The Incredible Hulk. One of the most popular comic book characters of all time. Even being one of the main members of The Avengers, this character is very well known. What’s less well known, however, is the inspiration behind this green juggernaut.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. A novel originally published in 1886 highlights the strange relationship between these two seemingly opposing characters. Throughout the course of the novel it is revealed that these two characters are actually one in the same. Dr. Jekyll developed a serum that brought forth the darkest parts of his psyche in physical form. At first, both forms are only accessible via the serum, but eventually the doctor begins to involuntarily transform into Hyde. This forces Hyde to consume ever increasing amounts of serum to revert back to Jekyll. Eventually, he runs out of the necessary ingredients in order to revert back into Hyde. His close friend and confidant Utterson learns all of this from a letter written by Jekyll after finding a dead Hyde in Jekyll’s clothes and reveals the truth about himself.
The Incredible Hulk #1 published in 1962 is the first appearance of the Hulk. Bruce Banner is exposed to gamma rays while saving his friend’s life. This exposure gives birth to the Hulk, the darkest parts of Banner’s psyche brought forth. This new monstrous form is brought forth through his emotions. The Hulk’s power is only limited by his rage, growing ever more powerful at a seemingly endless rate. Banner struggles to keep his emotions in check in order to prevent the Hulk from getting loose and going on a rampage.
Both characters heavily focus on the duality between the forms. The intelligence of Hyde and Banner. Then the savageness of Hyde and Hulk ;both contrast their alter egos. The stories even follow similar routes, with teh monstrous counterpart becoming wanted “men ”. The Hulk plays off of the ideas introduced in this short novel and evolves upon them.
The inspiration behind the character becomes more apparent depending on the version of the Hulk you’re talking about.
The Maestro plays on the idea expressed at the end of Jekyll and Hyde. That being the elimination of Jekyll. The Maestro has all of the intelligence of Banner, as well as the cruelty of the Hulk. Truly a twisted combination of the two.
Planet Hulk sees Banner’s psyche disappear leaving only the Hulk. The Avengers, believing him to be too great a threat to the Earth, launch him towards an uninhabited planet. Hulk, however, when he wakes destroys the ship and it jettisons him to the planet of Sakaar. After being enslaved he frees himself and leads a successful coup and becomes the new king of Sakaar. This Hulk becomes a loving man, having a wife and child without bearing the stigma that the Hulk carried on earth. Almost a hopeful look at what could’ve happened in the book.
The most popular modern interpretations of the character draw more heavily upon the story of Jekyll and Hyde. Interestingly the same happens in reverse with the modern versions of Jekyll and Hyde.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is an Avengers style movie featuring many famous characters of 18th century literature. This includes characters such as Dorian Gray and Captain Nemo. Jekyll and Hyde are also heavily featured in this film. This version of the character has the two forms with completely different personalities. Jekyll is meek and timid, and Hyde is a brute who desperately wants to escape from the prison known as Jekyll. This character arc of trying to repress, then eventually accepting his other half is a very common theme in Hulk stories. Even the MCU does a version of this.
Another modern interpretation of the good doctor and his monstrous other half pulls heavily from the comics. Van Helsing featuring Hugh Jackman. Hyde is monstrous brute indiscriminately murdering, having fled from England, and started his murder spree anew in France. Hyde effortlessly leaps across buildings and climbs with astounding speed. He even shrugs off the many cuts Helsing inflicts upon him until he injects him with the serum to trigger the transformation back to Jekyll.
The modernization of Jekyll and Hyde seem to draw upon the idea that Jekyll isn’t a monster. That Hyde is misunderstood. While this does create a more interesting character, it makes it pull away from the original ideas of the novel.
The Incredible Hulk and Jekyll and Hyde. One character who inspired the creation of the other. Though in modern day the Hulk’s influence is clear in the media that features both characters.
