Why “The Incredible Hulk Videos” Don’t Work

Marvel’s misunderstood monster became an icon with Stan Lee’s 1970s “The Incredible Hulk” comic book and its 1978-82 TV series starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno. Then the character was brought into Marvel’s larger cinematic universe with Mark Ruffalo’s rousing performance as the green-skinned superhero in 2012’s “The Avengers.” Now, eight years after its release, this June 13 sequel “The Incredible Hulk” promises more action (Banner fights a new creature called the Abomination) and a female-friendly theme (Banner is madly in love with a woman named Betty Ross). But what’s missing from the movie is one key element that keeps readers involved in a story’s action scenes: the protagonist.

The Incredible Hulk, directed by Louis Leterrier, is a loud, violent movie filled with explosions and action sequences. But the reason it doesn’t work is that the movie is all about the Hulk’s actions and doesn’t even bother to make Bruce Banner a character in his own right.

In fact, the film’s opening scene has the Abomination beating the living hell out of a power plant. It’s all well and good that the Hulk is so powerful but why did the filmmakers decide to open with this? It’s an example of one of the biggest mistakes in writing. The single most important factor in getting readers involved in your stories’ action scenes is giving them a reason to care about the characters first and then the outcome of the battle. And the best way to do that is to make sure the protagonist is present for the action, right up to and including the climax.

I’ve seen more than a few lamentable stories in which the protagonist goes completely AWOL for some of the most important action scenes, up to and including the climax itself. This is a major mistake that many writers make because it takes away the reader’s chief reason to care about what happens in the story. And it’s especially a problem for movies like Incredible Hulk because when the protagonist is missing, there’s absolutely no reason to care about the action that’s taking place.

Another problem with this movie is that it only barely mentions the Hulk’s family. It’s clear that the writers and producers think that most people only know about the big, green guy. But the reality is that almost everyone in Bruce’s life has Hulked out at some point, including his father-in-law General Thaddeus Ross and his cousin Jennifer Walters (who has her own alter ego, Red She-Hulk). Even his friends like Amadeus Cho and Doc Samson have gone green from time to time.