Movies - TV
Remembering That '80s TV Movie Where Thor Fought The Hulk
By ERIN BRADY
“The Incredible Hulk Returns” is a 1988 spin-off movie from “The Incredible Hulk” series that ran from 1978 to 1982 and features two Marvel characters on-screen together for the first time. It’s not quite as exciting as the meeting of the Hulk and Thor probably could’ve been, but it’s worth checking out on Tubi for some pre-MCU, cheesy ‘80s goodness.
Bill Bixby plays Dr. David Banner, who has spent two years without transforming and has been working on a Gamma Transponder that he hopes will cure him. Banner’s former student, Donald Blake, has a connection with a hammer that has a Norse warrior’s soul in it, and when he grips it and shouts the name of Odin, he can call forth Thor’s physical being.
Thor accidentally unleashes the Incredible Hulk, and their first fight takes place inside Banner’s laboratory, but it just seems like two muscular guys pushing each other around while moving in slow-motion. Limited by its low television budget, the fight is pretty uneventful and boring except for the few throws here and there.
In the end, "The Incredible Hulk Returns" just seems like another episode of "The Incredible Hulk," with the same plot structure and even the same opening title sequence that was used in the series six years prior. However, the charming dynamic between Thor and Blake is what makes the movie different, and seeing Thor at a bar throwing guys around and line-dancing with women is a treat.