The Incredible Hulk Director Confirms “Longer, Darker Cut” With More Captain America Than We Thought
Eighteen years later, The Incredible Hulk director Louis Leterrier reveals the scale of the cuts to his movie. It’s easy to forget that, back in 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was seen as a gamble. That’s one reason Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk are so different in tone and style; Marvel bosses weren’t quite sure what would work. Director Louis Leterrier’s original version was heavily edited, although many cuts have slipped out through deleted scenes and in the novelization.
Speaking to Collider, Leterrier confirmed the scale of the cuts. “There’s a darker cut,” he said. “Longer, obviously. It’s not an hour, but it’s very interesting because The Incredible Hulk was the first movie sort of starting the MCU. So there were all these ideas that started many of the stories you’re following now, and that was in The Incredible Hulk.” According to Leterrier, he shot scenes set in the North Pole featuring both Tony Stark and Captain America. “It was a little ahead of its time, so we didn’t do it. But Captain America was in it. Tony Stark was in it — he’s still in it. And the opening was actually quite interesting. It was set in the North Pole. It was cool. A little too dark.”
What Do We Know About The Incredible Hulk’s Opening?
We’ve seen versions of The Incredible Hulk‘s opening scene, revealed through MCU deleted scenes. In this, Bruce Banner attempts to take his own life – a scene alluded to in The Avengers, where a recast Bruce Banner says, “I put a bullet in my mouth and the other guy spat it out.” In this original version, Banner turned into the Hulk and tore off a chunk of the Greenland ice cap. He unwittingly uncovered the shield of Captain America… and his body. Yes, The Incredible Hulk originally featured some of the most direct Steve Rogers setup imaginable.
In truth, though, there’s already a straight narrative line between Captain America and the Hulk. Steve Rogers was officially the world’s first super-soldier, and he inspired countless attempts to create more of his kind; the novelization provides more detail on the various programs Thunderbolt Ross signed off on ahead of the Gamma testing, all with the goal of making more Captains America. Marvel has since woven many of these ideas into the mainstream continuity, notably in The Falcon & the Winter Soldier.
But, as Collider note, Leterrier seems to be alluding to a lot more than just the deleted scene we’ve seen. He’s suggesting an actual deleted scene featuring Tony Stark and Captain America, a staggering idea that would have changed the MCU so much; my bet is that it’s an alternate version of The Incredible Hulk‘s post-credits scene, spinning out of the opening. In the official post-credits scene, Tony Stark approaches Ross in what was clearly setup for an Avengers versus Thunderbolts plot (Marvel pivoted). It’s possible the first version saw Stark begin to put together his team, recruiting Captain America as his first ally against the Hulk.
That’s just a theory, of course. Sadly, given Marvel like to control the flow of information, the odds are high that we’ve seen all The Incredible Hulk deleted scenes we’re ever going to. Unless Marvel fans start a vocal campaign to #ReleaseTheLeterrierCut, these kind of comments – oblique teasers and gentle nods – are all we’re ever likely to get. This will remain one of the MCU’s true “what if” stories, an alternate world where The Incredible Hulk sent the MCU down a very different path indeed.
