The Incredible Hulk

The Incredible Hulk

The Incredible Hulk is a 2008 superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero the Hulk. It is the second main installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and also the second main installment of Phase One.

It is not a sequel to the 2003 film, Hulk, but a reboot. It is directed by Louis Leterrier and stars Edward Norton as Bruce Banner/Hulk, Liv Tyler as Dr. Betty Ross, Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky/Abomination, and William Hurt as General Thunderbolt Ross.

Plot
Bruce Banner recalls the events in which he was transformed into a monster and hospitalized his lover Betty Ross. Ross's father, General Thaddeus Ross, forced Banner go on the run for 5 years, as he is now a fugitive of the US Army. Banner finds a home in Rocinha, Brazil, where he works at a soft drink bottling factory and has learned breathing techniques and martial arts to ward off his transformations. He is trying to find a cure with the help of "Mr. Blue", whom he met online. Banner has not had an "incident" for 5 months.

When Banner has a cut, his blood drips into a bottle at the factory and is ingested by an ill-fated consumer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Ross uses this incident to pick up on Banner's trail and sends British special-ops expert Emil Blonsky with a team to capture Banner. During the confrontation, Banner transforms into Hulk at the bottling factory and takes out everyone on the team, except for Blonsky, before escaping.

Banner escapes and goes to Guatemala, and then the US, where he finds the now recovered Betty Ross at Culver University, dating psychiatrist Leonard Samson. Banner's friend, Stanley (a pizzeria owner) gives him a job as a delivery boy. He uses this job to continue his research by sneaking past a security guard at the university.

Betty sees Banner at the pizzeria, and they later reunite.

Ross is informed by Blonsky that Banner escaped because of a green monster. Ross continues to explain that Banner was the monster, created by a failed experiment meant to replicate the "Super-Soldier" program. Blonsky volunteers to be given a small dose of the original Vita-Ray serum that increases his strength and agility. Blonsky leads a second attack on Banner at Culver University, where he and his team encounter Hulk and are defeated. Hulk saves Betty from an explosion and he takes her to the Smoky Mountain National Forest.

Betty and Banner go to Grayburn College in New York City to meet Mr. Blue, who is revealed to be Samuel Sterns. Sterns invented a potential antidote, and Banner accepts it, despite the risks. Banner is restrained and a transformation is induced, but was successfully reversed through Sterns' antidote. Sterns revealed that he synthesized Banner's blood into a large supply, in hopes of using it in the next stage of human evolution. While Banner tries to convince him otherwise, he is suddenly shot by one of Ross's snipers, who shoots him with a tranquilizing dart.

Betty and Banner are taken into custody, while Blonsky confronts Sterns and asks him to give him a sample of Gamma Radiation. Despite Stern's warnings that the Super Soldier serum and Gamma radiation together could create an "abomination", but Blonsky doesn't change his mind. The procedure transforms Blonsky into a Hulk-like monster who knocks Sterns into a sample of Banner's blood, and goes on a rampage to get Banner's attention.

Despite his fears that he has cured himself of Hulk permanently, Banner is given permission to fight Blonsky, and jumps from General Ross' helicopter in an attempt to re-trigger his transformations. Banner emerges from a crater in the street below as Hulk, and proceeds to face Blonsky. Hulk manages to defeat Blonsky, while also protecting Betty and General Ross, who had been put in harm's way, but is again forced to run from the US Army.

31 days later, Banner is in Bella Coola, British Columbia trying to learn how to control his transformations, instead of curing them.

Later, General Ross is in a bar, where Tony Stark confronts Ross and talks about a "team" being made.

Cast

 * Edward Norton as Bruce Banner/Hulk
 * Lou Ferrigno as Hulk  (voice)
 * Liv Tyler as Betty Ross
 * Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky/Abomination
 * William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross
 * Ty Burrell as Leonard Samson
 * Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns/Leader
 * Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark
 * Christina Cabot as Kathleen Sparr
 * Peter Mensah as Joe Greller
 * Paul Soles as Stanley
 * Martin Starr as Amadeus Cho
 * Nicholas Rose as Jack McGee
 * P.J. Kerr as Jim Wilson
 * Lou Ferrigno as a security guard
 * Stan Lee as a Gamma victim
 * Débora Nascimento as Martina

Locations

 * Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
 * Rocinha
 * Bella Coola, British Columbia, Canada
 * Guatemala
 * New York City, New York
 * Grayburn College
 * Willowdale, West Virginia
 * Culver University
 * Arlington, Virginia
 * Pentagon
 * Everglades, Florida
 * Fort Johnson
 * Milwaukee, Wisconsin
 * Chiapas, Mexico
 * Idaho (mentioned)
 * Rome, Italy (mentioned)

Events

 * Ambush in Rio de Janeiro
 * Battle at Culver University
 * Duel of Harlem

Items

 * Gamma Ray Projector
 * Gamma Radiation
 * Super Soldier Serum
 * Stark Sonic Cannon

Creatures

 * Dogs

Vehicles

 * Humvee

Organizations

 * United States Armed Forces
 * S.H.I.E.L.D. (mentioned)
 * CIA (mentioned)
 * Stark Industries (mentioned)

Mentioned

 * Rick Jones

Trivia

 * So far, this is the only Phase 1 movie that didn't have a direct sequel.
 * Also, this is the only movie to feature Bruce Banner as the main (and only) hero, as he also appeared in The Avengers and the post-credits scene of Iron Man 3.
 * Incidentally, this is also the only movie to feature Edward Norton as Bruce Banner.
 * This is also the only film to have a one-shot main villain who isn't killed, aside from Iron Man 2's secondary antagonist Justin Hammer. Loki and Thanos are recurring main villains.

Music

 * The Incredible Hulk: Original Motion Picture Score
 * Kaoma