The Incredible Hulk is one of Marvel Comics' most popular superheroes. Created in 1962 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the Hulk is a green-skinned brute with enormous physical strength, dull wits, and a hot temper. He is the alter-ego of Dr. Bruce Banner, a nuclear physicist accidentally exposed to gamma radiation. Banner transforms into the Hulk during times of stress.

Along with Spider-Man, the Hulk established Marvel's definitive formula of troubled superheroes alienated from the society that they fight to protect. Constantly misunderstood by the public and persecuted by the authorities, the Hulk became a natural favorite among young people during the 1960s and 1970s who identified themselves with anti-establishment trends.

The Hulk's popularity peaked in the late 1970s when his comic book was adapted into a successful prime-time CBS TV series. Despite frequent revisions in the Hulk's appearance and character during the 1980s and 1990s, he remains one of the most recognizable superheroes ever produced by the comic-book industry.

Further Reading:

Daniels, Les. Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World's Greatest Comics. New York, Harry N. Abrams, 1991.

Lee, Stan. Origins of Marvel Comics. New York, Simon and Schuster, 1974.