YMMV / The Incredible Hulk (1996)

• Awesome Music: The theme is honestly one of the best themes for the character, given how it evokes the drama, the rage and the darkness that is the Hulk.
• Base-Breaking Character: She-Hulk has been criticized for being oversexualized and being part of the show's overhaul into a Lighter and Softer tone. However, some like her for being a fun, sexy character and bringing some levity to the show.
• Best Known for the Fanservice: This show's version of She-Hulk. Season 2 has this reputation due to her becoming a series regular during that time.
• Complete Monster: "Mind Over Anti-Matter": The unnamed alien entity was a powerful and boisterous being that searched for new realms to conquer and destroy. Setting its sights upon Earth, the entity fought Doctor Strange amongst the ruins of the last world it laid waste to. After overpowering Strange, the being searched for a host body strong enough to contain its raw power. It found one in Bruce Banner and proceeded to take over his body and wreak havoc on his subconscious. It transformed Bruce into the Dark Hulk and went on a rampage across Manhattan, attacking anyone who stood in its way. The Dark Hulk invaded a military base and armed a nuclear warhead to destroy the island of Manhattan. With a rap sheet spanning centuries, the alien entity's only goal was to have as much fun as possible while turning new worlds into lifeless husks.
• He Really Can Act: After spending three seasons of The Incredible Hulk as a suit actor, Lou Ferrigno shows that he’s just as good at vocalising the Hulk as he is at portraying him physically.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • Possible copyright disputes led to SHIELD in this series being represented not by Nick Fury, but one of his old comrades from the Howling Commandos, Gabe Jones (audiences in The New '10s will know him as the black dude in Captain America: The First Avenger). This was well before Ultimate Marvel really did turn Nick Fury into a black guy. And just to seal the deal, this Gabe Jones had a full head of hair with white streaks, which was precisely how black Nick Fury appeared in The Super Hero Squad Show, Wolverine and the X-Men (2009), Iron Man: Armored Adventures, and Season One of The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
  • The episode "Mind Over Anti-Matter" provides two examples.
    • In Bruce's fantasies, one of the alternate versions of Bruce Banner appears to be Spider-Man with inverted colors. Years after this show came to an end, there was a Marvel Comics miniseries called Bullet Points, which depicted a Marvel Universe that was drastically different because of Professor Erskine being shot before he could create the super soldier formula and that same bullet killing a young Ben Parker. Among the differences from the regular Marvel Universe mainly focused on are that Peter Parker becomes the Hulk and Bruce Banner becomes Spider-Man rather than the other way around.
    • One of the names She-Hulk mistakenly calls Doctor Strange is Doctor Peculiar. Doc Peculiar would later be the name used for the Alternate Company Equivalent of Doctor Strange that appears in The Boys.
  • A lot of the imagery from the intro is eerily prophetic of the nightmarish imagery dominant in Immortal Hulk.
  • In "Return of the Beast Part 2," Bruce at one point says "Man of Steel I am not." He may not be, but Bruce's voice actor would go on fight him later as Green Arrow.
  • The Villain of the Week in "They Call Me Mr. Fix-It" is a female crime boss named Allure who has platinum blonde hair and is voiced by Jennifer Hale who also voiced the similarly white-haired Felicia Hardy in Spider-Man: The Animated Series. Fast forward to the 2010s where the comic version of the Black Cat takes a stab at being a crime lord herself for some time.
• Magnificent Bastard: Dr. Doom appears, see Fantastic Four for details.
• Nightmare Fuel: Loaded with it! Even in the Season 2 finale, the Monster of the Week was really freaky.
• Platonic Writing, Romantic Reading: Both of She-Hulk's voice actresses have a tendency to make her sound like she's in a state of perpetual arousal. This can lead to awkward moments where her dialogue with Bruce sounds like she is flirting with her cousin. She-Hulk's first episode appearance is especially notable as she refers to him as "baby" when trying to snap him out of Doom's control. The same episode also has Bruce refer to Jen as his soul mate.
• Seasonal Rot: Season 2 non-stop. Excessive Executive Meddling saw many production members replaced with more like-minded personnel, a Lighter and Softer tone, fewer story arcs, worse art and animation (despite it still being the same animation studio) and She-Hulk added as a regular (at the expense of Rick Jones, no less).
• Signature Scene: The climax of "Innocent Blood," where Betty and Rick reluctantly and tearfully launch into "The Reason You Suck" Speech at the Hulk about how he's ruined their lives in order to keep him upset enough so he does not revert back to Banner and die from a poison.
• Tear Dryer: The ending of "Mortal Bounds" seems like it's going to be a Downer Ending, as the antidote to the virus won't be ready in time to save a dying Betty. Then Gargoyle arrives and gives Bruce the last of the antidote they had created earlier, which saves Betty's life.
• What Do You Mean, It's for Kids?: The first season. The themes of each episode is dark; darker than the live action series, and that's saying something.
  • The second season arguably counts as well. While it is Lighter and Softer than the first season, the emphasis on She-Hulk's sex appeal is quite a lot for a show aimed at kids.

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