Marvel’s CGI Hulk Lacks Raw Humanity, Says Lou Ferrigno

Former Incredible Hulk actor Lou Ferrigno criticizes the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s CGI Hulk for lacking the raw humanity that only an actor can portray. Long before Mark Ruffalo or Edward Norton played the role in the MCU or even Eric Bana starred in Ang Lee’s 2003 Hulk movie, the professional bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno was the first to play the green goliath in the original television series, The Incredible Hulk. The show premiered on CBS in 1977 and ran for 5 seasons which were followed by 5 made-for-TV movies that incorporated other Marvel characters like Thor and Daredevil.

Ferrigno led the cast of The Incredible Hulk show as the titular green giant alongside Bill Bixby who played his mild-mannered alter ego named David Bruce Banner in this version. Other than Bixby and Ferrigno, the show starred Jack Colvin as Jack McGee, a reporter tracking down the Hulk, Ted Cassidy as the voice of the Hulk, and Charles Napier as the voice of the Hulk after Cassidy’s death in 1979. Over the past decade, Ruffalo has received near-universal acclaim for his MCU performance, though there’s one former Hulk actor who isn’t such a fan of his CGI take on the character.

In a recent interview with The Washington Times, Ferrigno criticized the more recent Hulk and Avengers films for lacking the essential human quality the 1970s television series had. According to the 70-year-old actor, something is lost in the digital rendering of Hulk, specifically “the raw human performance qualities that only an actor can play.” Read Ferrigno’s full comment below:

Though I appreciate the amazing visual work these artists are producing, it’s missing the raw human performance qualities that I believe only an actor can play. Especially when it comes to the Hulk.

This isn’t the first time the former Incredible Hulk actor has voiced his distaste for the MCU’s use of CGI. Ferrigno previously shared his hopes for Marvel’s She-Hulk series starring Ruffalo and Tatiana Maslany, saying that it shouldn’t rely too heavily on CGI. Not only did the She-Hulk trailer reveal the Disney+ show would do just that, but many found the CGI to be substandard. However, Marvel later released an updated trailer that seemed to address many of the criticisms leveled at the show’s visual effects.

While simultaneously criticizing CGI Hulk, Ferrigno hasn’t been shy about praising his own take on the character, claiming his Hulk was the fittest superhero body ever. In the case of the 1970s Incredible Hulk, using CGI wasn’t even an option, as the technology was nowhere near as advanced as it is today. Even though it wasn’t a deliberate creative choice, Ferrigno’s practical Hulk did allow the actor to present a much more organic version of the character. Due to innovation in computer animation, especially motion-capture technology, CGI Hulk is here to stay, even though as Ferrigno points out, it may still be lacking an essential human quality.