10 Superhero Movies That Broke All The Rules

The Incredible Hulk is one of the more deceptively complex superheroes. On the surface he’s a big green brute who speaks in broken English, likes smashing things, and invests in remarkably sturdy shorts, and that’s certainly part of the character.

There’s an innate sadness to Bruce Banner and his vascular alter ego, though, which is probably what drew serious, Oscar winning filmmaker Ang Lee to 2003’s Hulk. Starring Eric Bana as the titular Avenger, Hulk’s plot involved a terse father-son relationship as well as, more notably, a bold discussion of the United States' military industrial complex.

Banner becomes the Hulk after an experiment gone wrong; series villain Major Talbot then takes an interest in harvesting his strength for power and profit. Lee explicitly paints Hulk as a monster, not a hero; while other depictions have shown Banner’s affliction to be a curse, it tends to come across as knockabout fun, and certainly isn’t tied into a criticism of American military power gone unchecked.

Lee’s thoughtful style didn’t win him many fans on the film’s release, and it isn’t flawless by any means, but if you don’t want an Ang Lee take on a superhero, don’t hire Ang Lee for your superhero movie.