Although he’s brought to life through CGI in the modern MCU movies, live action versions of The Incredible Hulk used to rely on more practical effects. Fans of Bill Bixby’s The Incredible Hulk TV series of the late 1970s and early 1980s know that when David Banner (Bixby) transformed into the Hulk, he was actually replaced by professional bodybuilder and former Mr. Universe Lou Ferrigno. Thanks to a fright wig, white contact lenses, and a lot of green body paint, Ferrigno became the face of the Incredible Hulk for an entire generation of fans.
Thanks to the success of the show, Ferrigno’s Hulk actually showed up in Marvel Comics – usually as an image on a TV screen, indicating that The Incredible Hulk television series actually existed in some form in the Marvel Universe. In one hilarious scene, however, the savage green Hulk was once faked out by a classic reference to his live action counterpart.
The “blink-or-you’ll-miss-it” scene happened in The Incredible Hulk #373, during which Bruce Banner was actually transforming into two versions of the Hulk. There was the savage green Hulk many fans were familiar with – and then there was the smarter grey Hulk who liked to go by the name “Joe Fixit.” Joe had actually been the dominant Hulk persona for some time and had even managed to suppress Banner’s personality for several months, allowing him to establish a life for himself as a Las Vegas casino enforcer. During this time, he started wearing tailored suits, got a girlfriend, and earned a lot of money.
In many ways, “Joe’s” hedonistic Vegas lifestyle was very similar to the success MCU version of the Green Hulk enjoyed in Thor: Ragnarök. Much like in the movie, however, Banner re-emerged and the Grey Hulk had to learn to co-exist with his human side again. Even worse, the savage green Hulk, who had been unconsciously suppressed by both Banner and the Grey Hulk, later emerged as well, causing all three personalities to fight for dominance.
To make matters more interesting, Banner, the Grey Hulk, and the Green Hulk could all talk to each other in a shared “mindscape” that had been set up for them by Doctor Strange. Whenever one of the personalities took control in the “real world,” the other personalities could interact or even fight each other on the mental plane. Thus, while Banner temporarily gained dominance, the Grey Hulk tried to suppress the Green Hulk – quite literally – by locking him behind a giant door.
Naturally, the Green Hulk would have none of this and fought back, pressing against the door the Grey Hulk was trying to trap him inside. Furious, the Grey Hulk groused that he had finally started building up his own reputation to the point where the world was finally starting to forget that he “used to have the brains and skin coloring of an avocado!” Informing the Green Hulk that nobody wanted him around, the Grey Hulk shoved at the door, but was nearly overcome by the Green Hulk’s superior strength. At the last second, the Grey Hulk decided to resort to trickery, yelling at the other Hulk, “Look! Behind ya! Ain’t that Lou Ferrigno?!” Surprised, the Green Hulk glanced behind himself – giving the Grey Hulk enough time to slam the door and lock it, sneering, “Sucker. Gets ‘im every time,” indicating that wasn’t the first time he used the trick against his dimwitted counterpart.
It was an unexpected and creative way of referencing the Hulk’s TV roots. Since that time, Ferrigno has actually cameoed in multiple Hulk movies – but the Grey Hulk’s throwaway line also confirms that Ferrigno exists in the Marvel Universe. Much to the Green Hulk’s dismay.
