Few superheroes are as instantly recognizable as the Hulk. With his massive green frame and uncontrollable rage, he has become a symbol of raw power and destruction in the Marvel Universe. Additionally, the character’s origins and inspirations go far beyond a simple tale of a man struggling with his monstrous alter ego.
The Hulk’s creation was fueled by real-life events, deep-rooted mythology in monster cinema, and the anxieties of the Atomic Age. Moreover, Hulk is more than just a rage-fueled behemoth, he’s a reflection of humanity’s fears, power, and scientific ambition gone awry.
The Moment That Inspired The Hulk
Jack Kirby, one of the masterminds behind Marvel’s most iconic characters, had a simple but powerful philosophy about superheroes. He believed that despite them not being normal human beings, they should have some grounding in reality. So, his creative process was often inspired by real-world events and human feats that seemed almost superhuman.
In a 1990 interview with The Comics Journal, Kirby revealed that the idea for the Hulk came from witnessing an incredible act of desperation. He recalled seeing a mother lift a car to save her trapped child, a feat made possible by an intense surge of adrenaline. This astonishing display of strength left a deep impression on Kirby. This then led him to wonder: What if someone could access that kind of power at will?
“The Hulk I created when I saw a woman lift a car,” Kirby explained. “Her baby was caught under the running board of this car. The little child was playing in the gutter and he was crawling from the gutter onto the sidewalk under the running board of this car. His mother was horrified. She looked from the rear window of the car. And this woman in desperation lifted the rear end of the car. It suddenly came to me that in desperation we can all do that. You know what happens when we’re in a rage, you can tear a house down.”
This real-world phenomenon, known as “hysterical strength,” occurs when the human body produces an extreme adrenaline rush in response to life-threatening situations. It’s rare and poorly understood. However, it has been documented in several cases, such as parents lifting heavy objects off their children or people breaking free from restraints in moments of extreme panic. Kirby saw this as the foundation for a new kind of hero. He imagined a hero who didn’t need fancy gadgets or an alien heritage but could unleash unlimited power through pure, unfiltered emotion. And that is how the Incredible Hulk was born.
Atomic Age And The Fear Of Science Gone Wrong Gave Birth To The Hulk
The Hulk didn’t just emerge from Kirby’s observations of human strength, he was also a product of his time. Created in 1962, the character was heavily influenced by the anxieties of the Atomic Age. World War II had ended less than two decades earlier, and the terrifying power of nuclear weapons had reshaped global consciousness.
Additionally, the atomic bomb proved that mankind had unlocked a force beyond its control, one that could wipe out entire cities in an instant. This fear was reflected in countless works of fiction, from Godzilla to Dr. Strangelove. Unsurprisingly, Marvel was no exception. Bruce Banner, the brilliant scientist behind the Hulk, was caught in the aftermath of this scientific hubris.
His exposure to gamma radiation (a fictionalized version of the radiation unleashed by nuclear explosions) transformed him into an uncontrollable force of destruction. In many ways, Banner’s struggle mirrored the real-world fear that scientific progress could create something too powerful to contain.
This theme goes all the way back to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, one of the first science fiction stories ever written. Like Dr. Victor Frankenstein, Banner plays with forces beyond his understanding and pays the price for his ambition. The Hulk, much like Frankenstein’s creature, is feared and misunderstood. This then forces him into isolation because society sees him as a monster rather than a victim.
‘The Incredible Hulk’ Was Inspired By Many Classic Monster Movies
Hulk may have been a superhero, but his story was built on the foundation of classic monster cinema. When director Louis Leterrier took on ‘The Incredible Hulk’ in 2008, he saw it as more than just a comic book adaptation. Leterrier’s main motive was to craft a modern monster movie.
“My favorite movies growing up were Frankenstein, the original King Kong, werewolf movies,” Leterrier explained in an interview. “And with the Hulk TV show being so formative, I was just like, ‘Of course! Yes!’ They saw what I couldn’t see. They saw that I was the guy that could do this movie.“
Moreover, the 2008 film borrows heavily from classic monster film tropes. Like Frankenstein, The Hulk is a misunderstood creature who was created by science and hunted by society. All he seeks is peace but he is met with fear and violence. Additionally, the cave scene between Hulk and Betty Ross mirrors King Kong’s relationship with Ann Darrow. Betty sees the humanity in Hulk, just as Ann does with Kong.
Hulk’s transformations are also reminiscent of werewolf mythology. An ordinary man turning into a beast, often against his will, and struggling to control his impulses is textbook werewolf lore. The film even includes a scene inspired by Cloverfield, with shaky-cam cinematography capturing the chaos of the Hulk and Abomination’s destructive rampage.
