‘Incredible Hulk’: Adding a Certain Deleted Scene Back Into the Movie Would Change Everything
In 2008, Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man kick-started a franchise that’s still going strong and making tons of money with every movie. However, that same year, the next movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was released, but it didn’t do as well as Iron Man did.
That movie was The Incredible Hulk, and it didn’t do well at the box office and it wasn’t well-received by critics or audiences, either. In fact, ‘The Incredible Hulk’ was so mediocre that Edward Norton stopped playing the Hulk and Mark Ruffalo took over for him. That said, there was a deleted scene from the movie that would’ve made it way better than before.
What ‘The Incredible Hulk’ was about
Just like what Marvel did with its other Phase One movies, The Incredible Hulk was an origin story that had a loose tie-in with the MCU at the end. That said, unlike the rest of the Phase One MCU movies, this movie was simply less good than its peers.
But, at the very least, it gets the job done in telling the Hulk’s origin story. That said, like the comics and like the Hulk movie from 2003, in The Incredible Hulk, Bruce Banner, then played by Norton, gets hit by a bunch of gamma radiation and then he starts turning into the Hulk whenever he’s angry.
The main villain of the movie was called Abomination, and he’s pretty much the Hulk, but more evil and scarier looking. Of course, Hulk wins and in the post-credits scenes, Tony Stark makes an appearance and ties the movie back into the MCU. Obviously, other stuff happens, but for the most part, they were largely forgettable.
What the deleted scene in ‘The Incredible Hulk’ is about
In this deleted scene, which takes place after Bruce reunites with his ex-girlfriend, Betty Ross, Bruce sits down and has a chat with Betty’s new boyfriend, Leonard Samson, who’s played by Ty Burrell. Bruce and Betty didn’t have a traditional breakup, since, after Bruce started turning into the Hulk, he decided to run away and hide in Brazil. Obviously, this sudden disappearance also meant the end of their relationship.
As a result, Betty got a new boyfriend in Leonard, who’s a psychiatrist. This makes his conversation with Bruce all the more revealing and impactful, since Bruce attempts to explain to Leonard why he ran away for five years. Bruce avoids saying that he’s the Hulk, but he does hint at it by saying that he has personality and anger issues that he can’t control.
Obviously, since Leonard is a psychiatrist, this is an extremely troubling revelation. Later in the movie, Leonard seemingly betrays Bruce by telling Betty’s dad, who’s a U.S. Army general that’s been searching for Bruce, exactly where Bruce has been hiding. However, this deleted scene would’ve helped explain that betrayal and more.
Why this deleted scene would’ve changed everything
As fans on Reddit said, this short, four-minute scene would’ve done a lot in explaining the motivations of the characters. This scene not only explains why Leonard told the general about Bruce’s whereabouts, but it’d also explain why Leonard is so in love with Betty to begin with. Knowing these things not only make Leonard a more complex character, but it also makes the plot more sensible.
In the movie as it was released, Leonard just tells the general about where Bruce has been and it’s not really clear why he did it. It makes Leonard seem like a villain when, in reality, he was just a concerned person who was looking out for his girlfriend. Plus, this quiet scene would’ve given Bruce a bit more character development, which isn’t a bad idea, either.
