The Secret History Of Marvel's Movies Before Iron Man: Part 1

[TMC]

http://io9.com/the-secret-history-of...ium=socialflow

The Incredible Crossover: The Incredible Hulk Returns (1988) And The Trial Of The Incredible Hulk (1989)

Shamed by the abject failure of Howard The Duck, Marvel fled back to television, leading to a series of TV movies that continued the adventures of Lou Ferrigno and Bill Bixby's Incredible Hulk TV series, in an attempt to revive the show adaption of the Hulk following its cancellation seven years prior.

The first movie was considered a huge success for Marvel, which promptly led to the creation of a sequel — which, while warmly met, was not as much of a ratings winner. But the first two Hulk films are remembered for being the first to do two things that have come to define Marvel's movies today. Returns and Trial didn't just feature the Hulk, but crossed over with two other Marvel heroes: Thor in the first movie, and Daredevil in the second (Daredevil's appearance was intended to act as a pilot for a show featuring the character, but the relative disappointment of the second film's performance meant that the character was shelved), marking the first time ever that two of Marvel's characters had teamed up in live action. The other first is much smaller, but by no means unimportant to Marvel fans — after years of consulting on the projects, The Trial of the Incredible Hulk was the first comic book movie to feature a cameo appearance by Stan Lee, a practice that is still going on in Marvel adaptations even today.