Marvel Comics hero The Incredible Hulk was created in 1962 by Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. According to the original storyline, The Hulk was given life when nuclear scientist Dr. Bruce Banner was accidentally bombarded with gamma rays from a "gamma bomb" he had invented. Banner continued to look like a normal human being, but when angered he would transform into the Hulk, a raging giant with green skin and super strength. Along with characters like Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk became a long-running star of the Marvel Comics stable. A prime-time TV series, The Incredible Hulk, ran from 1978-1983 and starred Bill Bixby as Dr. Banner, with bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk. A 2003 feature film, The Hulk, starred Eric Bana as both Banner and the Hulk, and was directed by Ang Lee. Actor Edward Norton starred in the 2008 version, The Incredible Hulk.

In the original comic, Banner's full name is Robert Bruce Banner (though he's called Bruce); on the TV show, Banner's name was changed to David Bruce Banner and he was called David.