Hulk was released in 2003 to mixed, but mostly positive reviews. However, it's definitely not fondly remembered, and that's probably because Ang Lee's take on the Jade Giant was a little, well, weird.
While it hit a lot of the expected beats, Bruce Banner's origin story was far from what anyone expected (especially when his father got involved), and the comic book inspired visuals didn't work for everyone. As for The Hulk, his change in size proved to be particularly strange, especially when he basically became a giant.
Now, some concept art from the movie by James Carson and Michael Anthony Jackson reveals how many of the characters were created, including The Hulk, those Gamma irradiated animals, and even "The Absorbing Man." We also get to see how Eric Bana was transformed into the Marvel Comics hero.
This artwork is all really cool, and you can take a look through it by clicking the "Next" button below!
The Hulk is a transformed version of Bruce Banner, so it goes without saying that the Green Goliath needs to look like him.
Here, we see the work that went into ensuring that was the case, and given how limited the technology was at the time, Ang Lee definitely managed to get across that The Hulk was also Eric Bana (even if he did end up looking a tad cartoonish in places).
Here, we get to see how The Hulk went from being Bruce Banner all the way to a 15ft giant. There have been a lot of comic books where the Jade Giant has been massive, but he just ended up looking way too big on screen compared to those around him in the 2003 movie.
For comparison's sake, the MCU's version of The Hulk is supposed to be around 8'2" in height.
At the end of the movie, The Hulk ended up battling his father, a weird version of The Absorbing Man from the comic books.
As you can see above, he looks pretty monstrous, but this CGI-heavy battle didn't really end up working in Hulk, and trying to turn Bruce's abusive father into this superpowered character from the source material was definitely an ill-advised decision.
As well as The Absorbing Man, David Banner also took on a form similar to Zzzax at one point, but the unhinged genetics research scientist made use of some unique creatures before then.
That included some Gamma irradiated hounds he set on his superpowered son, and we get to see an alternate take on them here. They're undeniably scary...but also more than a little goofy!
It appears as if Ang Lee considered using a grey version of The Hulk if this concept art is any indication. It's possible this was just used to explore how the hero could look on screen, of course, but the visuals on display here are undeniably impressive.
Marvel Studios also considered introducing the grey Hulk in Avengers: Age of Ultron when he fell under the control of the Scarlet Witch, but we've yet to see the Joe Fixit version of the hero.
These storyboards show those Gamma irradiated dogs searching for The Hulk as he's comforted by Betty Ross. This sequence made it into the film, so it's fascinating to see how it was put together.
However, The Hulk was so massive, he has to get down on his knees to interact with Betty.
Ang Lee was definitely going for a horror movie vibe here, but it didn't quite work in the context of Hulk. Ultimately, using a villain from the comic books arguably would have helped rather than giving the Green Goliath some generic monsters to fight.
Still, for the first CGI-created Hulk on screen, it was a fun ride for fans of the comic books.
A closer look at the massive version of the Jade Giant, we're definitely glad Marvel Studios didn't end up heading down this route with 2008's The Incredible Hulk movie.
However, there were hints in that film's opening montage that it was meant to be linked to it in some fashion (which is why it's often described as a "soft reboot" by fans).
Another of David Banner's experiments, this rat looks like something from a horror movie. Heading down the route of making Bruce's father the villain was certainly unique, and General "Thunderbolt" Ross also made for an exciting antagonist in the film.
Ultimately, it didn't work that well, but these irradiated creatures were definitely appreciated by kids!
Another shot exploring Eric Bana's transformation into the Jade Giant, the resemblance is definitely there, but the hero still looks perhaps a little too cartoonish to be, well, real!
The same argument could be made when it comes to The Incredible Hulk, of course, and it wasn't really until The Avengers that the technology was there to achieve that balance.