A further interesting plot development occurs in World War Hulks when General Ross is revealed to be the Red Hulk, having exposed himself to gamma radiation in an attempt to finally win in his epic conflict with Banner and his various Hulk personalities. But it’s Hulk’s family that creates an even more fascinating set of story options. His relationship with his parents has been explored onscreen, but what about the rest of his relatives?
Bruce Banner has a cousin – Jennifer Walters – whose mother Elaine was sister to Bruce’s abusive father. When Jennifer and her mother are involved in a car crash leaving Elaine dead and Jennifer gravely injured, Bruce donates his blood in a transfusion to save his cousin – leading to the creation of the heroic She-Hulk. Jennifer is a lawyer, and as she was not exposed to gamma radiation directly – but rather through a blood transfusion – her Hulkness manifests in a slightly different way to that of her cousin. Jennifer retains her intelligence when she ‘hulks out,’ giving her a greater element of control over her powers.
Hulk also has three children. His daughter, Lyra, was artificially conceived by Thundra after she collected some of Hulk’s DNA. Thundra is an anti-heroic, time-travelling warrior, who hails from a future matriarchal civilization. Thundra and Lyra both play a big part in the Fall Of The Hulks comic book storyline that ran from 2009 to 2010, which sees Bruce Banner, Red Hulk, Red She-Hulk and a host of ‘hulkified’ superheroes face off against each other – including Deadpool. Hulk also has twin sons – Skaar and Hiro-kala – as a result of his marriage to Caiera, and these characters also feature heavily in his stories.
Clearly, with the issue of character rights and the studios that hold them restricting who might be able to appear in a Marvel Cinematic Universe Hulk movie, the chances of a ‘hulkified’ Deadpool making an appearance are sadly very slim – but many of these excellent supporting characters from the realm of Hulk comics could be included. The upcoming Thor: Ragnarok would seem to feature elements of Planet Hulk – with the green rage monster being engaged in gladiatorial activities on another world – but again, this has not only been relegated to a subplot in somebody else’s movie, but has also been greatly altered from the source material. With the inexplicable twist of a romantic connection between Bruce Banner and Black Widow having occurred in Avengers: Age Of Ultron, the likelihood of the Sakaarian character of Caiera being introduced in a Thor movie are also slim.
This is because, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Incredible Hulk is now a supporting character. Arguably, this is due to the lacklustre response to his 2008 solo movie – but that was arguably due to the fact that it offered little that was new onscreen. If nothing else, it’s a demonstration of the way in which a constant rehashing of the same aspects of a beloved story only serves to reduce an important, iconic character to an over-simplified after-thought.
It’s a great shame, as there’s vast potential for a deeply satisfying big-screen treatment of The Incredible Hulk just waiting to be developed by a filmmaker with courage and vision – under the umbrella of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With such tantalizing glimpses seemingly ahead in Thor: Ragnarok, a true embrace of The Hulk is long overdue. It’s time the rage monster was afforded the chance to smash the box office.
