The Incredible Hulk Returns

"The Incredible Hulk Returns" is the 1988 TV movie about David Banner, played by Bill Bixby, who has nearly cured himself from being the Hulk, played by Lou Ferrigno. As was the case with "The Trial of the Incredible Hulk" (featuring Daredevil) this television movie acted as a backdoor pilot to an unproduced television series featuring the Thor comic book character.

Plot

Six years after he walked off into the sunset in A Minor Problem, we find that David Banner has been gainfully employed at the Joshua-Lambert Research Institute where he and a team of scientists are putting the final touches on a Gamma Transponder. It has been two years since his last transformation into the creature and Banner is now happily involved in a relationship with a young widow. Banner hopes to put all worries about the risk of transforming into the Hulk to rest by using the Gamma Transponder to reverse the effects of gamma radiation on himself. Unfortunately, things don't go according to plan. David is surprised by the arrival of Donald Blake, a former student of his. Blake explains that he now shares a mystical bond with a Viking god named Thor. Blake calls upon Thor to appear in order to prove the validity of his story. The viking god causes David to transform and a battle between the Hulk and Thor leaves David's lab severely damaged. With his experiment now set back, David and his transponder become the target of a crime organization that is spurned on within the ranks of the Joshua-Lambert Institute.

This was Jack Colvin's last appearance as Jack McGee.

The Thor depicted here bears little resemblance to the Marvel Comics superhero of the same name. He was not depicted as the Thunder God of Norse mythology but as a regular Viking warrior from antiquity. This is also the first and only time that truly magical or supernatural elements have been used in the universe of the "Incredible Hulk" TV series. People believe that this movie was the weakiest out of the three reunion movies.1 1/2 Stars

See also

* "The Incredible Hulk" (TV series)
* "The Trial of the Incredible Hulk"
* "The Death of the Incredible Hulk"

External links

*imdb title|0095368|The Incredible Hulk Returns
* [http://tv.ign.com/articles/881/881149p2.html Hulk Smash Television!]