3. The Hulk Speaks, Give Him Something To Say
You know, the first time I went to the Avengers and the Hulk spoke I didnt hear him. Everybody was laughing so loud after watching his attempt at deicide that I didnt catch the words. The second time, I heard him and thought what he said was comprehensible, made sense and it showed that one more step towards bringing the comic book Hulk to the big screen had taken place. You see, the Hulk talks in the comics, quite a bit. Not just babble about smashing this or that, either. In Planet Hulk he gets quite philosophical about things as he takes sides in the civil war on Sakaar. He also lectures other characters on their morals and even goes all Casanova, wooing a member of the opposite sex. However, a talking Hulk is a big problem for Hollywood because in the end of the day, he is associated by the wider public as being a misunderstood monster, like Frankenstein. Indeed, Frankenstein was an inspiration for the Hulk as was Mr Hyde and neither are known for their great oratory skills. Furthermore, most people find it odd to waste screen time on the Hulk talking tactics with Captain America when his human alter ego has the mental capacity to talk quantum physics with Tony Stark. To this problem Planet Hulk has the solution. Firstly, on a planet of talking monsters, whats one more? The Hulk talking and fighting alongside a humanoid insect and a giant made out of stone doesnt actually look as out of place as the Hulk trying to converse with Hawkeye or Betty. Secondly, the original Planet Hulk comic deals with the issue of communication at the beginning when the Hulk is shot and infected by a talkbot, which allows him to understand and be understood by the inhabitants of Sakaar. A little bit of exposition at the beginning of the movie will soon explain how the Hulk understands and is understood by all. No, the Hulk needs to speak to be the Hulk, to be the hero he is in the comics and to show to the wider public that he has the ability to be more than the 2D personality he has so far been portrayed as. Some may say it is ridiculous and people would not watch a film about monsters and aliens battling on a foreign planet, even more so if it contains a love story between two motion captured actors. Well, Avatar did something similar and it did alright at the box office. If Planet Hulk only grosses a third of that total it would still be a massive hit. A cartoon version of Planet Hulk was already released and it did ok business with kids. For me, the only heart wrenching problem would be the fact that you dont sign on a leading actor like Mark Ruffalo so that Lou Ferrigno does all his talking as the Hulk, and I suspect that Lou's services would be the first to be let go if Planet Hulk was green lit. Sad, but necessary.