The Hulk has always been a character that's been more about the internal struggle between being civilized and letting out the animal within. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe has consistently given Hulk the time to grow and evolve from that concept, he never had time to really dissect what went on in both the Bruce Banner and Hulk personas. That said, while The Incredible Hulk was an honest attempt at exploring his struggle, Ang Lee's Hulk was solely focused on this idea.
Hulk was a story that, upon release, was wildly misunderstood as another superhero follow-up to Sam Raimi's Spider-Man. While the action was present in the movie, it was more about the mental conflict that Bruce dealt with following the trauma he experienced at the hands of his father. This trauma took the form of Hulk and turned a classic Marvel hero into a psychological character study. That said, part of the disconnect that was present between the movie and the audience came from its teaser trailer, which introduced a much scarier movie.
What Happened in Hulk's Teaser?
The first teaser trailer for Hulk opened with a house in a suburban neighborhood and Bruce, in a towel, looking at himself in the mirror. As the steam rose from his sink, his reflection showed a man terrified by something as a voiceover of Bruce explained the dangers of losing control and how, when that moment happened, he liked it. At that instant, a shot of Bruce's shut-eye opened, and he turned into Hulk, punching a hole through his house. Though the trailer didn't properly capture the tone of the movie, it did set up the tension that was present from beginning to end.
The music from the start gave the scene an eerie feeling to those that were unaware of the movie's production, as it made the teaser seem like it was setting up a horror movie. As such, tension was already on the rise thanks to the voiceover by Bruce, explaining what happened when he lost control. The teaser's tension built up so much that it reached a fever pitch where, in less than a minute, the audience was begging for a release. Then, when Bruce became the Hulk, it allowed viewers to feel that same release and simultaneously understand why he liked the freedom.
Hulk's Teaser Turned the Hero Into a Monster
The inspiration for The Incredible Hulk was a mixture of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Frankenstein's Monster, and the teaser trailer for Hulk proved this. Audiences witnessed how an unassuming man could embrace the change into a being of sheer power and be both terrified and compelled by it, just as Dr. Jekyll was. However, the fear also showed how, like being a werewolf, there was a high degree of fear in the monster that would be born from his change.
As Bruce endured this conflict in the short teaser, audiences saw this, much like a person awaiting the change in a full moon. In fact, the teaser felt more like a short horror movie than an announcement. Furthermore, the hesitation in Bruce's eyes could be seen as he pushed back the transformation, but eventually, he gave in. With the character's struggle juxtaposed with the peaceful setting of his house, it created a strange and unsettling environment that made for a perfect teaser trailer for an otherwise misunderstood comic book movie.