The Incredible Hulk (1982 animated TV series)
Encyclopedia
The Incredible Hulk is an animated television series based on the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...

 character
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....

 of the same name. The series ran for 13 episodes on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

 in 1982
1982 in television
The year 1982 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1982.For the American TV schedule, see: 1982-83 American network television schedule.-Events:...

, part of a combined hour with Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends
Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends
Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends is an animated series produced by Marvel Productions starring established Marvel Comics characters Spider-Man and Iceman and an original character, Firestar...

(as The Incredible Hulk and the Amazing Spider-Man). The series focused on Dr Bruce Banner's attempts to cure himself of his transformations into the Hulk, and the Hulk defeating various monsters and villains whilst fending off the army's attempts to subdue and capture him. This was the second Hulk animated series: in 1966, the Hulk appeared in 39 seven-minute segments as part of TV's The Marvel Super Heroes.

The 1982 Incredible Hulk series featured accompanying narration by Hulk co-creator Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....

. Some of the same background music tracks were used for Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons (TV series)
Dungeons & Dragons is an American fantasy animated television series based on TSR's Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. A co-production of Marvel Productions and TSR, the show originally ran from 1985 through 1987 for three seasons on CBS for a total of twenty seven episodes.The show focused on a...

. Boyd Kirkland
Boyd Kirkland
Boyd Douglas Kirkland was an American television director of animated cartoons. He was best known for his work on X-Men Evolution. His other famous works included Batman: The Animated Series. He suffered from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and interstitial lung disease...

, who became a writer/director for Batman: The Animated Series
Batman: The Animated Series
Batman: The Animated Series is an American animated series based on the DC Comics character Batman. The series featured an ensemble cast of many voice-actors including Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Arleen Sorkin, and Loren Lester. The series won four Emmy Awards and was nominated...

and X-Men: Evolution
X-Men: Evolution
X-Men: Evolution is an American animated television series about the Marvel Comics superhero team the X-Men. In this incarnation many of the characters are teenagers rather than adults...

, was one of the layout artists for The Incredible Hulk.

Differences between this series and previous depictions of the Hulk

Unlike the live-action The Incredible Hulk
The Incredible Hulk (1977 TV series)
The Incredible Hulk is an American television series based on the Marvel comic book character of the same name created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The pilot episodes were a pair of TV movies on the CBS network beginning on November 4, 1977; the series soon followed, airing from March 10, 1978 to...

TV series, which wound up the year this was produced, this series was based more closely upon the Hulk comic-book - being an animated series, it was able to portray the more fantastical elements of the comics which the live-action series could not.

The cartoon restored the Hulk's real name as "Bruce Banner," as it is in the comics - eschewing the live-action series' "David Banner." Like the character as depicted in the comics, Bruce Banner was presented as a nuclear physicist
Nuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons technology, but the research has provided application in many fields, including those...

 working at Gamma Base in the New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...

 desert, rather than the nomadic medical researcher/physician David Banner was in the live-action series. Akin to the Hulk of the comics, the cartoon Hulk was larger and much more powerful than the live-action Hulk, and could speak (albeit with a very limited vocabulary) rather than merely growl and roar as the live-action Hulk did. The version of Bruce Banner/the Hulk from this series appeared as a supporting character in the Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends episode "Spidey Goes Hollywood", although Banner/the Hulk were voiced by Peter Cullen
Peter Cullen
Peter Claver Cullen is a Canadian voice actor, known as the voice of Eeyore in the Winnie-the-Pooh franchise, Optimus Prime and Ironhide in the original Transformers series, and the narrator in both of the original American Voltron series...

. In The Incredible Hulk, Banner and the Hulk were voiced by Michael Bell and Bob Holt respectively.

The 1982 cartoon was more faithful to the Hulk's origin story (although it substituted alien
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...

 involvement for the original comic's Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

 spies), as well as featuring more supporting characters from the comics, albeit with some changes. Banner's friend and confidant, Rick Jones
Rick Jones (comics)
Richard Milhouse "Rick" Jones is a fictional comic book character in the .-Publication history:Rick Jones first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1, as a sidekick to the Incredible Hulk...

, was styled as a blond-haired youth in country and western garb, who would often refer to Bruce as "Doc." As in the comics, Jones stays with Banner out of guilt for being partly responsible for the creation of the Hulk. Rather than the blonde hanger-on as she was in the comic, Banner's love-interest, Betty Ross, was depicted as a brunette scientific colleague of Banner's, similar to the character as depicted later in the 2003
Hulk (film)
Hulk is a 2003 American superhero film based on the fictional Marvel Comics character of the same name. Ang Lee directed the film, which stars Eric Bana as Dr. Bruce Banner, as well as Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Josh Lucas, and Nick Nolte...

 and 2008
The Incredible Hulk (film)
The Incredible Hulk is a 2008 superhero action film based on the Marvel Comics character the Hulk. It is directed by Louis Leterrier and stars Edward Norton as Dr. Bruce Banner. It is the second film to be released in the Marvel Cinematic Universe...

 Hulk films. Major Ned Talbot was essentially the same character as the comic's Glenn Talbot
Glenn Talbot
Major Glenn Talbot is a fictional character and an armed villain in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created in 1964 and first appeared in Tales To Astonish #61.Talbot appeared in the 2003 film Hulk, portrayed by Josh Lucas....

, although he was played more for comic relief, being less intelligent and more clumsy than his comic-book counterpart (he is even referred to by his men as "Noodlehead Ned"). General Ross
Thunderbolt Ross
General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross is a fictional character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually as an adversary of the Hulk, sometimes as a supervillain. Ross is a United States military officer, the father of Betty Ross, ex-father in-law of Glenn Talbot and the father in-law...

, also retained from the comic-book, was portrayed as cantankerous and generally antagonistic towards the Hulk, though less hateful of the green-skinned goliath than Talbot is (in fact, in the episode "The Incredible Shrinking Hulk", Ross admits that the Hulk saved the base, and chastises Talbot for wanting to destroy him). Both Talbot and Ross were far less effectual than their comic-book counterparts, as their base is infiltrated and taken over by villains regularly. The series featured the first cartoon appearance of the She-Hulk
She-Hulk
She-Hulk is a Marvel Comics superheroine. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she first appeared in Savage She-Hulk #1 ....

, yet only one classic Hulk villain appeared in a single episode of the series, The Leader
Leader (comics)
The Leader is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #62, and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. In 2009, The Leader was ranked as IGN's 63rd Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.Actor Tim Blake...

, with a number of villains normally associated with other Marvel characters, and newly created foes, filling out the other episodes. Villains from the comics who appeared in the series included Doctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics since 1963. A highly intelligent mad scientist, Doctor Octopus is one of Spider-Man's greatest foes...

, Spymaster
Spymaster (comics)
Spymaster is a supervillain from Marvel Comics. The first appearance of the character is in Iron Man #33.-Publication history:Spymaster is a Marvel Comics supervillain, whose primary antagonist is Iron Man. He is a master of industrial espionage...

, the Puppet Master
Puppet Master (comics)
The Puppet Master, real name Phillip Masters, is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Fantastic Four comics. His first appearance was in Fantastic Four volume 1 #8...

, and HYDRA
HYDRA
HYDRA is a fictional terrorist organization in the Marvel Universe.Despite the name's capitalization per Marvel's official spelling, the name is not an acronym but rather a reference to the mythical Lernaean Hydra...

.

New recurring characters created for the series were the Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...

 family of the middle-aged Rio and his youthful daughter Rita. Rio's efforts to advertise and raise the fortunes of his restaurant, "Rio's Ranchero," provided the series with more chances for comic relief, and Rita provided a love interest for Rick Jones.

Changes to avoid censorship issues

The series did have a number of changes to avoid censorship issues with a younger audience, including arming the troops at the army base with futuristic sci-fi-style weaponry. There is also the more frequently remembered quirk that whenever the Hulk transformed back to Bruce Banner, his clothes would miraculously return to normal. Also, the series would frequently re-use the same stock sequences when Banner transformed into the Hulk.

Character designs

The character design for both Bruce Banner and the Hulk were based on the artwork of Sal Buscema
Sal Buscema
Silvio "Sal" Buscema is an American comic book artist, primarily for Marvel Comics, where he enjoyed a ten-year run as artist of The Incredible Hulk...

, who penciled the Incredibile Hulk comic during the 1970s and 1980s.

Episode list

Episode Title Overview
1 "Tomb of the Unknown Hulk" When high cosmic ray
Cosmic ray
Cosmic rays are energetic charged subatomic particles, originating from outer space. They may produce secondary particles that penetrate the Earth's atmosphere and surface. The term ray is historical as cosmic rays were thought to be electromagnetic radiation...

 activity triggers Bruce's transformations without him getting angry, he tries to lock himself in a cave to protect his friends, but the cosmic rays also block communications and allow Doctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics since 1963. A highly intelligent mad scientist, Doctor Octopus is one of Spider-Man's greatest foes...

 an opening to stage an attack on Gamma Base.
2 "Prisoner of the Monster" Rick stumbles upon a map for a potion held by a lost tribe that can cure Bruce of the Hulk, but the cure becomes bitter sweet when the Spymaster
Spymaster (comics)
Spymaster is a supervillain from Marvel Comics. The first appearance of the character is in Iron Man #33.-Publication history:Spymaster is a Marvel Comics supervillain, whose primary antagonist is Iron Man. He is a master of industrial espionage...

 kidnaps Betty and her father, stealing a deadly weapon from Gamma Base that only the Hulk can defeat.
3 "Origin of the Hulk" The retelling of the origin of the Hulk, with the original Russian Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...

 spies replaced with aliens seeking the secrets of Bruce's Gamma Bomb.
4 "When Monsters Meet" Arriving in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

 for a scientific conference, Bruce is given a possible cure for his condition, but his chances of using it are threatened by the appearance of a descendant of Quasimodo
Quasimodo
Quasimodo is a fictional character in the novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo. Quasimodo was born with a hunchback and feared by the townspeople as a sort of monster but he finds sanctuary in an unlikely love that is fulfilled only in death. The role of Quasimodo has been played by...

 who wreaks havoc in the city. (This episode was adapted in comic book format by Marvel, in the one-shot "The Incredible Hulk versus Quasimodo". A back-up, one-page comic featuring editor Al Milgrom
Al Milgrom
Allen "Al" Milgrom is an American comic book writer, penciller, inker and editor, primarily for Marvel Comics. He is known for his 10-year run as editor of Marvel Fanfare; his long involvement as writer, penciler, and inker on Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man; his four-year tenure as West...

 disguised as the Hulk explained how this book fit into the animated cartoon continuity, and not current Marvel Comics continuity)
5 "The Cyclops Project" Due to the inadvertent actions of the Hulk, Cyclops, the most world's powerful military defense computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...

 malfunctions and seeks to take over the world, trying to obtain the aid of the Bruce Banner and Hulk to do so.
6 "Bruce Banner Unmasked" When the Puppet Master
Puppet Master (comics)
The Puppet Master, real name Phillip Masters, is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Fantastic Four comics. His first appearance was in Fantastic Four volume 1 #8...

 attempts gain control of the Hulk as a part of his plan to take over Mesa City and its surrounds, the army are finally able to defeat the creature and learn of Bruce Banner's secret identity.
7 "The Creature and the Cavegirl" Bruce learns of a colleague whose developed a working time projector, seeing it as a chance to go back and stop the creation of the Hulk, only for the device to malfunction and transport the entire lab and its occupants back to 1,000,000 B.C.
8 "It Lives! It Grows! It Destroys!" A rival scientist at Gamma Base develops a part plant, part animal lifeform which can eat almost anything in its path, but the creature escapes and threatens the planet as it grows uncontrollably.
9 "The Incredible Shrinking Hulk" After his latest gamma experiment malfunctions, Bruce is shrunk down until he is one inch tall, as two spies attempt to steal a new tank.
10 "Punks on Wheels" When a motorcycle gang kidnaps Rita, Bruce and his friend discover the gang is secretly working for the Leader
Leader (comics)
The Leader is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #62, and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. In 2009, The Leader was ranked as IGN's 63rd Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.Actor Tim Blake...

, who seeks their aid in stealing a shipment of Vibranium
Vibranium
Vibranium is a fictional metal that appears in the Marvel Universe. It is most commonly known as one of the materials used to construct Captain America's shield, but it is also noted for its connection to the Black Panther and his native homeland of Wakanda .-Publication history:Vibranium first...

.
11 "Enter: She-Hulk" Bruce and Rick travel to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

 to visit Bruce's cousin Jennifer Walters to try and learn how she is able to maintain her intelligence when she changes into the She-Hulk
She-Hulk
She-Hulk is a Marvel Comics superheroine. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she first appeared in Savage She-Hulk #1 ....

, but their attempt is endangered thanks to the efforts of terrorist group HYDRA
HYDRA
HYDRA is a fictional terrorist organization in the Marvel Universe.Despite the name's capitalization per Marvel's official spelling, the name is not an acronym but rather a reference to the mythical Lernaean Hydra...

 to take over the city.
12 "The Boy Who Saw Tomorrow" Betty's nephew Jonah arrives at Gamma Base to demonstrate his amazing psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...

 ability, able to predict the future with uncanny accuracy he has a vision of Betty's space shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...

 crashing into a mountain, with the Hulk and a mysterious madman involved.
13 "The Hulk Destroys Bruce Banner" While testing his new Transmat teleporter
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...

 on himself, Bruce transforms into the Hulk in mid-teleportation, convincing Betty that the Hulk interfered and leading the charge to capture the creature to attempt to save Bruce.

Cast

Bruce Banner was played by voice actor Michael Bell, while the Hulk himself was voiced by Bob Holt, whose stock library of roars created for this series would be used in various other Marvel Productions series and movies.
  • Michael Bell - Dr. Bruce Banner, Doctor Octopus
    Doctor Octopus
    Doctor Octopus is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics since 1963. A highly intelligent mad scientist, Doctor Octopus is one of Spider-Man's greatest foes...

  • Bob Holt - The Hulk
    Hulk (comics)
    The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....

  • Michael Horton
    Michael Horton (actor)
    Michael "Mike" Horton is an American character actor and voice over artist most remembered for his long-running role as Jessica Fletcher's nephew, Grady Fletcher, on the television series Murder, She Wrote...

     - Rick Jones
    Rick Jones (comics)
    Richard Milhouse "Rick" Jones is a fictional comic book character in the .-Publication history:Rick Jones first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1, as a sidekick to the Incredible Hulk...

  • Michael Rye
    Michael Rye
    Michael Rye is a US voice actor. He is also known as Mike Rye and sometimes used his surname at birth, Rye Billsbury...

     - Supreme Hydra
  • B.J. Ward - Betty Ross
  • Dennis Marks
    Dennis Marks
    Dennis Marks was an American screen writer, producer and voice actor, mainly for children's animations. Marks wrote for several big production companies during the 1960s through to the 1990s, including Hanna-Barbera, DC and Marvel...

     - Dr. Proto
  • Susan Blu
    Susan Blu
    Susan Maria Blu , sometimes credited as Sue Blu, is an American voice actress, voice director, and casting director in American and Canadian cinema and television...

     - Additional Voices
  • William Callaway - Additional Voices
  • Hamilton Camp
    Hamilton Camp
    Hamilton Camp was an English-American singer, songwriter, actor and voice actor.-Early life:Camp was born in London, England, and was evacuated during World War II to the United States as a child with his mother and sister. He became a child actor in films and onstage...

     - Additional Voices
  • Roberto Cruz
    Roberto Cruz
    Roberto de la Cruz is a former Filipino professional boxer. Cruz won the WBA World Light Welterweight title in a career that spanned from 1955 to 1968.-Professional career:...

     - Rio
  • Alan Dinehart
    Alan Dinehart
    Alan Mason Dinehart was an American Broadway actor, director, writer, stage manager and later, a Character actor and supporting player featured in at least 88 films between 1931 and 1944...

     - Additional Voices
  • Ron Feinberg
    Ron Feinberg
    Ronald A. Feinberg was an American character actor and voice actor who appeared in films and on television. He can be seen playing the character Fellini opposite Don Johnson in the postapocalyptic film A Boy and His Dog. Ron made a number of appearance on Mission: Impossible...

     - Additional Voices
  • Susan Blu
    Susan Blu
    Susan Maria Blu , sometimes credited as Sue Blu, is an American voice actress, voice director, and casting director in American and Canadian cinema and television...

     - Rita
  • Pat Fraley
    Pat Fraley
    Patrick "Pat" Fraley is an American voice actor, who is best known as the voice of Krang, Casey Jones and numerous other characters from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...

     - Maj. Ned Talbot
    Glenn Talbot
    Major Glenn Talbot is a fictional character and an armed villain in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created in 1964 and first appeared in Tales To Astonish #61.Talbot appeared in the 2003 film Hulk, portrayed by Josh Lucas....

  • Stan Jones
    Stan Jones (actor)
    Gordon Stan Jones , sometimes credited as G. Stanley Jones, Staley Jones or Stanley Jones, was a Canadian film and television actor.-Career:...

     - Leader
    Leader (comics)
    The Leader is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #62, and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. In 2009, The Leader was ranked as IGN's 63rd Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.Actor Tim Blake...

    , Additional Voices
  • Stan Lee
    Stan Lee
    Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....

     - Narrator
  • Vic Perrin
    Vic Perrin
    Vic Perrin was an American actor and voice artist. He is best remembered as the "Control Voice" in the original version of the TV series The Outer Limits ....

     - Additional Voices
  • Robert Ridgely
    Robert Ridgely
    Robert Ridgely was an American actor and vocal artist, known for both on-camera roles and extensive voice-over work.-Career:...

     - Gen. 'Thunderbolt' Ross
    Thunderbolt Ross
    General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross is a fictional character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually as an adversary of the Hulk, sometimes as a supervillain. Ross is a United States military officer, the father of Betty Ross, ex-father in-law of Glenn Talbot and the father in-law...

  • Stanley Ralph Ross
    Stanley Ralph Ross
    Stanley Ralph Ross was raised in Brooklyn New York, starting his career in advertising, then soon going to work as a writer and actor on various television shows, most notably cult-classics such as the 1960s Batman series starring Adam West and also The Monkees...

     - Quasimodo
    Quasimodo
    Quasimodo is a fictional character in the novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo. Quasimodo was born with a hunchback and feared by the townspeople as a sort of monster but he finds sanctuary in an unlikely love that is fulfilled only in death. The role of Quasimodo has been played by...

  • John Stephenson
    John Stephenson (actor)
    John Stephenson is an American actor and voice actor. He has also been credited as John Stevenson...

     - Additional Voices
  • Alan Young
    Alan Young
    Alan Young is an English-Canadian actor and voice actor, best known for his role as Wilbur Post in the television series Mister Ed and as the voice of Scrooge McDuck in Disney films, TV series and video games...

     - Cyclops, Additional Voices

DVD

The series was planned for release on Region 2 DVD in the UK in August 2008 by Liberation Entertainment as part of a release schedule of Marvel animated series. However, due to unforeseen circumstances the release day was pushed back to October, and then again to November 3. Liberation Entertainment then closed its UK division, making 12 staff redundant. This brought many delays to the releases.

Lace International bought the rights to distribute the series on DVD. Amazon.co.uk was the first store to receive stocks of the resulting two disc DVD set, which includes a short restoration featurette.

Clear Vision re-released the series on DVD in the UK on the June 7, 2010.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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