# In the TV and movie versions, why can't the Incredible Hulk talk? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 30, 2006, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-tv-and-movie-versions-why-cant-the-incredible-hulk-talk/362779 "2006-06-30T17:55:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-tv-and-movie-versions-why-cant-the-incredible-hulk-talk/362779/1 "2006-06-30T17:55:56Z")
In the Marvel Comics universe, the Incredible Hulk is **stupid,** but not **mindless.** He is at least capable of speaking English (in short, simple, ungrammatical sentences). But in the [1970s TV series](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Incredible_Hulk_%28TV_series%29) and the [2003 film,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hulk_%28film%29) the Hulk is a speechless, roaring berserker with no more mind than a rabid dog. Why did they make that change? Any theories? ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-tv-and-movie-versions-why-cant-the-incredible-hulk-talk/362779/2 "2006-06-30T18:14:02Z")
I don’t know about the movie, but in the series, it might have had something to do with Lou Ferrigno being hearing-impaired. He can speak quite well, but his pronunciation is noticeably a bit “off”. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-tv-and-movie-versions-why-cant-the-incredible-hulk-talk/362779/3 "2006-06-30T18:14:57Z")
More dramatic. Actually, in some versions (notably Peter David’s), the Hulk had Bruce Banner’s intelligence and could speak perfectly well. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-tv-and-movie-versions-why-cant-the-incredible-hulk-talk/362779/4 "2006-06-30T18:58:42Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > More dramatic. Is it? Moron Hulk has a lot more potential for character development than Animal Hulk. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-tv-and-movie-versions-why-cant-the-incredible-hulk-talk/362779/5 "2006-06-30T19:03:53Z")
I think there’s a problem with how the Hulk is going to…sound. His voice isn’t a problem in the comics. But in a movie, if he talks like a baby he’s not gonna sound right. “Hulk smash Rock-Man! Why won’t Rock-Man leave Hulk alone? Hulk is strongest one there is!” looks OK in a comic book…but where are you going to find a voice actor who can sell that dialog believably? And in movies you can show Hulk’s emotions and thoughts by showing his facial expression. Better to just have Hulk growl and start smashing than to have him yell “Hulk smash!” ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-tv-and-movie-versions-why-cant-the-incredible-hulk-talk/362779/6 "2006-06-30T19:04:28Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Is it? Moron Hulk has a lot more potential for character development than Animal Hulk. True, but in the movie, there’s no time for it in a 2-hour movie. It was simpler just to portray the Hulk as an elemental force of raging fury, with the occasional quiet moment so as to avoid turning the girlfriend into goo. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-tv-and-movie-versions-why-cant-the-incredible-hulk-talk/362779/7 "2006-06-30T19:04:37Z")
I just don’t think any actor could pull off Hulk’s comic book lines without sending an audience into unintended convulsions of laughter. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-tv-and-movie-versions-why-cant-the-incredible-hulk-talk/362779/8 "2006-06-30T19:05:44Z")
**HULK … _SHY!!!_** ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-tv-and-movie-versions-why-cant-the-incredible-hulk-talk/362779/9 "2006-06-30T19:26:02Z")
> [@h.sapiens](#): > > I don’t know about the movie, but in the series, it might have had something to do with Lou Ferrigno being hearing-impaired. He can speak quite well, but his pronunciation is noticeably a bit “off”. He’s sounded perfectly fine in the documentaries I’ve seen him in, as well as in _King of Queens_. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-tv-and-movie-versions-why-cant-the-incredible-hulk-talk/362779/10 "2006-06-30T19:26:16Z")
The Hulk has talked in various animated shows, though, and he gets one (albeit dream-sequence) line (“Puny Human!”) in the Bana movie. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-tv-and-movie-versions-why-cant-the-incredible-hulk-talk/362779/11 "2006-06-30T19:37:20Z")
Well, he _did_ speak, once, sorta kinda, in the Ang Lee movie. In Bruce’s head. Remember? “Puny human.” But if Hulk had been talking through the rest of the movie in that voice, it would have seemed, to me at least, pretty ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-tv-and-movie-versions-why-cant-the-incredible-hulk-talk/362779/12 "2006-06-30T19:43:21Z")
> [@h.sapiens](#): > > I don’t know about the movie, but in the series, it might have had something to do with Lou Ferrigno being hearing-impaired. He can speak quite well, but his pronunciation is noticeably a bit “off”. Note that Ferrigno provided the voice of the Hulk in one of the [animated Hulk series](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115215/) (as well as uncredited voice cameos in two other Marvel animated series). ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-tv-and-movie-versions-why-cant-the-incredible-hulk-talk/362779/13 "2006-06-30T19:44:56Z")
An episode of _The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron_ had Jimmy and the gang exposed to some agent that gave them all super powers. Jimmy’s super power was that he turned into the Hulk (well, essentially, except he was orange). He was big, he was dumb, and he talked like Jimmy Neutron reading Hulk’s lines from the comic books. Would have been _great_ had that voice been used in the movie. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-tv-and-movie-versions-why-cant-the-incredible-hulk-talk/362779/14 "2006-06-30T20:12:14Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > His voice isn’t a problem in the comics. But in a movie, if he talks like a baby he’s not gonna sound right. “Hulk smash Rock-Man! Why won’t Rock-Man leave Hulk alone? Hulk is strongest one there is!” looks OK in a comic book…but where are you going to find a voice actor who can sell that dialog believably? [Where indeed?](http://snltranscripts.jt.org/89/89lsi.phtml)🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-tv-and-movie-versions-why-cant-the-incredible-hulk-talk/362779/15 "2006-06-30T21:14:53Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > [Where indeed?](http://snltranscripts.jt.org/89/89lsi.phtml)🙂 Funny you should bring that up because SNL also did a [“Superman’s Funeral”](http://snltranscripts.jt.org/92/92gsuperman.phtml) sketch: Hulk [Chris Farley]: I… I wish I… Hulk not good with words. Hulk write it down. [takes out sheet of paper, puts on reading glasses] “Superman was that rarest of things. Every superhero owes him a debt of gratitude and homage. His life was a super-human expression of the noblest asperations of man. And, in death, he has become the ideal. Of my friend Superman, I can only say this: he was… my… hero!” [removes glasses, near tears] I… Hulk… just… Hulk… Hulk just not the same! [smashes podium to bits] Enough said. ---
**Author:** ![ululate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/59ef9b/32.png) [@ululate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ululate)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-tv-and-movie-versions-why-cant-the-incredible-hulk-talk/362779/16 "2006-06-30T23:59:51Z")
> [@spoke-](#): > > I just don’t think any actor could pull off Hulk’s comic book lines without sending an audience into unintended convulsions of laughter. Vin Diesel, circa **Iron Giant**? ---
**Author:** ![Swede\_Hollow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@Swede\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swede_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2006, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-tv-and-movie-versions-why-cant-the-incredible-hulk-talk/362779/17 "2006-07-01T22:13:28Z")
[del]Mongo[/del] Hulk only pawn in game of life.