This show has two seasons and aired from 1996-1997. I’m not really excited to watch this show because the Hulk isn’t a character I’m a big fan of or ever really excited to see in action. Plus, I’m a bit suspicious of the way they’ll animate him since we’re still in the 90’s. Hopefully they’ll stick to the comics and have some cameos from other Marvel characters.
Season One: The intro included fairly generic music and some basic scenes with an angry Hulk. This season has a total of 13 episodes and primarily focused on Bruce’s journey to cure himself. He views the Hulk as a dangerous mutation and never remembers what he did as the Hulk. Hulk, however, retains some memories of his friends and his enemies. He also has a tendency to make friends wherever he goes, which is how they show that the Hulk isn’t a bad individual but rather misunderstood and always attacked first. She-Hulk is introduced as well, with a logical back-story as to how she ended up as the She-Hulk. However, she remains green unlike Bruce and her personality seems to be amplified by the gamma radiation. The way the season ended was rather surprising because Bruce was able to separate from the Hulk, then had to fight the Hulk, then the Hulk got away causing them both some neurological pain, then Betty wanted to marry Bruce (and he agreed), and then her father tried to kill Bruce at their wedding where chaos ensued. Finally Bruce and the Hulk were rejoined but Rick became a Hulk in the process and Bruce actually became Gray Hulk. One aspect of this season that stood out above everything else were the gamma-created outsider creatures that lived in the desert. They were a strong inclusion in the show, had fairly distinct personalities, and played an important role in the outcome of the season. The other Marvel characters featured in one or two episodes this season, in order of appearance, were Iron Man, War Machine, Ghost Rider, Sasquatch, Dr. Doom, the Thing, Thor, and Wendigo.
Season Two: This season had a total of 8 episodes and didn’t have a primary focus like the previous season did. She-Hulk was established as a main character and Gray Hulk was introduced as an alternate personality of Bruce’s. The intro changed as the show is now being called “The Incredible Hulk and She-Hulk,” since it will be featuring her as well. She-Hulk was included well in the season and given a distinct, sassy personality. The season ended somewhat abruptly but that is due to the small amount of episodes within it. There were some loose ends though that would leave a viewer confused. Rick seemed to disappear, Bruce and Betty never got married, and General Ross didn’t really resolve any of his issues. Not a very strong season. The other Marvel characters featured in one or two episodes this season, in order of appearance, were Dr. Strange, Dormammu, Dr. Doom,
The animation of his transformation into the Hulk is fairly disturbing, similar to Werewolf transformations portrayed in the media. It looked painful and had some disturbing bone crunching noises to go along with it. The other transformations portrayed in the show were disturbing as well. On one hand, the animation is improving which is why they’re so disturbing, but on the other hand they’re difficult to watch. The Leader and Gargoyle have a similar relationship to The Mandarin and M.O.D.O.K. in the Iron Man show, but they weren’t featured in every episode since part of Bruce’s struggle is with the Hulk.
Bruce was a character who I struggled with because he went back and forth with his personality. He lacked a balance and clear characteristics aside from his struggle to be free of the Hulk. The Hulk, however, was a much clearer character who’s care and understanding of his friends was refreshing. There was also Gray Hulk who was a tedious and annoying character. She-Hulk had a strong personality and was a clearly defined character. However, if people fear the Hulk why do they not logically fear She-Hulk but rather find her extremely attractive? That doesn’t make much sense, but aside from that she’s a great character. Betty was a flat character and didn’t have much personality outside of her ‘save Bruce’ mentality. Rick’s character was a bit confusing because the “chill” dude isn’t the character I know as well. It felt more exaggerated than usual, but his dedication to Bruce/The Hulk was admirable. General Ross is a fairly extreme character with a deep obsession over destroying the Hulk. While I know his character is meant to be like this, I’ve always found him to be somewhat extreme and not someone an audience can feel pity or empathy for. The Leader was a rather tedious character, especially because he kept saying “So says The Leader,” but everything else about his character fit with what I know about him from the comics.
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