Smashing Through the Myths: The REAL First Appearance of the Incredible Hulk
Hey there, True Believers! Let's talk about everyone's favorite green rage monster, the Hulk! Specifically, his first appearance. It's more convoluted than you might think, and most articles just rehash the same old info. We're going deeper than that. Think of this as your friendly neighborhood Hulk historian spilling the gamma-irradiated beans.
Most folks point to Incredible Hulk #1, May 1962, as the first hulk comic. And yes, that's the big one, the one that launched the Jade Giant into legend. It's where we get the origin story, the gray Hulk (yes, GRAY!), and the basic premise we know and love. If you are one of those wondering which 1st appearance of hulk is the original then your answer would likely lie in the Incredible Hulk #1 book, specifically the first published printing.
But! But, but, BUT! Even though Incredible Hulk #1 launched Hulk mythology as its very first Hulk comic published, there are other aspects we should probably be remembering. Especially the character appearance.
Before Mark Ruffalo charmed us with his angsty Banner/Hulk duality, and long before Edward Norton’s, there were plenty other appearances worth acknowledging! When I asked some friend to remind me "Who played the original Hulk?” Everyone reminded of that very well-known Bill Bixby as David Banner in the Hulk series! He may not have smashed anything; he sure carried most the performance – let’s give Bill Bixby credit for what would turn out to be an absolute legendary portrayal; making Bill Bixby himself the original Hulk actor too! After discussing this topic again, frankly anyone thinking or searching around "original bruce banner" probably ends up trying to identify one of his specific portrayals for how impressive he’s been!
Before the Green: The Original Hulk’s Shades of Gray
Funny thing is, the Hulk original wasn't green at all. Nope, he started gray! I find it particularly crazy seeing gray-colored Hulk in a first hulk comic. Comic book history is insane. Originally Stan Lee wanted gray – printer problems ended up turning him green! But Hulk’s original was supposed to be Gray!
What is more fascinating is to consider how the change actually created its whole distinct identity. There's more interesting trivia about how, originally it seemed like “hulk” was merely designed to come out at night; turning back after returning during the daylight.
Beyond the First Hulk Comic: The Ever-Evolving Hulk Saga
I get that first appearances matter. Incredible Hulk #1 and the first season of the original TV Series has iconic significance because the very existence of these were the things that started and solidified the current existing lore. It's the genesis point for all related and further related Hulk stories afterwards. It introduced Bill Bixby – an essential point to start, without even thinking of what we think when thinking who the original hulk actor was supposed to be; everyone seems to agree with his inclusion.
- Hulk on TV. So, we all remember seeing this Hulk’s original performance by Bill Bixby (and yes! Also, the late, great Lou Ferrigno!) The Bill Bixby performance as the Orginal Hulk brought life to the concept “Original Bruce Banner” into people’s minds for quite some time. Let's give Ferrigno props for portraying some incredibly accurate portrayal even if not really accurate in terms of size - I truly believe their impact remains in the storyline too
- The Immortal Hulk: It changed my perspective over Hulk mythology entirely. It made something darker – and frankly more fascinating.
- The MCU's take: This showed Ruffalo’s amazing version of a Banner-integrated Hulk – so far different from most portrayals so far it revolutionised this.
Exploring how and why this mythology expands from where and how this started becomes much clearer the more information you gather surrounding what incredible hulk first releases, and what the storyline actually contained.
While this Incredible Hulk First appearance marked his emergence – there would be further appearances that transformed the entire character development for years. Some consider the introduction in Avengers one of the other true appearances defining the first Hulk we were accustomed to seeing up to then. Even for a single hero character; depending on when you start and end your search you may even think that different origin characters actually introduced “The First Hulk”! Which frankly; does makes searching for First Hulk a fascinating activity!
If anyone is asking you to find something to read when looking at something containing “Incredible Hulk 1” then go read what I told you about here.
