The Incredible Hulk aired for five seasons between 1978 and 1982, and after the best version of the Hulk came to an end, the series was followed by three feature-length television movies. The last TV-movie was 1990's The Death of The Incredible Hulk, which concluded the long and tragic journey of David Banner and finally freed him of the curse that had ruled his life for so long. However, that wasn't supposed to be the ending.
The Hulk would have returned in a fourth TV-movie titled The Revenge of The Incredible Hulk, but unfortunately the project was never made. What was the supposed plot of this film, and why wasn't it produced? Here's what is known about what was really intended as Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno's swan song.
The Revenge of The Incredible Hulk (sometimes known as Rebirth of The Incredible Hulk) is a film that has been mythologized over the years, as many rumors about casting details and plot points have arisen -- meaning it's hard to determine fact from fiction. No script has ever been made publicly available, therefore nothing can be 100 percent confirmed regarding the project. But by looking at interviews with Ferrigno and writer Gerald Di Pego, it's possible to piece together some (if not contradictory) information.
Revenge of The Incredible Hulk would have seen Bixby return to direct with a script from Di Pego, and was set to see the Banner/Hulk revived from a single piece of DNA. Speaking at MCM Comic Con in 2017, Ferrigno stated that The Hulk would have returned with David Banner's mind, therefore able to speak. This development would have given fans the first live-action appearance of Professor Hulk, nearly 30 years earlier than Avengers: Endgame (and his upcoming She-Hulk appearance). An early Professor Hulk would have enabled Ferrigno to show off more of his acting range than in the previous series or films.
However, Di Pego offered a contradictory version in the magazine Back Issue! in 2014.. He claimed that the plot of the film saw Banner being revived but unable to turn into The Hulk, thus going onto work for the government. Banner was later forced to recreate the accident that turned him into The Hulk, giving up his freedom for the sake of stopping the villains. The prospect does sound incredibly interesting, and it would have been heartbreaking to see Banner have to become The Hulk again after finally getting his freedom.
The Incredible Hulk TV-movies also introduced other popular Marvel characters, with Thor making his live-action debut in 1988's The Incredible Hulk Returns, and both Matt Murdock/Daredevil and Wilson Fisk/Kingpin debuting in the follow-up, 1989's The Trial of The Incredible Hulk. While The Death of The Incredible Hulk didn't feature any comic book characters, Elizabeth Gracen's Jasmine was a Russian spy who shared similarities with Black Widow; her character developed a romance with Banner, just like Natasha Romanoff did in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
But despite the storytelling potential and superhero crossovers, The Revenge of The Incredible Hulk never materialized. Di Pego claimed it was cancelled due to poor ratings for The Death of The Incredible Hulk. However, Ferrigno declared that it was scrapped because of Bixby's health, with Bixby having died in 1993 -- just three years after his last appearance as Dr. Banner. Despite never being made, fans of the show have continued to talk about the proposed TV movie, which could have added something impressive to The Hulk's on-screen legacy.
The character continues on as a major part of the MCU; Moon Knight star Oscar Isaac recently campaigned for a team-up between Hulk and Moon Knight, while Mark Ruffalo's Hulk is appearing in the upcoming She-Hulk series for Ruffalo to "pass the banner" (get it?) to the title character, played by Tatiana Maslany. However, the classic iteration of the Hulk still has its place in Marvel history, even if fans may not ever know exactly what The Revenge of the Incredible Hulk was about or everything that was involved in its downfall.