TV Tuesday: The Death of the Incredible Hulk 1990
Thirty years ago, today, the television movie The Death of the Incredible Hulk aired on NBC. Created by Kenneth Johnson (The Bionic Woman, Alien Nation Series and “V”) and based on the Hulk character by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby, this was the last of three films produced after the end of The Incredible Hulk TV series. Starring Bill Bixby (reprising his role from the series), Lou Ferrigno, Elizabeth Gracen (Black Widow-type character), Philip Sterling (Doctor Strange-type character), Andreas Katsulas, and a bit part for Carla Ferrigno, it was produced (executive) and directed by Bixby. There was an uncredited flashback cameo of Susan Sullivan from the original pilot episode. A fourth film was planned but, was canceled due to disappointing ratings for this movie.
[This was] the finale of the television series about Dr. David Banner, a scientist who transforms into a mighty, larger-than-life creature called the Hulk when he gets angry. Desperately attempting to purge himself of his monster-like alter ego, Banner sneaks into a research laboratory. During the critical experiment to purge him of the Hulk, once and for all, a spy sabotages the laboratory. Banner falls in love with the spy, Jasmin, who performs missions only because her sister is being held hostage by Jasmin’s superiors. Banner and Jasmin attempt to escape from the enemy agents to rebuild their lives together but, the Hulk is never far from them.
From Comics Bulletin:
The Incredible Hulk Returns and The Trial of the Incredible Hulk actually served as backdoor pilots for possible Thor and Daredevil series that never materialized. The third film, The Death of the Incredible Hulk was originally supposed to be the same sort of experiment, introducing She-Hulk, with Iron Man scheduled for the following film. [However], when it finally came together, it, instead, served as a swan-song for Bill Bixby and focused on one last attempt at a cure for Banner’s Hulk-itis. Unfortunately, even though it wasn’t intended to really be the end of the Hulk on television (the plan was to have him return from the grave with Banner’s mind in the Hulk body), Bill Bixby’s health went south and he died before a proposed Rebirth of the Incredible Hulk film could get underway.
Trivia Bits:
♦ After the ratings failure of this film, NBC decided not to continue the series. CBS already wanted nothing to do with The Incredible Hulk, prior to The Incredible Hulk Returns (1989). [For] the planned next installment, […] Bill Bixby tried to reach an agreement with ABC and they turned him down. [Then], he did the same for the Fox Network, who agreed to air another movie. Bixby and Fox were doing business together until Bixby was diagnosed with prostate cancer, causing production […] [to] shut down.
♦ Brigette Nielsen was due to be cast in the female role [of She-Hulk]. This was due to be made about 1991. [There] are a handful of photos that feature Nielsen in full makeup and costume, offering a glimpse of what might have been.
NBC Promo
Trailer
February 19, 2020 at 12:46 AM
I hated this one. I wish he would have been able to make another one. No one wanted to see him die. I like this hulk over the CGI one we have now.
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February 19, 2020 at 3:37 AM
This got really poor reviews as it was done on the cheap with many flaws. Some of the continuity from the series was trashed in this film. And, don’t discount Bixby’s ego, either. He directed this and executive produced so, criticism is placed on his shoulders. Considering CBS wanted nothing to do with the film series, he may have butted heads with the suits. Just a thought…
Considering we grew up with this version of the Hulk, he is more real to us…and, damned plausible.
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February 19, 2020 at 12:03 PM
Thanks for this reminder. I forgot all about the “extra” movies that were made.
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February 19, 2020 at 2:32 PM
Welcome!
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February 19, 2020 at 7:29 PM
I have nominated you for the Mystery Blogger Award! https://rachealnovel.wordpress.com/2020/02/19/mystery-blogger-award-2/
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February 19, 2020 at 9:07 PM
I appreciate the thought, sweetie but, I’m not participating in the award thing, anymore. I do take up a challenge, here and there…
*hugs*
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February 19, 2020 at 9:57 PM
Oh, okay. Fair enough.
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February 20, 2020 at 12:32 AM
You are very kind, tho. *hugs*
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February 20, 2020 at 12:48 AM
Hugs!
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February 21, 2020 at 5:28 AM
I didn’t like this one as well. Should have quietly walked off into the sunset.
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February 21, 2020 at 3:18 PM
That would have been a better ending.
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February 29, 2020 at 2:27 AM
I remember this one also. 🙂
Despite the negative reactions from some, I felt it was far better than the “Returns” movie. What they did with Thor in that movie was embarrassing. They wonder why superhero genre stuff bombed for so long outside of comics, that’s a textbook example of why. Watered down and distorted characters for fear of the character not being understood, unbelievable or somehow offensive.
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February 29, 2020 at 3:36 AM
I don’t recall seeing any of the Hulk TV movies. I did watch the series.
Comic book adaptations got better with CGI technology.
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February 29, 2020 at 6:00 AM
It was more than CGI. When Marvel & Lionsgate turned loose the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they were pulling the stories and characters almost straight from the comics (much less distortion). They gave people credit for being able to accept those characters at the face value that made them huge hits with geeks and the stories skyrocketed. Some characters, like Falcon and Black Panther, are actually 10x better than the comic book versions.
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March 4, 2020 at 8:14 AM
When it comes to Marvel movies, I prefer the ones from the 2000s.
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March 4, 2020 at 3:43 PM
There was a struggle until the technology caught up.
Marvel and DC pre-2000 were kinda cheesy.
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March 4, 2020 at 4:13 PM
I like (most of) the pre-2000 Burton/Schumacher Batman movies – although the last two WERE rather cheesy (and I wasn’t too fond of the last one, Batman & Robin).
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March 4, 2020 at 7:11 PM
Now, Tim Burton was a genius. His two Michael Keaton movies made good use of props and makeup. The original Superman was groundbreaking for 1978 but, they had lots of money so…
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March 4, 2020 at 7:22 PM
I haven’t seen any of the Superman movies, other than the DCEU.
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March 5, 2020 at 1:23 AM
So, you’ve never seen any of the original six? I never caught the Routh film. Superman 1978 and Superman II were pretty good for their time. Superman was right after Star Wars and had a similar budget & backing with BIG name stars in it. I’ve never seen the Donner Cut: Superman II.
Superman III & IV got 1980s-stupid. Supergirl was a bit disappointing, though I do like Helen Slater.
On Batman, I never could get into Christian Bale. Affleck is pretty decent.
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March 5, 2020 at 6:30 AM
Nope – never seen ’em.
I rather like Bale’s Dark Knight trilogy; at least the first two films anyway (Batman Begins & The Dark Knight); haven’t seen the last one yet. I thought Bale was decent; certainly wasn’t a bad performance, at least.
I didn’t like Batman v Superman, but Affleck gives a solid performance. I enjoyed Justice League.
Have you seen Birds of Prey?
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March 6, 2020 at 12:19 AM
The idea of Batman vs. Superman seemed stupid to me. Are they kidding? Batman is human, though crafty. Superman is an alien with alien powers. No contest, if a fair fight. Kryptonite is the only thing to tip the scales. Plus, they are allies, trying to do the same thing. Fighting each other was an annoying suggestion.
It’s Christian Bale. I just don’t like Bale…in anything. On the heels of that, George Clooney as Batman was also stupid.
Justice League was decent. If you haven’t seen the previous movies that are referred to in the dialog, you will be lost. I certainly was.
Birds of Prey, no. Not the TV show or the movie. I’m trying really hard to be interested but, it ain’t happening. I’ve read up on both and… Here, lately, everything Hollyweird is churning out is SJW nonsense. The only reason I watched Suicide Squad was because of Will Smith & Margot Robbie.
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March 6, 2020 at 1:08 AM
Oh, really? I rather like Bale.
I also rather liked Birds of Prey, even if it’s a little messy.
What do you mean by SJW nonsense?
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March 6, 2020 at 2:30 AM
Social Justice Warriors…that is Hollyweird’s theme, now. All white men are stupid and useless…”Charles, you really should change the name to the X-Women…” Captain Marvel as a woman… 007 will soon be a woman… The new Doctor Who SUCKS. I’m so tired of being preached to. This is not entertainment, with wonderfully written characters, this is propaganda. I’m tired of everyone’s sexuality in my face. It’s really none of my business and…I don’t care. Fifty-seven genders, my ass.
The world is spinning out of control.
Bale is just creepy to me.
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March 6, 2020 at 6:07 AM
Captain Marvel’s been a woman for a while – in the comics.
The female 007 is the person who replaced Bond after he retired at the end of Spectre (and I don’t think she’s the first female 00) – it’s been confirmed that Bond will always be a guy.
(However, I agree on the sexuality bit; that’s annoying.)
I could definitely picture Bale in a creepy role.
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March 6, 2020 at 2:47 AM
Here is a good description of what I am talking about. She is better at explaining it:
https://silkcordsblog.wordpress.com/2020/03/05/what-writers-can-learn-from-star-wars-mistakes/
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March 6, 2020 at 6:52 AM
I’m too much of a Disney Star Wars fan to make it more than a few paragraphs, sorry 🙂
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March 6, 2020 at 1:26 PM
I was speaking in terms of Hollyweird’s screwing things up in general. But, yeah…folks that didn’t grow up with the original time-frame Star Wars magic don’t have benefit of hindsight and just how bad Hollyweird has gotten.
In her post, she even covers a quote from Mark Hamill. Even HE told Disney they were screwing things up but, he was a paid actor so…he acted.
LOL! I had to look up what a MacGuffin was. 🙄🤨😆
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March 6, 2020 at 7:13 PM
Well, my Mum grew up in the ’70s and ’80s with the original trilogy, and she likes the Disney era films.
Yeah, I’ve heard Mark Hamill quoted everywhere. As he said, creative differences are a part of every film. AND he had input in Luke’s portrayal (which was one of my favourite parts of The Last Jedi).
Everyone has difference tastes, I guess.
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March 7, 2020 at 12:47 AM
Eh. Star Wars is just one example. A lot of fans are pissed, tho. I did like the old Star Wars and the prequels but, I lean more towards Star Trek. After The Force Awakens, I lost interest in any more of them.
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March 7, 2020 at 3:33 AM
Fair enough.
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March 4, 2020 at 7:39 PM
Are you familiar with the show Supernatural?
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March 5, 2020 at 1:25 AM
Very. Well, I haven’t seen seasons 13, 14 or this last one. But, I got 12 years worth under my belt.
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March 5, 2020 at 6:32 AM
I’ve seen the first two episodes of Season 1 (WAY behind, I know 🙂 ). I’m quite enjoying it so far. How about you?
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March 6, 2020 at 1:08 AM
I did not see the show when it first came on in 2005. It was opposite of House at the time on Tuesdays. The following year, it was moved to Thursday and was opposite CSI. I was aware of it but, never tried to see an episode. My father, on the other hand, had been watching it from the beginning and told me how good it was. I don’t remember how but, I started watching them in reruns and caught up. The show was much better while Eric Kripke was at the helm…first five years. After that, the story arcs got a little tedious. It’s still good, tho…
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March 6, 2020 at 1:13 AM
I like how it’s based on real-life legend and folklore – at least, in these early episodes.
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March 6, 2020 at 2:41 AM
Yeah. The self-contained, urban legends episodes were well done. Even the shooting of the episodes were really dark film noir…really cool. Once they got into Mary’s family as hunters and John’s family being Men of Letters, it got harder to follow and keep up. It’s still well written and acted.
They kinda jumped the shark a bit when Dean killed Death. I mean, really? God has a sister? Really? They open a portal to another dimension? One story line that I disliked was the Leviathan mess.
Sorry for the spoilers…
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March 6, 2020 at 6:08 AM
Some of these I’d already accidentally spoiled myself on.
SOME OF THEM.
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March 6, 2020 at 1:15 PM
LOL! Sorry. The good news is, all that stuff was in story arcs, spanning, sometimes, an entire season. So, you have missed a lot. Think of my words as mere teasers. 😉😁
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March 6, 2020 at 6:50 AM
I’ve now seen the first two episodes of Season 4 of Lucifer, and it’s definitely a return to form! An improvement on Season 3; feels more like the first two (specifically the first one).
It’s tighter and more focused.
The villain of this season is an exorcist named Father Kilney, who’s done his research, and knows who Mr Morningstar really is. I think there’s hints of a prophecy, or something.
If you ever get the opportunity to watch Season 4, I DEFINITELY recommend taking it!
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March 6, 2020 at 1:20 PM
I’m glad to hear that as season three was actually painful to watch, it had spun so out of control. I can’t stand a two dimensional Lucifer.
Is Trixie still in it?
And, I never warmed up to the lab chick. She was annoying.
Does he get to show his devil face again?
Is Maze still relevant?
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March 6, 2020 at 7:10 PM
Lucifer’s definitely a 4-dimensional character.
Yes, Trixie’s still in it – and has made up with Maze.
You don’t like Ella?! She’s my favourite character! (She’s still in it.)
He showed his devil face to Chloe at the very end of Season 3, so the first two episodes of Season 4 involve her dealing with that. He hasn’t shown his devil face again yet – other than flashing his eyes.
Maze seems relevant, but I’m not quite sure how she’ll fit in yet.
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March 7, 2020 at 12:26 AM
Trixie made up with Maze? I don’t recall them falling out. Trixie actually disappeared in the ending stages of Season 3…or seemed to. I know Linda & Maze fought over Amenadiel. Speaking of, as of 2019, D. B. Woodside left. Did they kill him off?
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March 7, 2020 at 12:32 AM
No, Woodside’s still in the show. At least, as of Season 4, Episode 3. (Speaking of which, Father Kinley is starting to become my favourite villain so far.)
In Season 3, Maze and Dan got into a heated argument, and in the heat of the moment, Maze exclaimed something to the effect of not caring for his stupid daughter – and then turned around and saw Trixie standing there.
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March 7, 2020 at 1:11 AM
Ok. Yeah. I do remember Maze saying that. It’s been a while.
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March 7, 2020 at 3:33 AM
Yeah, that’s what I gathered. 🙂
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