MovieChat Forums > The Incredible Hulk (1978) Discussion > Do you resent that they changed?

Do you resent that they changed?


Quite a bit from the comics.

Bruce Banner to David Banner, pursued by a reporter not US army, none of supporting characters, made the Hulk weaker than his comic counterpart.

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No, the series made it more human and realistic.

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The comic-book version wouldn't have worked in that era. A more serious approach gave the series its staying power. These days, sad to say, the show's format would probably cause it to be cancelled after a season, and the mindless comic-book approach would be the one that would work for the contemporary brain-dead audience.


50 Is The New Cutoff Age.

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Let's be serious: this show is not very good. And I'm pretty sure it wasn't very good even when it was on. You can call it 'a more serious approach' if you like, but the stories are riddled with bad writing and plot holes. The only reason it is still popular is nostalgia.

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It was pretty much the same thing every episode, arrive in new town, meets friend, gets bullied hulks out, reporter come in, bullied and hulks out again, leaves town.

People calling it definitive gets very old and tiring, it's like "green paint works best" oh shut up.

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When I used the phrase 'more serious approach' I wasn't suggesting the series had been written by Dostoievski--I simply meant that it was a dramatic approach that tried to place the action in a 'real' context as apart from a comic-book one.

The show had its weaknesses, but overall I'd say it was considerably better than previous tries at portraying action-comic characters on the telly--no skin-tight costumes bagging in the wrong places for one thing; and if the writing was inconsistent and full of holes it was really not much more so than any other Seventies action/adventure series.

50 Is The New Cutoff Age.

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Let's be serious: this show is not very good. And I'm pretty sure it wasn't very good even when it was on. You can call it 'a more serious approach' if you like, but the stories are riddled with bad writing and plot holes. The only reason it is still popular is nostalgia.


Well, it wasn't "nostalgia" that kept it going for 5 seasons.

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the show's format would probably cause it to be cancelled after a season


There are stuff like Banner presumed that would last one season, nowadays it would have more complex plots, long arcs, VFX and subplots.

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Ken Johnson didn't want the show perceived as a comic book show so he changed Banner's name and replaced Hulk's supporting cast with his own original creations.

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No, because I never read the comic books, and had no interest in them.

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Hulk chased by the army would've been too violent for 70's TV.

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Hulk chased by the army would've been too violent for 70's TV.


I doubt that was the reason.

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Absolutely NOT. Kenneth Johnson, the executive producer, did that by design...and he knew what he was doing. It was close enough to the comics to keep kids (and parents of those kids) happy AND yet, had good, intricate storylines to even keep adults interested. Hence, fun for the whole family. For its time, it was a great show.

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Would Ken Johnson's take on the Hulk work now?

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When I saw the pilot I kept waiting for the hulk to speak.

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Wouldn't have worked back then. Can get away with it in animation and live action CGI.

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The Hulk barely talked in those silly CGI movies. If they really wanted to do a Hulk based on the comic books, why not have him talk in complete sentences? Otherwise, keep him mute. The TV show was awesome!

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Shut up.

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Dummy.

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Changing his name from Bruce to David is questionable because Bill Bixiby is BB and where some famous people named Bruce (nobody knew Bruce Willis or Bruce Campbell at the time, don't think anyone knew Bruce Boxleitner then). It was the only change about The Hulk Stan Lee questioned and couldn't believe what he was hearing when he asked why, the network saying Bruce Banner sounds too gay.

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Is It True That The Late Bill Bixby Refused to Star in The Hulk If He Was Named Bruce

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=290510

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Strange thing the only character used from the comics was the central character, same with Thor and Daredevil in the reunion movies replace the supporting characters from the comics with a original creation.

They did have the army in a couple of episodes but that was about it.

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