Marvel Cinematic Universe: Definitive Guide To Easter Eggs, In-Jokes And Foreshadowing
The Incredible Hulk
4. A Package For David B.
In the final scene, Bruce is sent a package from Betty, although because he's still on the run it's not addressed to him. Well, in an in-joke sense, it sort of it; it's addressed to David Banner, the name of the character in the TV series (Bruce wasn't deemed macho enough because it was the seventies).
3. Hes Always Angry
One of the most fan-pleasing moments from The Avengers was Bruce Banner revealing he's "always angry" (i.e. in control of his transformation). While it was something of a surprise in the film, it was heavily alluded to at the end of The Incredible Hulk, where an on the run Banner is seen purposely adjusting his heart-rate. This scene was left somewhat ambiguous, allowing the team-up to either have an in-control Banner as a member or use Hulk as the villain (like the first ever issue), but in the wake of The Avengers it's clearly the former.
2. The Incredible Hulk Cocktail
The Incredible Hulk pays reference to pretty much all parts of the character's iconography - the cartoon, the TV series, "Hulk smash" - but manages to cram one more into the post-credits scene - the cocktail that Ross is necking is actually called an Incredible Hulk. The drink is made from equal parts cognac and Hpnotiq (a fruit liqueur) poured over ice and probably leaves you in just as much control as its namesake.
1. The Consultant
The Incredible Hulk delivered on Iron Man's promise of a crossover quicker than anyone expected. Ross' ironic sorrow drowning is interrupted by Tony Stark, who reveals to the General that he's "putting a team together". This scene makes less sense after the events of Iron Man 2 (which occurs concurrently), where Tony Stark is removed from the Avengers Initiative, but Marvel One-Shot The Consultant explains it; Agents Coulson and Sitwell sent Stark specifically to trick (read: annoy) Ross into keeping Abomination locked up. This isn't actually a post-, or even mid-, credits scene; it comes straight after the end of the film, a relic of an age when audiences would leave straight away and cinema workers could clear up quickly.
