The Incredible Hulk (2008 Film)

The Incredible Hulk is the 2008 live-action Marvel Studios feature film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name.

Edward Norton steps into the role of Bruce Banner in a rebooting the the Marvel franchise that draws plenty of inspiration from the beloved TV series of the 1970s/80s. The story finds Banner laying low in Rio de Janeiro, learning to control his temper to prevent his alter ego from bursting free. However, he's hunted there by elite operative Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) who has been tasked by General Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt) to bring him in. When Blonsky triggers a Hulk-out, he convinces Ross to use earlier super soldier research to give him an edge, slowly transforming him into the Abomination. The movie also stars Liv Tyler, Tim Blake Nelson and Ty Burell.

Directed by Louis Leterrier from a script by Zak Penn, The Incredible Hulk represents a significant upping of the ante in terms of comic book action. It did well enough at the box office to surpass 2003's Hulk but was still fairly weak for a top-tier Marvel Franchise. 

While this movie was distributed by Universal Pictures, who still retains the film rights to Hulk, it is set squarely in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There are references to Captain America in it, and Robert Downey Jr. makes a cameo in the film's stinger. While Norton did not continue with the character, Hurt's General Ross appears in several other MCU movies and Roth is reprising his role in the She-Hulk TV series.