History Film / TheIncredibleHulk2008

Due to [[ScrewedByTheLawyers legal issues]] with Creator/UniversalStudios (who owned the rights to solo-Hulk films), this film is the only Phase 1 Marvel film to have not gotten a sequel. Even worse, when the Hulk next appeared in ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' alongside Film/IronMan, Film/{{Thor}} and [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger Captain America]], he was [[TheOtherDarrin recast]] with Creator/MarkRuffalo (instead of Ed Norton), and very few references were made to any of the events in this film, only alluding to specific events. This film's role in the [=MCU=] was finally reinforced in 2016, when Hurt reprised his role as General Ross in ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar''. In 2019, the logo for the film was openly included [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jNvJU52LvU in a montage]] that listed all the movies preceding ''Film/AvengersEndgame'', though it didn't use footage from the film -- footage from ''The Avengers'' and ''Civil War'' was used for Banner and Ross instead.[[note]]That said, the Infinity Saga variant of the montage ''did'' include footage from the movie.[[/note]] In a later May 2019 AMA, [[WordOfGod Kevin Feige]] [[https://www.reddit.com/r/marvelstudios/comments/bp084n/hi_reddit_im_kevin_feige_amaa/enncmsh/ confirmed the student eating pizza in this film is the same person as the debate coach in]] ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming''. The film's events were also shown in an alternate universe showcased in ''WesternAnimation/WhatIf2021'', which also made a point to acknowledge the ''[[ComicBook/TheAvengersPreludeFurysBigWeek Fury's Big Week]]'' comic (which was set during the events of Phase 1's films). The Abomination [[TheCameo made a very brief cameo]] in 2021's ''Film/ShangChiAndTheLegendOfTheTenRings'', and Tim Roth fully reprised the role in multiple episodes of ''Series/SheHulkAttorneyAtLaw''.[[note]]One ''She-Hulk'' [[Recap/SheHulkAttorneyAtLawS1E2SuperhumanLaw episode]] even included [[TheOtherDarrin a subtle, in-joke reference]] to Norton.[[/note]] Finally, supporting character Samuel Sterns (Creator/TimBlakeNelson) has been announced to appear in the forthcoming Phase 5 film ''Captain America: New World Order''.

*** The very first car that Hulk destroyed on screen in the TV series was a first generation Honda Civic, which is the same as the first car shown destroyed in a photo in the film's intro[[note]](specifically, the filmmakers used a real-life newspaper photo of [[Film/{{Silkwood}} Karen Silkwood]]'s wrecked car, nuclear whistleblower and labor union activist who died in a crash under undetermined circumstances in 1974)[[/note]].

* AdaptationDistillation: The film takes bits and pieces from Hulk's 45 year history and compresses them into a single movie. Everything is covered, from Bruce trying (and failing) to find a cure to Bruce being unable to have sex with Betty to Hulk being incredibly protective of Betty. The only thing not brought up is Bruce's daddy issues, and given the huge amount of focus that got in the Ang Lee movie, omitting it entirely may very well be justified.

-->'''Betty''': I will never forgive you for what you've done to him.
-->'''General Ross''': He's a fugitive...
-->'''Betty''': You ''made'' him a fugitive, to cover your failures and to protect your career. Don't ever speak to me as your daughter again.
* DieOrFly: After Sterns tests the antidote on Bruce, neither of them are sure whether it temporarily or permanently suppressed his powers. In the climax, Bruce jumps from a helicopter in order to trigger them once more, confident that the Hulk will keep him from dying. At first, he has an OhCrap moment when it looks like it isn't going to work... only for it to be double subverted the Hulk's arm to emerge from the pavement once he lands.
* DoNotTauntCthulhu: A normal human, even one with a failed super soldier serum, should NOT walk up to an enormous [[BuffySpeak green rage monster]] and say 'Is that all you got'?

* EndsWithASmile: The movie [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5Aj1PSceoo ends with Bruce Banner in his remote cabin trying to meditate]]. Then his eyes start to glow green (signalling his upcoming transformation) and he smiles. It's left to the viewer to decide whether this is a good thing (Banner starting to control his transformation) or a bad thing (Banner is losing control to the Hulk, who is becoming more malicious). The door is left open for whichever direction the creators wanted to take the character in the Avengers movie.

* HulkingOut: As might be expected, Banner does this when his heart rate reaches a certain threshold.

* IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim: [[spoiler:Betty stops Hulk from strangling The Abomination to death with a chain for this reason. The novel has her almost say it verbatim.]]
* IJustWantToBeSpecial: This is Emil Blonsky's motivation for obtaining Super Serum and Hulk Blood. This is to be expected, given that he's the EvilCounterpart to [[IJustWantToBeNormal Bruce Banner]].

*** During the montage of Bruce's travels after his HulkOut in the factory, the film's score uses cues from "The Lonely Man," the ending theme of the TV series. Bill Bixby (that version's Banner) even makes a "cameo" from beyond the grave, via a clip from his earlier series ''The Courtship Of Eddie's Father'' playing on a television near the beginning.

* NoEndorHolocaust: This is the last film of the MCU to have a significant body count. Blonsky's rampage in Harlem, and Hulk's at the university. Even Tony barely managed double digits in Gorim. The rest of the MCU is practically bloodless. The Hulk is a massacre.

* SaveTheVillain: [[spoiler: At the climax, Betty talks Hulk out of strangling Blonsky to death.]]

* XDaysSince: Used at least twice, at [[BookEnds both the start and the end of the film]], measuring how many days had passed since the Hulk made an appearance.

* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Ross is a piece of shit, but he loves his daughter. He wants the Hulk as a weapon even more, but ...
-->'''Ross:''' Blonsky, my daughter's in there!\\
\\
''Ross:'' It's only because you're my daughter that you're not in jail.

* HardWorkHardlyWorks: Blonsky has the upper hand for most of the fight, even before Mr. Blue makes him the Abomination. He's a professional soldier, life-long. But Bruce is the Hulk. He's TheHero. They're TheHero. Bruce and The Hulk.

* BigBadEnsemble: Emil Blonsky and Thunderbolt Ross are the main villains; Ross trying to capture Banner is the primary source of conflict, but he gets upstaged as the FinalBoss when his {{Dragon}}, Blonsky, injects himself with Banner's blood to become the Abomination. Ross and Banner are [[EnemyMine forced to work together]] in order to stop his ensuing rampage.

* CatchPhrase:

* WritersCannotDoMath: They can. Twice. The Hulk runcs half a thousand miles fom Brazil to Guatemala. The he runs half a thousand miles from fuckin' Brooklyn to nowhere Canada. Then fuckin Thunderbold Ross drinks all the fuckin' green whisky in the world and Stark tells him they're starting [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse a new initiative]].

* WritersCantDoMath: They can. Twice. The Hulk runcs half a thousand miles fom Brazil to Guatemala. The he runs half a thousand miles from fuckin' Brooklyn to nowhere Canada. Then fuckin Thunderbold Ross drinks all the fuckin' green whisky in the world and Stark tells him they're starting [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse a new initiative]].

* AlwaysABiggerFish: Blonsky keeps getting upgrades. And upgrades. And upgrades. Like five olives. Upgrades. But Hulk Smash.

** "Test subjects?!?"

** Bruce's transformation to the Hulk is incredibly painful and at times asymmetrical. The top half of him will sometimes transform before the lower half catches up. When he and Sterns attempt the cure, Bruce's shoulder briefly distorts from the additional mass and he can be heard screaming in pain before his voice shifts into the Hulk's angry grunts.