The Incredible Hulk: 5 Characters With The Most (& 5 With The Least) Screentime
When guessing the screentime of characters in The Incredible Hulk, fans can likely figure out that the big guy himself takes the top spot. But with all the excellent supporting characters in the film, who comes in second, third, and more? Are there characters viewers may have even forgotten about? If so, those viewers will want to keep an eye out during their next Marvel marathon.
Many classic Hulk characters show up in the film. Some spend a lot of time either with Hulk or chasing him. Others are just brief allies or bystanders. But how do villains like Blonsky and Ross compare to heroes like Bruce and Betty? This article will explore that question. A character doesn't have to literally be onscreen for the screentime to count, as long as they're intercut in the current scene.
10 Roger Harrington - 0:19
Martin Starr was credited as "Computer Nerd" in The Incredible Hulk. But years later, he appeared as Peter Parker's teacher in Spider-Man: Homecoming and Far from Home. That character, named Roger Harrington, was confirmed to be the same character as seen in The Incredible Hulk by Kevin Feige.
Mr. Harrington was just a student in his very short scene in The Incredible Hulk, but he's successfully become a teacher by Homecoming. He wasn't the only Phase One cast member to return in that film, as Kenneth Choi played Jim Morita in Captain America: The First Avenger and the character's grandson (who was Peter's principal) in Homecoming.
9 Tony Stark - 0:46
Could it be called "the cameo heard 'round the world?" Iron Man was a great movie loved by audiences, but many casual fans didn't know it was just the beginning of a road that would lead to The Avengers. And then The Incredible Hulk ends, and there's Tony Stark. It seems super common now, but that sort of thing didn't happen before 2008.
Robert Downey Jr. is in the film for less than a minute, but his appearance is important. The MCU One-Shot short film The Consultant informs viewers that this scene takes place after the end of Iron Man 2, when Stark is already known as "The Consultant." It further reveals that the World Security Council wanted Abomination, not Hulk, for the Avengers. Not wanting Ross to say yes, Agents Coulson and Sitwell choose to send someone they know will anger Ross. Fortunately, he does say no, and Hulk eventually becomes an Avenger.
8 Martina - 1:47
Debora Nascimento plays Martina in the film. She only has a handful of scenes early in the story, but she's one of the few friends Bruce Banner allows himself to have while he's in hiding. Bruce steps in when a group of "tough guys" (as the film credits them) are bothering Martina.
We last see Martina when Bruce is escaping his apartment after Ross and the soldiers arrive. Martina helps Bruce sneak out the front door after he climbs in her window.
7 Stanley - 3:16
In what seems to be a nice tribute to Stan Lee, the character Stanley is another friend to Bruce Banner when he's back in the U.S. Paul Soles plays the character, having voiced Bruce Banner in the 1966 show The Marvel Superhero Hour.
Stanley doesn't have much screentime, but his role feels big, as he gives Bruce a temporary home and a way to sneak into the lab. Stanley is also a friend to Betty Ross, whose visit results in her finding Bruce.
6 Leonard Samson - 3:24
Ty Burrell plays Leonard Samson, a psychiatrist and the boyfriend of Betty Ross. Burrell appears in a few deleted scenes, with his actual movie screentime amounting to three and a half minutes.
A character who is dating the hero's former love interest is often the one portrayed as jealous or a turncoat. Samson, however, refreshingly stands up for Betty even as she helps Bruce. He notably calls out General Ross for lying about caring for his daughter.
5 Kathleen Sparr - 16:31
Christina Cabot plays Major Kathleen Sparr, who works with General Ross. She has only one solo scene, and most of her screentime comes from being by the General's side. This still adds up to quite a bit of screentime, even more than Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns.
Sparr is last seen in the movie question Sterns on what he did for Bruce Banner. She eventually gets knocked out by Emil Blonsky, who is then chastised by Sterns.
4 Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross - 42:18
One of four characters who clocks in with 40 minutes or more of screentime, "Thunderbolt" Ross is sort of a secondary villain for Bruce Banner. Ross hunts Bruce for most of the movie, and he certainly doesn't seem to have Bruce's or even Betty's best interests at heart.
While the recasting of Bruce Banner in The Avengers has led many to see The Incredible Hulk as a "less-connected" film, the Russo Brothers purposely brought Ross back in Captain America: Civil War for the very reason. Joe Russo noted that people were forgetting about The Incredible Hulk being a part of the MCU, and they added Ross to their film to remind fans about it. Ross went on to appear in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, and will appear in this summer's Black Widow.
3 Emil Blonsky / Abomination - 42:46
Tim Roth plays the villainous Emil Blonsky, who becomes the creature known as the Abomination. Blonsky starts as a way to level the playing field against the Hulk, but Blonsky's envy of Bruce leads to him craving more power. The result is the main villain of the movie.
In a move similar to Ross appearing in Civil War, Blonsky will be making his return to the MCU in the She-Hulk show. As Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner has yet to interact on-screen with Thunderbolt Ross, She-Hulk could be the first time we see Bruce reintroduced to a character from his solo MCU film.
2 Betty Ross - 50:32
Liv Tyler appears as biologist Betty Ross, and she's the second-most seen character in the film. Betty helps Bruce where no one else can, and she also stands up to her father more than anyone else would. Betty also holds a hidden copy of the data about the Gamma test, which she and Bruce are able to take to Samuel Sterns.
Betty only appears for a couple of minutes in the first half-hour of the film, while Bruce is in Brazil. Once she does come into the story, she is integral to Bruce's journey. Tyler's performance shows us that Betty is shocked at seeing Bruce in front of her as the Hulk again, but she's never overwhelmed by any of it.
1 Bruce Banner / The Hulk - 1:20:19
Who else would have the most screentime but the Hulk himself? The viewer spends a lot of time with Bruce Banner, including when he's on his own in Brazil. In these early scenes, we get small looks into Bruce's character, mostly through his emails to Dr. Sterns. Once Bruce escapes Ross and his soldiers, he reunites with old friends.
Norton was known for personally rewriting the movie's script himself, and he wanted more of the deleted scenes to stay in the movie. As a result, Norton was recast with Mark Ruffalo. Kevin Feige noted that they needed an actor who would collaborate with everyone else for a project like The Avengers. Ruffalo has appeared in six MCU films, including his cameo in Iron Man 3, and he is set to reprise his role in She-Hulk.