| Creator: | Kenneth Johnson |
| Director: | Bill Bixby |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Executive Producer: | Bill Bixby |
| Location: | Vancouver |
| Cinematography: | Chuck Colwell |
| Editor: | Janet Ashikaga |
| Runtime: | 95 minutes |
| Network: | NBC |
| Related: | The Trial of the Incredible Hulk |
The Death of the Incredible Hulk is a 1990 American television superhero film, the last of three films based on the 1978–1982 television series The Incredible Hulk. Bill Bixby reprises his role as Dr. David Banner and Lou Ferrigno returns to play the Hulk. It was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Prior to Bill Bixby's death in 1993, there was talks of The Revenge of the Incredible Hulk television film which would resurrect the character.
David Banner (Bill Bixby) masquerades as David Bellamy, a janitor, to gain access to a scientific research facility. He believes that the studies of one of the scientists there, Dr. Ronald Pratt (Philip Sterling), may hold the key to curing his gamma-induced condition that, in times of stress, turns him into a superhuman green creature known as the Hulk.
Banner enters Pratt's laboratory and examines the formula on his blackboard, making corrections. At the same time, an Eastern European spy named Jasmine (Elizabeth Gracen) is approached by former superior Kasha for one last job: infiltrate Pratt's lab and steal the files on his experiments. When she refuses, Kasha blackmails Jasmine with her sister Bella's life.
The following morning, Pratt examines the formula on his blackboard and discovers that it is now correct. He hides in the lab in wait for his secret helper and catches David, who reveals his true identity and recounts the events that resulted in the Hulk. He notes that his condition also dives into Pratt's own research on a human's capacity to heal, for in Hulk-form David's accelerated metabolism allows any wound to close in seconds.
Pratt believes he can cure David, but he needs to first study the creature. Both men, with the help of Pratt's scientist wife Amy (Barbara Tarbuck), construct a force field cage and sensors to track Banner's vitals. On the night of the observation, David is rigged with a tranquilizer to sedate him once the readings have been recorded. He shocks himself with an electrical rod and transforms into the Hulk. The energy cage restrains the Hulk until Pratt has his readings, and Amy activates the tranquilizer. Banner reverts to normal, and Pratt and Amy photograph the closing puncture wound from the tranquilizer.
The next day, the facility's board announces to Pratt that they are pulling his funding for his lack of results, which forces him to move up his proposed cure for David. An eastern European spy network dedicated to using Pratt's work for corrupt purposes breaks into the lab, halting the experiment, thus transforming Banner into the Hulk again and leaving Pratt in a coma. The Hulk escapes the lab and rips through an electrified fence. While Banner is pursued by Kasha's men, he encounters Jasmine. During a fight, one of the men, Pauley, is mortally wounded. He then tells Jasmine that her sister Bella is the leader of the spy Network. Banner has fallen in love with Jasmine, who returns his affections. Pratt and his wife are kidnapped by Bella while being escorted from the hospital by federal agents Shoup and Luanne Cole. Banner and Jasmine capture one of the kidnappers, Brendan Ashley, and Ashley tells them that Bella is holding the Pratts at an airfield, which the police, Shoup, and Cole raid. Kasha and several henchmen are killed in the attack while Bella and Zed escape in an airplane.
While pursuing the kidnappers, Banner turns into the Hulk, who tries to protect Pratt and Jasmine. The Hulk runs towards the plane, on which Bella and Zed are attempting to escape, and breaks it open. Bella tries to shoot the Hulk but ends up shooting the fuel tank. As a result, the plane explodes, killing Bella and Zed. The Hulk is thrown hundreds of feet into the air and slams onto the concrete, wounded beyond the Hulk's healing powers. Transforming back to human, Banner tells Jasmine he is free, then succumbs to his injuries. Jasmine, Pratt, and Amy mourn for him.
This third telefilm was initially announced to feature the Marvel Comics character She-Hulk, just as the previous two had featured Thor and Daredevil. As of early July 1989, it was still firmly expected to do so, and to air that autumn, with Iron Man under consideration for a follow-up.[1]
The film was filmed between November 1989 and January 1990 in Vancouver.
Despite Hulk's death in the 1990 film, the film's makers had intended from the start for him to return in The Revenge of the Incredible Hulk, again with Gerald Di Pego as writer. As of July 10, 1990, a script was being written.[1] The movie would have She-Hulk’s and Iron-Man’s cameos. It has been reported that the fourth film would have featured the Hulk with Banner's mind,[2] and that the project was canceled because of Bill Bixby's struggle with cancer,[3] but Di Pego has refuted both these claims as fan rumors, pointing out that Bixby's health had not yet begun to decline at the time the film was canceled. Di Pego said that the plot for The Revenge of the Incredible Hulk began with Banner being revived, but no longer able to change into the Hulk. Banner then begins to work for the government in order to prevent accidents like the one that turned him into the Hulk, but is captured by villains and coerced into turning their agents into Hulk-like beings. According to Di Pego, at the film's climax Banner would be forced to recreate the accident that transformed him into the Hulk in order to stop the villains' plans.[4]
The sequel was canceled because of the disappointing ratings for The Death of the Incredible Hulk.[4]
This telefilm was originally released on VHS by Rhino Home Video in 1992. It was released on DVD by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment on June 3, 2003.