Director: Louis Leterrier

Starring: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth

Worldwide gross: $263 million

In brief: The minor mis-step

Key characters introduced:

Bruce Banner / Incredible Hulk: Fugitive scientist, scary when angry

Stand-out scene: Hulk rips a car in two and uses each half as a boxing glove to fight Abomination.

The result: After Ang Lee’s 2003 film Hulk left fans green in the face, the character rights reverted to Marvel Studios. Elements of the film work - the backstory is dispensed with in the opening credits, and there are some well-staged action sequences. It’s no resounding success though - the film lacks the playfulness that has become Marvel Studios’ defining characteristic. Norton was replaced with Mark Ruffalo in The Avengers, leaving The Incredible Hulk as a minor mis-step in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s not bad, but it never lives up to its namesake.

READ: The Incredible Hulk, review

IRON MAN 2 (2010)