These Are The Incredible Hulk Sequels We Never Got To See
The Incredible Hulk burst onto the pop culture scene in 1962, spearheading his own comic series and beginning his tenure as one of Marvel's most popular characters. While he's found strong success on the page, the Jade Giant's track record on film is hit-or-miss, at best.
Arguably, the Hulk's greatest successes came within the first few years of his television tenure, in the late seventies, when Bill Bixby played the mild-mannered Dr. David Banner, and professional bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno took on his ill-tempered alter-ego. Even today, The Incredible Hulk TV series remains one of the most beloved interpretations of the character.
Alongside Bixby and Ferrrigno's famous TV program, though — which ran on CBS from 1978 to 1982 — the duo established a made-for-TV movie franchise at the same time, and afterward: It started with 1977's The Incredible Hulk — the CBS series' pilot — and concluded with The Death of the Incredible Hulk, in 1990, with four other features in between. The films varied, as far as fan reception goes, but regardless, the IP sat dormant for over a decade once Ferrigno and Bixby concluded their run.
However, director Ang Lee's 2003 Hulk reboot wasn't always the plan. Back in the day, a handful of sequels, set in the original Incredible Hulk continuity, were on the way ... but fell through, largely thanks to real-life tragedy.
Fans missed out on a ton of additional Incredible Hulk material
As explained by comic historian Arnold T. Blumberg in the book Marvel Comics into Film: Essays on Adaptations Since the 1940s, the demise of the Ferrigno and Bixby's version of the character, in Death of the Incredible Hulk, wasn't initially going to be the true end to their story. In fact, several ideas were being tossed around about how the franchise could continue into future installments.
The first proposal, of course, involved reviving the lead character in a TV film titled Rebirth of the Incredible Hulk (or Revenge). As if the prospect of bringing Banner and his bad attitude back from the dead wasn't crazy enough, subsequent films only sound more ambitious: Years before the Marvel Cinematic Universe was so much as a twinkle in Kevin Feige's eye, the minds behind the Incredible Hulk TV movies has big plans for other Marvel heroes to cross over. One such event included calling on Nicholas Hammond, who portrayed Peter Parker in the 1970s series The Amazing Spider-Man, to reprise his role as the wall-crawler alongside Hulk. Additionally, one rumor has it that an appearance from Iron Man was being considered at some point, although this thought didn't get very far in the production process.
There was also a pitch for a She-Hulk movie, including Bixby and Ferrigno in a minor capacity (via CBR). This version of Jennifer Walters reportedly contrasted greatly from the source material — flaunting gold skin and auburn hair, accompanied by a mute yet ferocious attitude. Much like the previous Hulk incarnation, She-Hulk and Jen Walters would be played by different actresses, with volleyball star Gabrielle Reece and Mitzi Kapture taking on the respective roles.
Sadly, around the time these sequels were in development, Bill Bixby succumbed to prostate cancer in late 1993. Without the core performer of the Incredible Hulk series, continuing simply wasn't an option, leaving Marvel fans to wonder what could have been.