Hulk (2003) : Novel vs Movie
What are the differences between the Hulk novel and the Hulk movie from 2003? I made this list so you don’t have to read the book!
Hulk (2003): What’s the difference?
Bruce is described as a young, 90 pounds weakling. He was never very enduring or athletic - even with bike runs uphills each day going from his appartement to work - they were always so difficult for him.
Child Banner is shown more clearly having severe mutations forming upon severe stress or anger. (Color, shaking, his skin tensing, bubbling, swelling etc)
After an accident that almost revealed to his wife his true intentions (using his child as a test subject), David scowled and forced Banner to never be angry again or his mother would die. (She fainted after hearing Bruce cries out as David drew blood for a test and he shown alarming symptoms described in the earlier point)
David finally admits to his wife that Bruce has a mutation but that she must keep it secret and that his only chances of survival is him and him only curing him.
It is made clearer in the book that both Banner and his mother were fiercely ruled and beaten frequently by David. At one point, we see David's thoughts and he sees his wife and he hates her, thinking her food tastes vile and she's noisy and weak. There is a short period of time that all that subdues, as David was in a particularly " good mood " and showing a more benevolent attitude.
At the military base, David is working with a cyclotron to test how materials / elements react with gamma rays - but his real intent is to find a way to make the human stronger as he believes it's the only solution to the arm's race.
The explosion that happens at the base is NOT nuclear - although David putting to a stop the cyclotron in an instant was the cause of a massive hydrogen buildup - there was radioactive materials on the base that worried the fleeing scientists. (Could cause fallout)
Although a lot of the survivors would report " Strange looking clouds “ or “ green light ".
The book doesn't tell clearly that David killed Bruce's mother. Something happened but it's not clear for us or Banner - the murder is only revealed later (When David confess to Betty while Bruce is having a nightmare at the base) both to Betty and Banner in a matter similar to the movie.
Just before the detonation Betty is brought by her father in front of the house of the Banners and witnesses Bruce in one of the windows. She is two years old.
Banner's surrogate mother is named Monica and she's an agent of Atheon. She became attached to Bruce and had difficulty letting her "mission" go. She seeks to see Banner back but is stopped by the organization.
So her weird omen " There is something inside you - so special - someday you are gonna share it with the whole world... " was not only a word of encouragement but a way to tell him about his mutation. Atheon knew of Banner's mutation and kept a very close eye on him.
One of the deleted scenes from the movie: Adolescent Banner being hit on by a girl (Not Betty) and being so scared to talk to her that he falls and gets mocked by the on looking class.
It is revealed that Banner has a QI of 187.
A bizarre small scene was dropped from the movie in which it is revealed that Banner was followed and espionned on during all of his life by Atheon - supposedly by Talbot and another agent recently.
In the movie, it was implied that Betty knew Talbot before meeting him at the lab. In the book, they actually were a couple for a short time but Betty broke up with him as she saw " darkness in him that her father couldn't. " Ross was pushing for the two to meet and stay together.
Betty lived for a while in Italy which she adored but was later forced to come back to Desert Base after it's reconstruction from the blast. She later left for good by leaving without her father consent to University.
It is revealed that Talbot influenced and recommended that Betty worked at the same workplace as Banner as he thought " no one stir up people like she does " and they needed him to express emotions. (Atheon wanted to stay secret but knew and wanted to see Banner's mutation)
There is a mention of Betty being praised by Hank Pym at her University.
In the book, Betty mentions that she cannot see the nanobots and would need " eyes made from Krypton " to do so - referencing Superman.
Actually, Betty makes several movie references - here's the ones I remember: A beautiful mind, King Kong, Godzilla, Wizard of Oz etc. She also comments on her actions several times with acknowledgement from horror / slasher tropes and clichés. (Like going alone to see David or going out alone with a flashlight is like “ having a dead wish or acting like those idiots from scary movies “ )
Banner doesn't show emotions nor releases of emotions before the accident - he is described as always being so serious and neutral in tone. Even more than in the movie. Several lighter scenes from the movie are absent, like the scene when Betty and Banner share a beer in the lab or Banner cheerily greeting Betty at work.
This is what ultimately ended Bruce and Betty's relationship - as she wanted him to feel something and he couldn't - breaking her heart.
In the book, it’s Betty that has trouble working closely with Bruce after being “ so close “ and still loves him. While in the movie, it’s Banner that does this.
There is a short scene where David is shown entering the current janitor appartement from Betty and Bruce’s workplace. Claiming “ his dogs are hungry “, they launch at Benny and rip him to shreds. (To be clear, the dogs are not mutated yet)
The other scientist working with Bruce and Betty, Harper’s the opposite of confident and nervous. Banner wonders why the man tortures himself with his emotions as, he believed, emotions are useless.
Banner has a very mathematical way of seeing the work and people around him - Betty teases him telling him that he “ probably has OCD “ which Banner refuses to believe.
Another cut scene from the movie: the presentation about their research to investors. Banner is described as being " in his element " seemeling not intimidated by the presentation (Betty was so nervous and wondered how he did it).
There was a frog, Fred, in the chamber when Banner and Harper were caught in the accident. It apparently watched with mild interest.
It's Harper who insisted on naming the frogs. Bruce thought it would lead to unnecessary attachment and referred to Freddy (the frog that gets blown up) as " 11 ".
Banner's heroic act to save Harper actually saved Betty and everyone in the lab as the radiation would have severely hurt or killed a lot of people.
During the accident, as Banner is preparing to block the gammasphere cannon with his body - he remembered that at school he was asked if he could throw himself in front of a live grenade, like soldiers did at war : " I don't know - I don't know what I would have done." Getting mocked with the other students who answered they would.
Betty is convinced Banner is dying and she is pacing in her desk, imagining Banner bleeding out and becoming blind before dying of multiple organ failures because of radiation poisoning. She receives a call and it's simply " He's asking for you. " and she rushes to the medical unit, trying to hold in her dreadful scenarios for his sake thinking this is probably the last she'll see of him and he doesn't want her to panic. Instead, he's bare chest, sitting on the hospital bed, seemed healthy and most strange of all for Banner, seemed really happy.
Banner is in denial and believes he received a dose “ barely good for a tan ". The nurse is quick to look at Betty and says that “ he should look like a burned toast right now but that she cannot find much " and “ doesn’t understand “. It’s at that moment that Berry realises the nanomeds may have actually worked.
Betty supposed rapidly that Banner must be different so the nanomed didn't killed him - which Banner refuses to believe and ask to retry the experiment to understand what happened - he is quickly stopped by the nurse to tell him that she's already bending the rules to let him see Betty so please don't make her restraint him.
The first hulkout happens off screen. Betty returns from her meeting with Ross and sees what appears to be a corridor of destruction caused by a localised tornado. (Tree uprooted, cars crushed, holes in the pavement etc) She is tired and mad after her father meeting and goes to sleep, not really giving a second thought of the weird meteorological event. The next morning as she is driving to work, she is stopped from entering and that's when she sees a gaping hole in the roof near where Bruce was resting at the infirmary - that's what pushed her to find him as supposedly there was no one inside the building.
The Hulk is described as a 8 foot tall, green with glowing green eyes. He doesn't attempt to help anyone in the book, apart from Betty - making him appear less heroic. His roar is compared to something prehistoric several times, like " the sound that a T-Rex would make drowning in the tar ". Banner turning into the Hulk is described as watching devolution happen and a scary sight.
He changes sizes like in the movie, first time for the last dog, then as he is beyond angry at Talbot. Both are described as being 12 foot tall and even more massive. After that it is described that " the survivors of his escape on the Desert Base would give contradictory reports of his size ", revealed to be all correct as his stature would fluctuate according to the strength of the opposition and his anger.
There is a short description of the first hulkout from what Banner remembers. The sequence is much shorter as the Hulk goes straight to the gammasphere to throw it into the skies. (No lab destruction) He then meets his father, which the Hulk has no recollection of, and swep his hand as the man approaches. The Hulk then decided (his thought is "...bah…" ) that the man wasn't worth his time and prefered to leave. One security guard saw the hulking figure jump away as David asked him to tell everyone that a "Hulk" has been seen. He proudly thought that he should be the only one to name Banner, a second time.
After Betty is sent away by her father from Bruce, she knows she is followed by a MP (soldiers of Ross) and decides to let out steam by escaping his pursuit by speeding in her sport car. She would later regret not having backup as she is called by David to come talk to her.
Bruce is detained in his house until further notice, he realises that his life won't ever be the same from now on - having accepted his old self as practically dead - Ross' menaces and threats didn't emotionally affect him.
Talbot actually goes into the house with the intent to piss off Bruce, knowing his mutation (From espionnage and Atheon) and the various (exaggerated and delusional confessions, he thought) eye witness reports from the first incident at the lab.
As seen in unused storyboards from the movie, Talbot beats Banner with kicks and he holds Banner to the ground with his boot to the head - as Banner delivers his famous " Don't make me angry… " As Banner is beginning to stand up from the beating, Talbot goes for a swift punch to the guts that is stopped by Banner, now being stronger than him. (Remember, in the book Banner is not looking like Eric Bana but described as the weakest 90 pounder.
The Hulk has clearly intent to kill several times (either by his simplistic written thoughts or actions). The guards at his house are met with two swift swings from his arms, one sent flying clear, the other absorbing most of the impact in a thunderous crunch, breaking several ribs in the process. The Hulk train of thought is written in italic and appears often even when Banner is himself. Several times the Hulk will think about " kill " and " crush them " " blood " etc.
The book mentions once one of the Hulk catch phrases from the comics ; " strongest there is " as one of his thoughts.
At first the thoughts of the Hulk are not clear on Betty, it seems that he vaguely recalls Betty (Because Banner was so dead set on saving her from the dogs) but it wasn't clear right away for the reader if he was going to kill her or kill what would be in his way.
Talbot is kicked out of the house on the sofa but is ignored by the Hulk after that. He suffers minor injuries, the biggest one requiring reconstruction of one of his fingers.
The Hulk has a very developed sense of smell, being able to locate Betty and sense the dogs coming before seeing them. He reuses this ability to make sure he's alone in the desert as another example. In the book, the Hulk senses are described as being all hyper augmented.
Betty heard what sounded like a tree crashing in the wood but didn't mind it. What pushed her to go out with a flashlight was the fact that after that there was not any other sound at all. (Animal sounds are usually very constant around the cabin; coyotes, frogs, owls etc.)
In the book, the night is not pitch dark as there is a full moon showing and the night just started.
Betty doesn't recognize Banner in Hulk and only slowly realises the "monster" is not gonna kill her but protect her. After realizing that the animals look like mutated dogs, radiative dogs - she processes that the monster must be at least part human and mutated and radioactive too… and then her mind finally goes to Banner.
The Hulk put his hand before Betty’s face in a gesture asking to be quiet as he clearly saw the dogs, he then held Betty in a protective hold when the dogs made their advance. He pushed her toward the side of her car, she then instinctively opened the door and went inside as the Hulk closed the door behind her, breaking and jamming shut the door in the process. He roared defiantly at the dogs.
Betty doesn't have the keys to the car, they are in the mud a couple meters away from the car.
The Hulk blood is described to be dark green. During the attack, he is bitten on the leg and neck, gushing out hot blood.
It is not described if the Hulk healed those injuries, but they are not mentioned in the later part of the fight. It is shown that he adapted his combative stance to avoid being re-bitten on the neck though.
It happens off screen (during that scene we are in the point of view of Betty, who cannot see through the car windshield " through the blood and gore ") but she sees him come back into view, now taller, lifting the dog with one hand and crushing its neck.
The poodle died smashed by a tree the Hulk used as a baseball bat (swing downward to crush it) and the other one was killed off easily by landing on him after one of his signature high jumps.
Although short, the dogs deaths are very graphic with mention of blood and gore. Exemple, the car is " painted " with gore and blood from the poodle, obscuring the view Betty has on the last dog and Hulk.
The three dogs "dissolve" as they die, like if " mother nature wanted to get rid of it as quickly as it could ". This explains why there are no corpses or blood left in the book for the militaries to find and possibly the movie too.
The poodle pulled a Princess Mononoke move and tried one last lounge and bite with only his severed head. It died of it's wounds before it could reach Betty who dropped the car seat to dodge.
The Hulk roars are described to shake the trees. Later, in San Francisco, his roar broke windows and shook the ground in a 3 block radius.
The only words said by Hulk in the book are " Betty… safe …" before he stumbles near the lake and turns back into Banner.
Banner pitifully opened the wrecked door for Betty but fell in the mud. Betty came out of the car, having witnessed the monster slowly turn back into Banner and sad closely to him.
Banner was hysterical (Laughing, ' I smashed them! " and it scared Betty until he snapped back to himself and finally asked if he was awake and where he was, being confused and tired.
When calling her father to help her as she's scared, she actually gives her father one piece of advice : " Whatever you do, don't piss him off. ".
As Banner is rudely sedated and transported Betty actually snaps and channels her father's temperament to scowls at the soldiers - remarking that just one of Banner's arms has more power than anything the army has in store and that they must handle him carefully. After that she realised how good that anger felt and what Banner must have felt too.
During Bruce and Betty's walk in the Desert Base, Bruce asks Betty what the following soldiers would do if they kissed. (Bruce leans in but hesitates, Betty is kinda sad he didn't go for it - even if she feared the militaries would possibly have opened fire.)
Bruce seeing Talbot in his quarter, he immediately guessed that Betty had to forcefully leave the base and her father had probably not left but wasn't in charge anymore, by force again.
During his nightmare in the water tank, it is revealed that Banner actually attacked David violently after he stabbed his wife. He even bit his neck and drew blood. In the moment, Bruce missed the last moment of his mother, falling in the entryway as the army swarmed the house - alarmed by the scream and blood.
Talbot and his team realise too late that the water tank that they put Hulk into is fatally flawed because of "water displacement ". As Banner turned into the Hulk, there was suddenly more mass in the container and the water couldn't compress so it started to leak out, breaking the seal and allowing the Hulk to pry open the tube easily.
Overall, action scenes are shorter in the book, the whole fight with the army (from the desert base to San Francisco) happens in the last ⅕ of the book, including the fight with David and the ending in the jungle.
The Hulk doesn't sneeze from the gas Talbot tries to knock him out with. He simply held his breath.
The gas seeps out from the massive hole Hulk made to exit the room and it instantly knocks out several soldiers in the corridor.
The foam-like substance from the movie is described as a liquid that slowly hardens in the book. The Hulk can still move and walk (following angrily the soldiers) but becomes slowly more constrained - switching his attention to try and break out from the substance.
He actually managed to break out from the substance after Talbot pierced his neck with a drill and drew blood. The Hulk reared back in pain and in his anger was finally able to break the solidified substance. It is described that as the solidified liquid broke off, it took with it huge chunks of skin from the Hulk.
Talbot stood his ground and faced the Hulk, only seeing the puny scientist he managed to subdue earlier in the base. The Hulk, remembering Talbot getting the upper hand on Banner earlier, grew in size in anger and retaliation. Talbot finally emptied his gun on the Hulk, but the bullets ricocheted everywhere - a lot on Talbot actually. Talbot felt " something disgusting falling from his chest, tried to push it back “ and died of shock.
In the book, it is made more clear that Talbot was a man who seeked power at any cost and lost his humanity from it - Ross realises this upon seeing his dying corpse on one of the cameras.
There are actual nuclear warheads in the base, and there is a short stressful moment where one of top soldiers fears the Hulk may accidentally break them releasing lethal radiation or worse - set them off. It is quickly ruled out though as the Hulk angrily follows the soldiers to the upper floors, leaving the warheads behind as they are no threat for him.
The army uses strobe lights to blind and stun the Hulk for a short while.
The Hulk actually digs his way out of the base, coming out of the surface near his house - although the Hulk has no real understanding what this house means.
The Hulk throws a desert truck with a rear minigun like he would the first tank in the movie. (Holding by the back, making a couple turns on himself to launch it over a great distance) He trashes the first tank coming his way by ripping the top and hitting it repeatedly on the ground before shaking the base and throwing it away, like he would for the second tank in the movie. There are other tanks and army present but they don't shoot or attack Hulk while and after seeing this - letting him escape. The soldiers are described as " realizing how little they could do. "
The helicopters attacking Hulk are Black Hawks.
The Hulk ignores the distinct helicopter that contains Ross and instead jumps away.
While the Hulk calms down in a far away part of the desert, it is described that he would have turned back quickly into Banner as there were no more threats - but he is quickly re-engaged by the Black Hawks - reigniting his rage to its fullest.
It is revealed that even for Hulk, it is difficult for him to stay angry that long.
Picking up speed by making " smaller " jumps, the Hulk distances a Black Hawk running 150mph. After the Hulk switched to his usual high jumps, and he’s easily lost by the army. His short jumps are described to “ put shame on every long jump athlete “ .
The scene with the mirror is different - there is no mist or fog, Hulk and Banner are looking at each other clearly. The scene first plays out like the video game adaptation where the Hulk hold Banner but rams him into the mirror. In the book, following the impact, Banner slowly reaches his neck to grab Hulk's hand on his neck - but Hulk quickly punches the puny scientist, breaking his neck.
The Hulk emerges in San Francisco from under the road in the middle of a busy intersection, surrounded by citizens. They froze in surprise until the Hulk roared. They were described as being like antelopes that froze at the sight of the lion coming out of the grass instead of running.
There was a sort of stand off, the Hulk hadn't moved much within SF and challenged angrily the militaries to come within his range. (Described as a 20 foot radius zone where no policemen or swat team would dare enter)
When Betty comes to calm Hulk down, he actually falls on his knees with a sad/pain growl. He flinches from her as she touches his face and comforts him - his breathing slows down and he turns back into Banner.
Banner realizes that he is too dangerous to be left alive and accepts it. Betty can't.
When Banner's father tries to anger Bruce and start to tear the cables in the hangar, Banner shouts " GO! " but it is not aimed as his father but the military so they can push the button to kill himself.
After David absorbs the Hulk's power, his power quickly unbalances and start absorbing power from everywhere around him at the same time. In a last ditch, he briefly consider the incoming nuke to absorb but he dies on impact.
