Is He a Man?

"Is He a Man?" is the first episode of the Disney+ animated series The Incredible Hulk. The episode was written by showrunner Sage Cotugno, and directed by Stu Livingston. It premiered on September 23, 2035, to strong viewership and positive reviews.

Synopsis
Hunted by the military, Bruce Banner decides to cure himself of his transformations imto The Incredible Hulk.

Plot
In Dallas, Texas, Bruce Banner is acquiring a few energy gadgets when a military group led by Thaddeys "Thunderbolt" Ross arrives searching fir him. Upon being noticed, Banner attempts to escape, the srress of the situation almost causing him to transform into the Increribke Hulk. However, he's met by a member of the Teen Brigade, who covertly takes him to the border with New Mexico.

In Washington, D.C., Ross' daughter, Betty, finishes a day of reading at the library when she discovers througth the news of Banner's escape. Having dated Banner in the past, she confronts her father and tries to disuade him from fighting the Hulk, but he refuses. Betty then ponders of Banner's whereabouts. In New Mexico, Banner's contact helps him rent a room. He then reflects on how his life has changed for the worse after becoming the Hulk. That night, he fails to fall asleep, and tries to entertain himself by recalling his childhood, but fails and suffees intense flashbacks of an event he can't recall, almost causing another transformation. Unknownst to Banner, he's being absorbed by a robot ladybug.

The following morning, Banner practices a new technque to control his anger and leaves the room to buy some food, afterwhich he suffers an accident that almost angers him into another transformation, barely managing to fight his anger with his technique. Horrified, he runs back to hsi room, where he remembers his experiments on bio-tech with Betty. Inspired, Banner contacts Betty and asks her to find a DNA analizer and Gamma-analyzing devices for an experiment of his, before the talk becomes a tearful conversation about their relationship. Knowing her father will griw suspicioys if she dissappears, she calls Banner's friend, Rick Jones, and asks him to deliver the generator. Feeling guilty over Banner's condition due to him causing Banner to be exposed to gamma radiation in the first place, Rick accepts. The two reunite in a cave outside the town, where Banner reveals he's planning to build a machine not just to supress the Hulk, but to erase all Gamma radiation in his body, effectively curing himself. Unfortunely, the army turns out to have traced them ever since Banner called Betty, and launches an attack. Betty tries to explain Ross that Banner is planning to cure himself of the Hulk, but Ross refuses to listen, claiming killing him is the only way to end the Hulk.

The army invades the cave, and the stress causes Banner to turn into the Hulk. He engages the army into a battle, but before he could continue, a mysterious cage shows up and captures the Hulk. It is then revealed that Hulk was captured by a man calling himself "The Leader".

Writing
Cotugno said they wrote the episode as "a Banner-first story" that served as a cgaracter study for Banner and "how being the Hulk affected him" while also hinting at his childhood and "how the Hulk truly came to be" as well as the dirrction of Banner's arc for the season. While early versions of the script had the episode starting with the Hulk fighting the army, Cotugno eventually changed it to Banner escaping as himself, with the Hulk ultimately appearing near the end. They said they took this approach because "while starting with the Hulk kicking ass was good, building up to that first appearance and to the moment where he kicks asses did a lot more justice to how badass he is", and compared it to The Incredible Hulk (1977).

Main cast

 * Josh Keaton as Bruce Banner
 * Fred Tatasciore as Hulk
 * Sarah-Nicole Robles as Betty Ross
 * Chris Pratt as Rick Jones
 * Sam Elliot as General Ross
 * William Dafoe as The Leader

Guest cast

 * Al Ewing as Clay Quatermine
 * Jessica DiCicco as Bookepper
 * Kimberly Brooks as Jackie McGee
 * Sage Cotugno as Shop Owner
 * Jenice Kawaye as Food Vendor
 * Dan Castallaneta as Bully
 * Lou Ferrigno as Janitor
 * Mark Hamill as Mysterious Man

Trivia

 * The book Betty was reading was "The Hunchback of Notre Dame".
 * Showrunner Sage Cotugno wanted some of Banner's scenes to have him display symptoms of DID, as hints of his mental disorder.
 * The scene where Banner tries to get himself to sleep was inspired by a similar scene in the first episode of Moon Knight.
 * Leader's spy ladybugs are a reference to the Android Saga from Dragon Ball Z.
 * While being confronted by a bully, Banner says the iconic line "Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry", from the 1978 series.
 * The bully is voiced by Dan Castallaneta, known for voicing Homer Simpson; in The Simpsons episode "I Am Angry (Yellow)", Homer ends up looking like the Hulk