Eric Bana Talks About Portraying The Incredible Hulk

Marvel’s The Incredible Hulk has had a tricky cinematic history with the character being notoriously difficult to adapt, with even Mark Ruffalo and the MCU’s modern version occasionally drawing some ire amidst the praise. Hulk was first featured on the small screen in the 1970’s in a self-titled series which starred Bill Bixby as Bruce Banner and Lou Ferrigno as his big, green alter ego. That show would last five seasons and spawned multiple TV movies, becoming, at the time, a huge hit for Marvel.

However, the IP would lie dormant for almost two decades once the Bixby-era wound to a close. It wasn’t until films like Blade and Spider-Man became box office hits that Marvel and Universal thought a Hulk movie could be viable. Legendary director Ang Lee was brought on to helm the project, an unconventional choice to say the least, while relative unknown Eric Bana was cast in the role of Bruce Banner/Hulk.

Upon release in 2003, Hulk was something of a misfire in the burgeoning superhero genre. It took itself far too seriously and lacked the signature whimsy that defines the genre. At the same time though, it seemed hokey and campy, with Hulk fight monstrous poodles and a giant thundercloud. Things just never coalesced the right way.

Now, Bana is speaking up about the experience. The actor was recently a guest on the WTF with Marc Maron Podcast to discuss his career and elaborated on his choice to take on a role in his only superhero film to date:

It took me a while to get my head around it. I wasn’t privy to the script prior to signing onto the film. It’s one of the only films I have done where that was the case. It just wasn’t the type of film that I saw myself doing.

Bana further commented that his Hulk was never intended to be more than a single film, even if the industry is focused up pushing IPs as far as they can. He insists that Hulk was a “one-off”, stating that:

You certainly didn’t go into a film like that thinking you were going to do more than one … that just wasn’t in play. The expectations are not the way they are now. I approached it as a one-off.

It’s interesting to read about this, as it is in stark contrast to the conventional thinking. Even if there were plans, with the dismal reaction to the movie, they would have been scuttled anyway. The Incredible Hulk rebounded with the MCU and will next be featured in the Disney+ series She-Hulk. When the character will get another proper film adaptation centered around him is anyone’s guess, though there don’t appear to be any plans for something like that anytime in the near future.