The Indestructible Hulk (TV series)

The Indestructible Hulk is an American television series created by Guillermo del Toro & Michael Taylor for the streaming services Disney+ and Peacock, based on Marvel Comics featuring the character of the same name. It is the 15th television series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe produce by Marvel Studies, under Marvel Television Label, along with being co-produced by IMAX Entertainment, Universal Studios, and Jim Henson Company. The series shares the same continuity as the films of the franchise with Del Toro and Taylor serving as showrunners for the first season.
Mark Ruffalo reprise his role as Bruce Banner/Hulk along Liv Taylor who reprise her role as Betty Ross. Other starring roles include Tim Blake Nelson, Lizzy Caplan, Naveen William Sidney Andrews, Hari Nef, Ramy Youssef, Anya Banerjee, Ashley Edner, Doug Jones. The series started development during early 2027. Guillermo del Toro directed and co-wrote the pilot film and the season finale with co-showrunner Michael Taylor. 
The feature length pilot movie for the series is set to premiere in theaters for summer 2028 and the series is set to premiere on streaming for September 2028. 
== Premise ==
Following the events Avengers: Secret Wars, Bruce Banner and Betty Rose join peacekeeping under S.H.I.E.L.D with Banner solving the world's problems as a scientist and taking down S.H.I.E.L. D's threats as Hulk. Banner must learn to once again to balance the man and the monster as he confronts Gamma Radiation-related threats which may have dire consequences for himself and the people around him. 
== Cast and Characters ==
=== Main ===
Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Smart Hulk- is head of the peacekeeping division of S.H.I.E.L.D. Del Toro and Taylor stated that Banner character will gradually change to being sympathetic and heroic figure to being a more morally complex, tragic anti-hero. Taylor cites Walter White from Breaking Bad and Victor Frankenstein from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus as inspiration for Banner's character arc in the series. Taylor also cites the work of Peter David, Al Ewing, Greg Pak, and Mark Waid as inspiration for Banner/Hulk's characterization. 
Liv Taylor as Betty Ross- is a kind and intelligent scientist and the daughter of Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross for which she has a complicated relationship. Liv Taylor stated that in the series she will be torn between her benevolent goals and her own self-serving ambitions. She also confirmed that Betty will be a friend and love interest to Bruce Banner as the two will gradually rekindle their romantic relationships throughout the series (as they will go from friends to lovers). Del Toro confirmed that she will later become Red She-Hulk. 
Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns / Leader
Lizzy Caplan as S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Claire Weiss
Naveen William Sidney Andrews as Daman Veteri
Hari Nef as Charlene McGowan 
Ramy Youssef as Randall Jessup
Anya Banerjee as Melinda Leucenstern 
Ashley Edner as Patricia Wolman 
Doug Jones as the voice of R.O.B. 
=== Recurring ===
Ty Burrell as Leonard Samson
Sonequa Martin-Green as Jacqueline McGee
Mark Duplass as Brian Banner/Devil Hulk-is a late nuclear scientist and the father of Bruce Banner. Taylor claimed that Brian Banner would be a more complex and well-rounded character than his comic book incarnation. Taylor also likens this version of Brian Banner to Jack Torrance from Stephen King's original Shining novel as opposed to Jack Nicholson interpretation from Kubrick's film. 
Finn Wolfhard as Rick Jones
Sadie Sink as Marlo Chandler-is a deeply troubled and reckless young woman. She is the daughter of Betty Ross' former colleague and late best friend. 
Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis
Randall Park as Jimmy Woo
Logan Kim as Amadeus Cho
Aasif Mandvi Read as Romesh Dalton
Kevin Durand as Walter Langkowski/ Sasquatch
Mark Strong as Carl "Crusher" Creel/Absorbing Man
Jack Alcott as Skaar-is the son of Hulk and Caiera. He has been exiled from the planet Sakaar as Banner helps him control his power and adapt to live on Earth. 
Walter Goggins as Father Jason McCall/Soul Man 
Tony Cox as Eugene Judd/Puck 
James Remar as Commander Henry Gyrich
Laz Alonso as General Reginald James Fortean
Nick Robinson as Louis Lembert/Hotshot
Ella Anderson as Jess Harrison/Jailbait
John Hoogenakker as Glenn Talbot
=== Guest ===
Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk
Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky / Abomination
Harrison Ford as Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross / Red Hulk:
Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine
Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova
Olivia Colman as Sonya Falsworth
Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos 
Angelina Jolie as Thena 
Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America
Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye
Chris Hemsworth as Thor
Jameela Jamil as Mary MacPherran/Titania
Benedict Wong as Wong
Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange
Brie Larson as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel
Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury
Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock / Daredevil
== Production ==
=== Development ===
During early 2010s, Guillermo del Toro was in talks with Marvel Studios to develop a Hulk series for the ABC network. However, the series never went into production due to inability to find a writer and creative differences with the studio. In 2024 Kevin Feige renewed conversations with Del Toro in talks of either doing a standalone Hulk movie or series. After several meetings with Feige, Del Toro decided that a Hulk series would be the better option, but budget) for the series was the biggest obstacle of getting series greenlight by Disney. News of the possible development of series was leaked by an anonymous hacker in which talks of a Hulk series was shown through an email between actor Mark Ruffalo, Feige and Del Toro. 
According to scooper from Variety, the leaked email led to a fan campaign for Hulk series which lead Disney to fast track the series to production. In late 2024, Disney began talks with IMAX Entertainment to help co-finance the series as they did with Marvel Inhumans. Disney was also in talks with Universal Studios of co-producing/financing the series as they wanted to show some episodes in theaters as Universal had the rights of theatrical distribution. The Jim Henson Company was later brought in by Del Toro as a co-producer of the series and to support the massive budget of the series. As series began early development, Del Toro wrote the series bible with Michael Taylor (writer from Pantheon and Battlestar Galactica) who Del Toro chose as his co-showrunner and Kevin Feige acting as an advisor. Marvel veteran writer Eric Pearson served as creative consultant throughout the entire production. 
Marvel Studios Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, and Mary Livanos serve as executive producers of the series along with Del Toro and Taylor. Rebecca Kirsch, Elizabeth Ann Phang, Mark Verheiden, Bradley Thompson, David Weddle, will serve as co-executive producers along with Matthew Orton and Ryan Mottesheard as supervising producers. 
=== Writing ===
Del Toro stated that the series will not be a direct adaptation of any single comic or era but would rather draw influence from various stories and comic book runs to tell an original and narratively cohesive story with a unique style and tone developed by Del Toro and Taylor. The series will draw particular inspiration from Al Ewing's Immortal Hulk, including characters, style, tone, themes and certain story elements. Other influences for the series will incorporate Peter David's entire Hulk run, Greg Pak five year run of the Hulk, The Incredible Hulks by Greg Pak and Jeff Parker, Bill Mantlo's Incredible Hulk comic book run, Hulk: Gray by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, Mark Waid's Indestructible Hulk, the early comics from Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and Ultimate Marvel Hulk. Del Tor and Taylor also cited Barry Windsor-Smith's Monsters as inspiration for the series as Windsor's-Smith work was used as comic book-inspiration for Banner's backstory. Del Toro and Taylor claimed that the series will take some creative liberties with the source material while staying as true to the spirit of the comics as possible. 
During a 2026 interview, Del Toro said that Hulk series will be much darker, more serious, more mature, more cerebral and melancholier than previous Marvel installments. However, he also stated that the series will still retain comedic elements that is reminiscent of Thor: Ragnarok, Peter David's Hulk run, along with having elements of dark comedy. Del Toro continue to say that series will utilize genre elements of horror, science fiction, gothic fantasy, mystery and psychological thriller. He also stated that the series will a heavy emphasis on emotional and psychological realism. Co-showrunner Taylor stated that series will be centered around existential themes of aging, mortality, identity, spirituality, trauma, abuse and mental health. Taylor also stated that this series will push the boundaries of the Marvel brand as well as subvert the expectations of what people would expect from a "superhero show". 
Del Toro and Taylor said that they wanted Bruce Banner/Hulk to revert back to being the tragic anti-hero, as Banner will begin the series as Smart Hulk and gradually become more like his volatile, morally gray incarnations such as World Breaker Hulk and Immortal Hulk. Taylor cited Breaking Bad as inspiration for how Banner will change and transform as a character throughout the course of the series. They also stated they wanted Banner/Hulk to have the emotional, psychological, and moral complexity of characters such as a Tony Soprano, Walter White, Dexter Morgan, and Saul Goodman while still having sympathetic, identifiable and even heroic qualities. Taylor stated that blurring the lines between man and monster as well as deconstructing/reconstructing the meaning of those words would be foundation of the entire series. 
The writing staff for the series will include writers who have worked on The Strain, Pantheon, Battlestar Galactica (2004), Yellowjackets, Legion as well as writers who have worked on other Marvel projects such as Moon Knight, Loki, Wandavision, Secret Invasion, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, and Netflix Daredevil. Feige stated that although the Hulk series will have MCU characteristics this series will have the look and feel of a Guillermo del Toro production through and through. 
Del Toro and Feige stated during 2027 Comic-Con Interview that the Hulk series will be seamlessly combine serialized cinematic storytelling with the sensibilities of episodic television. 
=== Visual Effects ===
Del Toro stated that series will seamlessly combine practical effects with CGI. He also states that series will utilize CGI motion capture to display Ruffalo's nuanced performances as the Hulk while also using CGI for fast-paced action sequences. While using more practical effects such as puppetry and animatronics.
=== Music ===
Bear McCreary will be the lead composer of the series and will compose a re-imagined version of The Lonely Man Theme by Joe Harnell from 1978 The Incredible Hulk series. 
== Marketing and Release ==
The series will have self-contained pilot movie that will be marketed alongside the series. The pilot film is set to be released in theaters during summer 2028 and will be in theaters for two months before the series premieres in September 2028 on Disney+. The film will shoot in IMAX and running time for the pilot film is 2hr and 5 mins. 
Category:Marvel
Category:American live action television series
Category:Marvel Cinematic Universe
Category:Hulk