The Incredible Hulk 1996 3-Disc Box Set DVD

The Incredible Hulk 1996 is the UPN animated series that brought Bruce Banner and his green alter ego to television in a serialized format that pushed harder into the character's comic mythology than previous adaptations. The show ran on UPN starting in 1996 with later runs on Toon Disney, and the format pairs the standard Hulk-versus-trouble premise with deeper attention to Banner's relationships and the broader Marvel universe. The series ran across two seasons before its conclusion, with the second season retitled and partially restructured into a Hulk-and-She-Hulk format.

What makes the series distinct is its commitment to the longer-arc storytelling Marvel animated shows of the period were starting to attempt. "Darkness And Light" runs as a three-part Season 1 finale that pulls the show's mythology together into a single extended storyline. "Innocent Blood" handles weighty character material. "Helping Hand, Iron Fist" pulls Iron Fist into the show's universe for a crossover. The Season 2 transition into a different format meant the run ended on an unusual structural note, but the show's commitment to ambitious arcs across both seasons gave it a register few previous Hulk adaptations had attempted.

For its era, the show represents the mid-1990s wave of Marvel animation that built on the success of X-Men and Spider-Man on Fox Kids. UPN was building its programming lineup during the period, and the Hulk series gave the network one of its more ambitious animated entries. The show held its slot through both seasons before the conclusion.

The strongest entries pull the show's bigger ideas together. "Return Of The Beast" launches the series with the establishing premise. "Doomed" pulls Doctor Doom into the show's continuity. "Fantastic Fortitude" delivers a Fantastic Four crossover. "And The Wind Cries...Wendigo!" runs a horror-influenced premise. "Darkness And Light" closes Season 1 across three parts. "A Hulk Of A Different Color" launches Season 2 with the format shift. "Mission Incredible" closes the run. All 21 episodes across 3 DVDs collect both seasons, every Banner storyline, every Hulk transformation, in one box.