Where to watch The Incredible Hulk? In the US the 2008 film streams on Disney Plus, and in story order it sits after Iron Man 2 and before Thor, with its plot set in 2011. No earlier film is required, and you can safely skip it if time is tight, though its villains and General Ross come back in later titles.
In the US, it is on Disney Plus with the rest of Phase 1, so you can run straight from Iron Man to The Avengers without switching apps. Outside the US, availability varies by country; the watch box on this page lists the services we track for your region.
One thing that sometimes confuses people searching for it: the Hulk character appears in many films, but this is his only solo MCU movie. Later Hulk stories play out inside the Avengers films and Thor: Ragnarok.
In release order it arrived in 2008, only weeks after the original Iron Man. In chronological order it moves later, between Iron Man 2 and Thor, because events from those films overlap in the same stretch of time. Either approach works, and neither changes how the story plays.
| Watching by | Right before | Right after |
|---|---|---|
| Story order | Iron Man 2 | Thor |
| Release order | Iron Man | Iron Man 2 |
You do not need to watch anything first. The film skips Bruce Banner's origin almost entirely, covering the lab accident in a fast opening montage, and starts with him already in hiding. For every early film in sequence, our Marvel Phase 1 in order guide lists the run from Iron Man to the first team-up.
Bruce Banner is living quietly in Brazil, working in a bottling plant, practicing breathing exercises and trading coded messages with an anonymous scientist who might help him find a cure. He watches his pulse constantly, because he knows what happens if it climbs.
A single drop of blood puts General Thaddeus Ross back on his trail. Ross wants the Hulk as a weapon, and he brings in Emil Blonsky, a soldier hungry for one more fight, to help catch him. Banner's search for a cure leads him back to the US and to Betty Ross, the general's daughter and the woman he left behind. At heart it is a chase movie, with a final showdown on the streets of Harlem.
What makes it interesting now is how different it feels from later MCU films. There is less banter, more paranoia, and a hero who mostly wants to be left alone.
We rate it optional. The role of Bruce Banner was recast for The Avengers, the tone sits apart from later films, and very little of its plot is referenced directly by the bigger saga. Many first-time viewers skip it and lose nothing important.
That said, it pays off in unexpected places. General Ross returns across the MCU, from Captain America: Civil War onward. Blonsky comes back in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and plays a big part in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and both Samuel Sterns and Betty Ross reappear in Captain America: Brave New World. If you plan to watch those titles, this film gives you the backstory. Our Hulk (Bruce Banner) page tracks every appearance of the character in order.
Here is the short answer: there is no scene after the credits. What people usually mean is the final scene before the credits roll, set in a bar, where a familiar face from Iron Man drops by to talk to General Ross about a team being put together. It was one of the earliest signs that these films would share a universe, so do not switch off at the last fight.
Louis Leterrier directs. Edward Norton plays Bruce Banner as a hunted, private man rather than a hero. Liv Tyler is Betty Ross, William Hurt plays General Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross, and Tim Roth is Emil Blonsky, whose experiments with super soldier serum turn him into the Abomination. Tim Blake Nelson plays Samuel Sterns, the scientist on the other end of Banner's messages, and Ty Burrell appears as Leonard, Betty's skeptical boyfriend.
The Incredible Hulk runs 114 minutes, under two hours, which makes it one of the easier Phase 1 films to fit into a weeknight. If you are watching the whole saga, our Infinity Saga in order guide shows where it lands across all three phases, and the marathon plan builds a schedule around it.
In the US, The Incredible Hulk streams on Disney Plus. In other countries availability varies, so check the watch box on this page. It runs 114 minutes, so it fits easily into a single evening.
No, it has no scene after the credits. The final scene before the credits, featuring a familiar face from Iron Man, is the one that connects it to the wider MCU.
No. The film recaps Bruce Banner's accident in its opening credits and starts with him already on the run. Iron Man is the only MCU film released before it, and it is not required here.
Bruce Banner hides in Brazil while searching for a cure for the Hulk. General Ross tracks him down and recruits the soldier Emil Blonsky to capture him, which leads to Blonsky becoming the Abomination.
Yes, it is optional for the main storyline. Watch it if you plan to see She-Hulk: Attorney at Law or Captain America: Brave New World, since characters from this film return in both.
The story is set in 2011. On our timeline it comes after Iron Man 2 and before Thor, even though it was released much earlier than Iron Man 2.
Edward Norton played Banner in The Incredible Hulk, and the role was recast for The Avengers. The character's story continues, so you can treat it as the same Bruce Banner.
Yes, it is the second MCU film and part of Phase 1. Its links to the rest of the universe are lighter than most, but General Ross, Blonsky and Betty Ross all return in later titles.
The Incredible Hulk is one of the most common skips, since later films rarely depend on it. For a shorter route, keep the Avengers films and the solo titles that set them up, and treat this one as a bonus.
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