The Incredible Hulk (1978 TV series)

The Incredible Hulk was a American television series that loosely adapted the Incredible Hulk [[comic book] and from ran between 1977 and 1982, and starred Bill Bixby as Dr. David Bruce Banner and Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk himself.

The origins of the Hulk in the TV series differed greatly from the orignal comic book. Banner is this time a geneticist who has been traumatised by the loss of his wife in a fatal car accident, and his guilt over his inability to save her from the burning wreckage. He begins to conduct research into the strange phenomenon which sees humans display supernormal levels of strength, and to understand why others faced with a similar traumatic experience to his own were able to save themselves or their loved ones while under abnormally high emotional distress. He concludes that high levels of gamma radiation from sunspots is the cause, and to prove the theory, he bombards his body with gamma radiation to see if he can instill supernormal strength into his body.

Unbeknownst to him, however, the equipment is upgraded and administers a far higher dose than he intended, altering his body chemistry irrevocably. He initially thinks that the experiment has failed, but later that evening he experiences a flat tire and injures himself with the lug wrench. This triggers the metamorphosis into the Hulk and he proceeds to destroy his car. Whilst trying to reverse the process, the interferences of a nosey reporter called Jack McGee result in the destruction of the research laboratory and the death of a fellow scientist. Banner, now presumed dead, is forced to go on the run whilst trying to find a "cure" for his condition. In a manner similar to the popular series The Fugitive, this forms the basis of the TV series, as Banner endlessly drifts from place to place assuming different identities; whilst at the same time involuntarily using the powers of the Hulk to deal with the problems of the people that he encounters.