the ’90s, and I also really like the simple, Hulk-smash superhero version. Watch this trailer and appreciate the classic Hulk that deserves to come back.
The show also looked the part. Its character designs drew heavily from Sal Buscema’s Hulk artwork, giving the green giant the imposing build and expressive features comic readers knew. Unlike the live-action show of the late 1970s, the cartoon embraced the stranger side of Marvel. Science-fiction villains, time travel, and even She-Hulk were all part of the fun. The Hulk could also speak, using the simple and blunt dialogue comic fans knew so well. Stan Lee narrated the series, giving it a direct connection to Marvel’s comic book roots. The cartoon wasn’t a perfect adaptation, but it understood one important thing. The Hulk was never just a monster to run away from.
Saturday morning television in 1982 came with rules, and those rules could produce some spectacularly strange results. The Hulk could smash tanks and send military vehicles flying, but the soldiers fighting him couldn’t simply carry realistic firearms. Strict broadcast standards meant that laser cannons and futuristic energy weapons often had to do the job instead. It’s a peculiar sight when a giant green man is causing what looks like a military catastrophe, only for the soldiers to respond with equipment that wouldn’t look out of place in a space opera. Apparently, smashing things was acceptable as long as the weapons looked sufficiently imaginary.
As strong as it was, the cartoon also struggled with a familiar comic book problem: what happens to Bruce Banner’s clothes when he transforms? In the comics, Banner’s trousers famously survive more often than the rest of his wardrobe. Everything else tends to get shredded. The animated series wasn’t always consistent about the mechanics, sometimes letting his clothes reappear or remain intact when he changed back. Rick Jones received his own makeover, trading his familiar comic book look for long blond hair and a cowboy hat. Glenn Talbot was softened into a more bumbling figure whose nickname, “Noodle Head Ned,” hardly helped his credibility. It would also have been awesome to see other Marvel superheroes team up with the Hulk.
New characters also joined the cast, including Rio and his daughter Rita. These changes weren’t all improvements, and some reflected the compromises of children’s television. Still, they make the series an interesting snapshot of Marvel adapting its comics for a very different medium. For all its oddities, the cartoon kept the core of Banner and the Hulk intact. That counts for more than a perfectly preserved pair of purple pants. Which Hulk is your favorite? Tell us which version you prefer—without getting too deep into the Hulkscape.
