Which Hulk Movie is Canon in the "Avengers" World? No Spoilers!

[Ro_Laren]

First of all, I just want to say that I don't want any spoilers in this thread as I haven't seen the Avengers movie yet! I've been a little behind in my movies, but have recently been watching all the Marvel comic movies. I wanted to watch the Avengers, but then I realized that I need to watch Captain America and Thor. So, I just watched those movies, but then I realized that Hulk is in the Avengers movies! However, I know that there was a Hulk movie back in 2003, which starred Eric Bana. I think I watched part of the movie and got bored so I didn't finish it (no spoilers please)! In 2008, the Incredible Hulk was released with Edward Norton playing the Hulk. I didn't see that version 'cause I figured that it would also be boring. Anyways, which Hulk film (if any) is considered canon in the Avengers world? I think it is the 2008 version, but I am not sure. I just want to make sure that I watch the correct version in prep for the Avengers. FYI, I realize that a third actor plays the Hulk in the Avengers!

 

[Bob The Skutter]

The Incredible Hulk, released around the same time as Iron Man 2 is the one you want to be watching. Though they've changed Edward Norton for Mark Ruffalo in Avengers that is the one they use clips from.

 

[od0_ital]

^

The Incredible Hulk was released the same summer as Iron Man, not Iron Man 2.

 

[JarodRussell]

The Incredible Hulk has

Spoiler: some guy

Tony Stark/Robert Downey Jr

in it, so that's the canon one.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

^

The Incredible Hulk was released the same summer as Iron Man, not Iron Man 2.

Ah, right. Misremembered when they came out.

 

[Christopher]

The Incredible Hulk is tied into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in multiple ways, none of which is an Avengers spoiler. For one thing, as mentioned above, Tony appears in the post-credits scene of TIH. For another, in TIH's version of the Hulk's origin story, Banner was experimenting with recreating the WWII supersoldier formula that created Captain America (although the link's a bit subtle). For another, near the end of Iron Man 2 when Tony is being vetted by Nick Fury, we see footage of the college battle sequence from TIH on the SHIELD monitors. (TIH, IM2, and Thor all take place during the same week, in-story. There's a comic miniseries/TPB called Fury's Big Week that shows how it all fits together and what Fury, Widow, and Hawkeye were doing during the events of the earlier films, and how it all builds toward the events of The Avengers, which I think take place about a year later.)

 

[od0_ital]

^

There isn't a post-credits scene for The Incredible Hulk.

 

[Christopher]

^

There isn't a post-credits scene for The Incredible Hulk.

Yes, there is, and you can watch it here. They even did a whole Phil Coulson short film later on, The Consultant, in order to reconcile that post-credits scene with Iron Man 2.

 

[Ayelbourne]

There is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9cByNCQwXA

Edit: Nevermind

 

[Shazam!]

^

There isn't a post-credits scene for The Incredible Hulk.

LOL How can you not know this all these years later?

 

[Turtletrekker]

^ Odo is right. For whatever reason, TIH's stinger was at the end of the movie itself rather than at the end of the credits.

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

From what I understand, the scene with Tony was intended to be a stinger. It feels exactly like one, and is very clearly tacked on to the end. The shot the precedes it is very obviously meant to be the final shot of the film. However, Iron Man was such an unexpected runaway hit, mostly due to Downey's performance. As such, the decision was made to move the credit stinger in The Incredible Hulk to the end of the film and use Downey's presence as Stark as a marketing tool.

 

[Christopher]

So it was a post-credits scene in every sense except for the technicality that it was moved to before the credits.

Well, that's settled. Anyone for shawarma?

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

So it was a post-credits scene in every sense except for the technicality that it was moved to before the credits.

If the scene was before the credits it is not a post-credits scene it's just a scene.

 

[Christopher]

Hence the technicality.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

Hence the technicality.

I wouldn't call it a technicality. Otherwise you can say ANY 2 minute long scene in a movie COULD be an after credits scene if only they put it there.

It's like saying a scene in the movie could be called a deleted scene, except they technically left it in there.

Intentions are one thing, final product is another.

 

[Christopher]

The point is, in intent and substance it's the same type of thing as the other scenes that went after the credits. Probably it would be better to call them all "stingers" as OdoWanKenobi did, so we wouldn't be getting hung up on irrelevancies. And come on, doesn't anybody have a sense of the absurd? I said what I said about a post-credits scene before the credits because it's the kind of silly verbal paradox that Bennett family humor thrives on, yet all I'm getting is literal-minded pedantry in reply. What am I, on Vulcan or something?

 

[Dream]

Watch out! Already multiple spoilers in this topic.

 

[od0_ital]

....What am I, on Vulcan or something?

No, but ya are wrong about The Incredible Hulk havin' a post credit scene and lashin' out at the folks who are correctin' ya ain't exactly the most mature response to have about bein' called out on your mistake.

 

[Christopher]

Huh? I'm talking about having a sense of humor about this, and you say I'm "lashing out?" I'm just trying to have fun here. I would've thought "Who's up for shawarma?" would've been a clue to that.