| This article is written from the Real World perspective |  |
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| Series | The Incredible Hulk | ||||||||
| Release Date | November 17, 1996 | ||||||||
| Season Number | 9 of 13 | ||||||||
| Episode Number | 9 of 21 | ||||||||
| Writer | Bruce Reid Schaefer Greg Blair | ||||||||
| Director | Ernesto Lopez | ||||||||
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Doctor Donald Blake seeks the help of Betty Ross and Bruce Banner when a deadly virus outbreak erupts in Detroit. However, Gargoyle and Abomination become involved and the mighty Thor must team up with the incredible Hulk to stop them, if the two powerful heroes don't first destroy the city fighting each other.
Story
First Do No Harm
Two police officers open the door on a train and look inside. Finding nothing they walk to the next car. Inside one of the cars, Hulk rests. He hears the two, stands up, and growls.
The two officers are about to open the door when Hulk smashes through it pushing the two away. He then strolls away.
Deep in the forest, Hulk leaps into a clearing. He stops and admires the view. He sits down among the grass then lays down. His eyes glow green and he closes them. Just then his body shrinks and he turns back into Bruce Banner.
At Gamma Base, Betty Ross gets a call from Bruce. Behind her, Doc Samson works on the Nutrient Bath for Bruce. Bruce is at a payphone at Mikey's Gas in the Black Hills of South Dakota. He tells her that he just needed to hear her voice.
Betty hugs the phone telling him to be strong. She informs him that she and Samson are working on the nutrient bath cure. Bruce hides his face as a cop car passes him. Betty tells him that she loves him and Bruce says the same.
Bruce looks over to see the cop looking out the window at him. He tells her he will call when he can and quickly hangs up. However, Betty notices something strange about the phone and asks who else is on the line.
Elsewhere in the base, Gabriel Jones unplugs his headset and tells Thaddeus Ross that they found Bruce. Gabe takes off the headset and informs him of the location. Thunderbolt speaks into a microphone to mobilize the Hulkbusters.
In a hanger, S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicopters fly out. As Thunderbolt gets into one his daughter runs up to him. She berates him for letting S.H.I.E.L.D. tap her phone lines. Thunderbolt looks ashamed but says she left him no choice.
She tells him that he shouldn't have to decide on invading her privacy. He informs her that Bruce's location is important to national security. He tells her that she's embarrassing him by keeping Bruce's locations a secret and slowing him down.
He puts his hand on her shoulder and tells her that the Hulk ruins lives, including theirs. He turns and gets into the helicopter telling her that they will never be the same because of him. One of the crew members helps Thunderbolt into the copter.
Betty glares at the helicopter as it lifts off and leaves the hanger.
Medicine Man
Just then a man from the DCC walks up asking if she is Betty. She turns and the man informs her that agents of a declared federal emergency have ordered her to accompany him to Detroit. He hands her a paper with the orders on it.
Helicopters fly over an abandoned Detroit. Inside, Betty looks over at the empty streets. She asks why the city is being evacuated. The apologizes and tells her that her questions will be answered by Dr. Donald Blake.
Betty and the man, in hazmat suits, enter a hospital full of others in suits helping people with a strange disease. As she walks down the hall a diseased man grabs her arm asking her to sign his forehead. She pulls away and backs into a door.
She runs up to a man with a cane who introduces himself as Dr. Blake and thanks her for coming. Betty responds that she was drafted. Donald apologizes but tells her that the city is in quarantine. He leans over and looks into a microscope.
Betty wonders why since it appears that people just have Gamma Radiation Poisoning, which isn't contagious. Donald stands and tells her that it is actually a Gamma Virus that is spreading fast.
Betty steps forward and looks into the microscope asking what the symptoms are. He walks over to the patient and tells her that they get green skin rashes, hallucinations, increased respiration, and coma. He also tells her that they develop salt on the skin. He rubs the man's head to show salt coming off.
Betty looks at the chart and walks over to Donald. She tells him that she is out of her league with this and puts the chart up on the wall. Donald tells her that she is an expert, but Betty interrupts that he needs the expert, Dr. Banner.
Donald is astonished to hear that he's alive. He thought Bruce had died in the Gamma Reactor explosion. Betty clumsily tells him that Bruce has just been out of contact, and says that he is in the Black Hills.
Donald hopes to find him in time. Betty says that if he can't he should try finding the Hulk. But Donald is horrified at the idea of the green giant. Betty reassures him that bringing the Hulk there would bring Bruce. Donald thinks that's a lot to asks, but believes he knows someone who can help.
Garden of Heaven
Later, Donald stands on the rooftop holding up his cane. He starts to chant then hits the cane on the ground. He is consumed by a bright light then a tornado. As the winds die down he is revealed to have transformed into Thor, God of Thunder.
Thor holds up his Uru hammer Mjolnir. He twirls it around ordering it to open a portal through space. As the portal opens Thor leaps up and disappears, the portal closing behind him.
Back in the Black Hills, Gabe and a group of soldiers chase Bruce through the woods firing their laser weapons. Over the radio, Thunderbolt tells them to keep it on stun, and Gabe reiterates this to the troops.
As he runs, Bruce's eyes turn green. He hulks out ripping his shirt. Hulk then leaps up and stands atop Mount Rushmore. Down below, Jeeps and tanks ready to fire on Hulk. Thunderbolt drives up and orders the men to stand down and not fire on a national monument.
Hulk roars as a helicopter flies above him. Thunderbolt tells Gabe to release the Gamma Reinforced Rage Cage. The helicopter releases large square from its underside.
Hulk sees this and leaps up. However, the square surround Hulk and close him in a cube. Thunderbolt watches as the cube crashes on the monument. Hulk pounds on the sides but shocks keep him from doing damage.
Just then, Thor appears from a portal behind the green giant. He looks over to see Hulk pound on the cube.
Thunderbolt watches Hulk amazed that the cage works and is holding. Gabe jokes that only a God could release him.
Thor raises Mjolnir and charges it. He then fires a lightning bolt at the tanks, helicopters, and other vehicles. Thunderbolt watches as the cube is consumed by lightning and then disappears.
Green for Danger
Back in Detroit, Hulk suddenly appears on the Ambassador Bridge among the people fleeing the city. Hulk looks around then leaps up onto a tower, causing people to scream. Thor drops down afterwards and the portal closes.
Thor spots Hulk and flies up to the opposite side of the tunnel. Thor explains that he only wants Bruce. Hulk gets angry saying he hates that "puny Banner." He reaches down and rips off a large metal bar. Hulk then says he doesn't like "long hair" and throws the bar at Thor.
The bar hits Thor with enough force to push him over the edge. Thor grabs onto a suspension cable. He rips off one of the cables and swings it around Hulk. He flies up lifting Hulk away saying that they may one day see who is stronger but for now Hulk must follow.
Hulk flexes his arms and breaks free of the cable. He lands in front of a tunnel crashing a car coming out. Hulk turns as the man inside beeps his horn. Hulk is about to smash the car when Thor lands on it instead.
Thor orders Hulk to stop but instead the green giant punches Thor into the tunnel. He flies back and lands on the ground. Hulk stands in the opening. He grabs a snowmobile being carried by a passing car and throws it at Thor.
Thor blocks the snowmobile but is quickly tackled by Hulk. Thor slams into the wall and drops Mjolnir. Hulk runs up and throws a punch. Thor blocks it and punches Hulk into the other side.
The force of the blow causes debris to rain down from the ceiling. People run out of their cars while others quickly drive out.
Thor runs onto a large semi truck and Hulk runs towards him. Thor grabs Mjolnir and tries to pull it out of the ceiling. He tells Hulk to stop since their battle is collapsing the tunnel. However, Hulk simply grabs the semi and flips it around.
Thor lands and Hulk punches him away. Thor hits the wall and falls to the ground. He calls his Uru hammer Mjolnir and it flies towards him, but Hulk grabs it in midair. However, the hammer pulls Hulk along despite him tearing apart the road.
Thor says that time grows short. However, he is engulfed in a bright light and turns back into Donald Blake. Mjolnir glows then becomes the cane causing Hulk to fall back. A passing car nearly hits Hulk.
Hulk stands and runs over to Donald wondering where the "hammer man" went. He throws the cane to the side and runs down the tunnel. Once he leaves he leaps up and into the city.
Inside the tunnel, water begins to leak through. Donald runs over, flips, and grabs the cane. A bright light signals the return of Thor.
Thor runs over and grabs the semi. He props it up against he ceiling to stop the collapse. He swings Mjolnir and flies out. However, he looks around and does not see Hulk anywhere. He holds up Mjolnir and calls to his father Odin saying he has failed.
Carry on Doctor
Elsewhere, Hulk leaps into a dark street. He stops and looks around. He walks into a darker ally where a homeless man has built a fire in a trashcan. The man, infected with the virus, coughs.
He looks up to see Hulk and asks if he is alone. Hulk says he is and the man tells him to sit since apparently he is also sick with the disease. Hulk sits down and the man says that it has been a while since he had a friend. The man leans on Hulk and says no one should be alone. Hulk puts his arm around him and the two fall asleep.
Bruce wakes up next to the man. He examines him to determine that he has gamma radiation poisoning. He tries to wake the man but can't. Bruce picks him up and carries him to a hospital. Dust blows around as Bruce walks the empty streets.
At City Electronics, Gargoyle, also with the sickness, throws a television set across the floor. He wanders down the aisle looking at VCRs but throwing them away bemoaning at the lousy merchandise.
Abomination, with a large harness on his body, lifts up a large machine. Gargoyle tells him to be careful as the giant carries it over. Abomination carries the machine through the wall. Gargoyle complains that he should have left the Leader's mind control implant in Abomination's head.
He turns and spots Bruce carrying the man in front of the store. He walks to the front and watches the two men pass. He praises his luck that now he can be saved. He turns and calls to Abomination who is gone. Gargoyle picks up some equipment and follows his ally.
Back at the hospital, Betty examines some flasks as the speaker calls out for a Doctor Barnes. Just then Bruce runs in with the man. He puts the man on a gurney and tells the woman to start intravenous therapy and give him two CCs of adrenaline right away.
Betty turns and recognizes him. The two are glad to see each other and quickly hug. Bruce twirls Betty around and asks what she is doing there. She tells him that a gamma-mutated virus has gone out of control and started an epidemic. They are running out of time.
A nurse tells Donald that the homeless man is in Code: Blue. She prepares the defibrillator while Donald grabs the pads. Donald calls out and uses it on the man. The nurse tells him that the heart rate is steady but weak.
Donald looks over at Betty and says it's time to use the synthetic vaccine. She walks over to the man allowing Donald to see Bruce behind her. He walks over and introduces himself thanking him for coming.
Bruce wonders why Donald is expecting him. Donald explains that Betty said if Hulk came he would come. Bruce wonders how Hulk could have come but Donald interrupts, grabs a suit, and tells him they have to hurry.
Bruce leaves to get dressed. Betty prepares the solution and injects into the man.
Outbreak
In the hallway, Donald explains that the test cultures show symptoms right away. Their serums slows the effects but cannot stop it. Donald explains that they're going to lose the fight unless they can develop an antibody from the source.
Bruce takes off his hazmat suit and tells him to take a blood sample from him. He explains that his gamma mutated blood has made him immune, since he has not contracted the virus from prolonged exposure. Donald then figures out what Betty meant by bringing the Hulk there.
Donald and Bruce walk down the hall. Bruce explains that they'll have to filter out the gamma radiation to help others. Just then they hear a crash behind them. They turn to see the homeless man struggle with Betty and another doctor.
Betty tries to calm him down but he rips part of her suit off. He pushes her back into the test cultures spilling them all over her and her exposed arm. She looks down shocked at the virus on her.
Bruce carries her into a lab, having taken off her suit showing her infected skin. Donald and the other doctor follow. He puts her on the table and Donald examines her. He informs Bruce that the exposure to the cultures has speed up her infection, and injects her with the serum. Donald tells him that she doesn't have long to live. Donald and the other doctor leave.
Betty coughs and calls out to Bruce. He puts his hands on her head and leans in. He blames himself for his gamma research threatening everything and now including her. She tries to tell him that it isn't his fault. He then says that he was the one who brought the man in that infected her.
Betty rests her head and Bruce says that he can't lose her like this and needs her. Betty closes her eyes and says she needs him, then falls asleep.
Just then Bruce hears a large crash. He turns to see Abomination, also infected, having burst through the wall. Bruce runs down the hallway as the green giant demands Bruce. He sees the doctor and fires a blast knocking Bruce out.
Abomination walks over to Bruce then grabs and throws Donald. Abomination picks up Bruce and stomps out of the hospital.
The Disorderly Orderly
Later in a cave, Bruce wakes up on a table. He sits up to see Abomination standing over him. The green brute says that he is ready for a rematch with the Hulk. Gargoyle stops him saying that this is not the time.
Gargoyle steps out of the shadows revealing that he is no longer as deformed as he once was, and saying that Bruce is there to help. Bruce asks if that is really Gargoyle. Gargoyle holds his head in pain as his body grows and his skin returns to a normal human color, though still infected.
Gargoyle tells him that he is returning to normal at the cost of being sick and dying. Bruce stands and tells him that many others are dying, including Betty, and he needs to return. Gargoyle stops him saying he is more needed here, where he first made the virus.
Bruce gets angry and shoves Gargoyle back. Abomination then punches Bruce back into a control panel. He then threatens Abomination with the Hulk if he keeps getting pushed. Gargoyle stops the two saying that the outbreak was not intended.
He explains that after Leader banished him he sought a cure in the supposedly germ-free caverns. He points down to a small bucket where small arthropods crawl around. He goes on to say that the insects, who feed on salt, began to feed on the gamma waste.
Bruce realizes that the insects carried the virus. Gargoyle goes on to say that the insects infected the workers in the salt mines and the workers infected the city. He says that he only wanted to be normal.
Bruce points his finger at him and tells him that he started this so he will help Bruce. Gargoyle shrugs saying that they will help, as long as Bruce saves his life.
Back at the hospital, Donald looks over Betty who is now calling out to Bruce. Donald tries to explain but she interrupts asking about Bruce's serum. Donald then says that they are really close to finding a cure and tells her to rest. As Betty closes her eyes Donald leaves.
Nearly back to normal, Gargoyle says he does not have much time left. Bruce tells him to hang on while he isolates the mutagenics. He pours a test tube into a beaker and examines it, and says he isn't sure about platelet integrity.
Gargoyle then suggests that Bruce use slow exposure like a slow boil. Bruce smiles and agrees that it could work without destroying the mutagenics. Gargoyle realizes that the process could possibly cure Bruce. Bruce happily agrees, though he realizes that the factors in the serum could never be remade as it mutates too quickly. He'd either have to use the cure now or never.
Bruce looks up at the serum realizing this is his chance. Gargoyle tries to say that he could be done again, but Bruce rejects that idea. Bruce tells him to forget about him and focus on curing the virus. Gargoyle states that Bruce is sacrificing his own well-being to help others. Bruce states he is just trying to help the woman he loves.
Back at the hospital, a nurse says that Betty's respiratory is at twenty percent. She tells Donald that she is if the final stages of the disease. Donald tells the nurse to try another two CCs of the test serum. He says they have to stall the disease long enough to find Dr. Banner.
Donald wonders where he could start looking. He wanders over to the closed up hole and examines Abomination's footprint. He reaches down and picks up some salt. He wonders where Abomination could be that he would pick up such a large amount of salt.
In the cave, Bruce readies a serum. Across the cave, Gargoyle examines his restored face in the mirror. He laments that his experiments took it away from him and he will have to give it up to live.
Just then, Gargoyle hears Abomination coughing. He walks up, growing impatient and saying that he wants his strength back so he can get out of the mechanical contraption and fight Hulk again. Gargoyle stands and sighs. He says that he is ready and drops the mirror, shattering it on the ground.
The Stand
Bruce prepares the serum but Abomination grabs it away. He smacks Bruce back and injects himself. Gargoyle tells him to be careful but Abomination throws the serum and Gargoyle watches the serum fly away.
Abomination rips off the armor and growls at Bruce. Bruce stands and walks up to Abomination trying to get him to stop, but gets shoved away.
Gargoyle crawls over to the serum.
Abomination lifts a large rock and throws it at Bruce. Bruce quickly rolls to the side but begins to transform. He rips his shirt apart and Hulk growls.
Hulk runs over to Abomination but the villain smashes him with a console. He raises his fist to bring them down on Hulk but the hero grabs them and pushes Abomination across the cave. Abomination crashes into a console that explodes.
Gargoyle, barely able to move, manages to inject himself with the formula. He sits up and grabs his head as he becomes his monstrous self again. He stands and runs out of the cave laughing.
Inside the hospital, Donald examines the salt under the microscope to find that it is pure salt. He stands and wonders where that could come from. The nurse guesses that it would be the salt mines that run for miles under the city. Donald holes up his cane and realizes that the secret lies in the mines.
On the roof Donald taps his cane on the ground and transforms into Thor. He flies off the side of the building and into the street below. He continues and smashes through the street.
Underground, Hulk uses a large rock to bat Abomination away. Thor then lands behind him. Hulk growls and walks over to smash Thor. He throws a punch but Thor blocks it with Mjolnir.
Abomination walks up and punches Hulk across the face. Hulk grabs his arm and throws him into Thor. Pushed against the wall, Thor struggles to lift Abomination off of him. He pushes the villain away and gets angry at Hulk.
Thor tries to tell them that they must leave but Abomination tackles him. Hulk leaps over and smacks Abomination into a wall. He picks up Thor and tosses him into the other wall.
Thor stands again and grabs Hulk from behind. He tells Hulk that Betty is in trouble and needs his blood. Hulk recognizes the name and stops so Thor lets him go.
Behind them, Abomination rips out a large rock causing the cave to become flooded with water. Abomination is washed through the cavern by the waters. Hulk and Thor wade through the waters. Thor lifts a large rock and asks Hulk to help him stop the waters from destroying the city.
Hulk grabs a rock and uses it to stop the flow. Thor lifts Mjolnir and fires it at the rock so it seals shut. The waters slowly die down. Hulk then asks Thor to take him to Betty. Thor says it would be his honor and smashes a rock behind them opening a hole
Thor reaches out his hand and Hulk takes it. Thor swings Mjolnir and the two fly out of the cave.
Thor and Hulk smash through the hospital near Betty's room. Hulk walks over to Betty and sees her sleeping with an IV. He puts his hand on her face and calls her name. Betty opens her eyes to see him staring down at her. Hulk says he's right here.
Later, she opens her eyes to see Bruce, now clothed, staring down at her. Bruce says he's right here. Donald walks up to him saying that serum is nearly ready, but won't be in time to save Betty. Bruce falls to the bed and begins to cry. Donald rubs his back.
His Last Gift
Bruce leans in and calls out to his love as Gargoyle calls his name. Bruce looks up to see the villain standing in the doorway. Gargoyle says there should be enough of the cure left to save one person. He walks over and hands it to Bruce.
Bruce accepts it and stammers in response. Gargoyle says that even a hideous troll like himself can preform a good deed. Bruce thanks Gargoyle, but the villain says that next time he would not be so generous. He turns to leave the room.
He stops in the doorway and says that if circumstances were different they could have worked together. However, at the moment, they must be enemies.
Bruce and Donald turn back to Betty and use the serum. Betty begins breathing regularly so Bruce hands the serum over to Donald. Bruce watches Donald leave as Betty's skin rashes disappear.
Bruce kneels by Betty, takes her hand, and kisses it. She wakes up and Bruce tells her that it's over. She touches his head and he leans in to kiss her. However, they both hear helicopters outside.
Donald stops his helping of a man to see the military helicopters approaching and notes that they are fully armed.
Bruce tries to apologize but Betty understands that he has no choice. She tells him that soon everything will be fine and will make sure of it because she can't stand their constant separations. She tears up and Bruce pulls her in to kiss her.
Later, Bruce spares on last look at the hospital as a train whistle blows. He turns and runs towards a moving train. He runs alongside and the door opens from the inside. The homeless man he saved before reaches out his hand. Bruce grabs it and is pulled inside. The door closes behind him.
Quotes
"Gamma Base lab, Betty Ross speaking. Bruce!? Uh, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Somehow I ended up in South Dakota, the Black Hills. But Betty I...I just needed to hear your voice."
"Oh Bruce. Just stay strong. Doc Samson and I are so close to a cure for you. The nutrient bath is almost ready. Just don't give up. Hang on. And remember that I love you."
"I love you too, Betty."
- -Betty Ross and Bruce Banner
"Father! How low will you sink! You let S.H.I.E.L.D. tap my phone line! My own father."
"I'm sorry Betty. But what am I supposed to do? You left me no choice."
"Invading my privacy should not be a choice."
"Banner's whereabouts are of vital interest to our country. Now how do you think it makes me look? My own daughter, sandbagging me by keeping that kind of information secret. Betty, I have to stop him. The Hulk ruins lives, everywhere. He ruined ours. And we'll never be the same because of him."
- -Betty Ross and Thaddeus Ross
"Betty Ross? Under the agents of a declared federal emergency you are hereby ordered to accompany me to Detroit."
- -DCC Man
"Ms. Ross. I'm Dr. Donald Blake. Thank you for coming."
"Being drafted isn't my idea of an invitation."
"I apologize for your cloak and dagger summons. But the situation here is critical. The city's in quarantine."
- -Donald Blake, first lines, and Betty Ross
"Ms. Ross, you're one of the few experts..."
"You need the expert. Dr. Bruce Banner."
"Banner? I though her perished in that gamma reactor explosion."
"No. He's just been...out of circulation."
- -Donald Blake and Betty Ross
"Trust me, Doctor, you bring the Hulk here and Bruce Banner won't be far behind."
"That's quite an order. But I believe I know someone who can help."
- -Betty Ross and Donald Blake
"I take my staff and strike through mortal bounds calling forth..."
"Thor, God of Thunder. Mighty Uru hammer, open a portal through the very fabric of space."
- -Donald Blake' and Thor, first lines
"Back off men! You can't fire on a national monument for the love of Christ!"
- -Thaddeus Ross
"It's holding. I finally got that miserable beast!"
"Only the Gods themselves could release him from that contraption."
- -Thaddeus Ross and Gabriel Jones
"By thunder!"
- -Thaddeus Ross
"Fear me not, friend. I mean thee no harm. 'Tis Bruce Banner I seek."
"Hulk hate puny Banner! Hulk no like Long Hair!"
- -Thor and Hulk
"Perhaps in days yet to come, we shall pit our strengths in battle. But this hour, thy untamed will must yield to the God of Thunder."
- -Thor
"Cease thy savagery behemoth."
"Eat green!"
- -Thor and Hulk
"Hammer man, Hulk enemy"
- -Hulk
"Hold emerald one! The battle has breached the tunnel. Cease we must else both shall perish."
- -Thor
"Mighty Uru hammer, I summon thee!"
- -Thor
"Time grows short. Not my enchanted hammer...NO!"
- -Thor
"Odin, my father. Thy son hath failed his mission."
- -Thor
"Are you...alone friend?"
"Hulk alone."
"I see you're green with the sickness like me."
- -Homeless Man and Hulk
"You know, nobody oughtta be alone."
- -Homeless Man
"Uh, pathetic inventory. If this is what the merchant uses I will never patronize here."
- -Gargoyle
"It now becomes painfully clear why I should have left the Leader's mind control implant rooted in his gnarled, scaly head."
- -Gargoyle
"You can dress him up but you can't give him brains."
- -Gargoyle on Abomination
"These are highly contagious test cultures, which manifest symptoms almost immediately. So far our serum only manages to temporarily slow their ravaging effects. We're going to lose this battle unless we find the source and develop and antibody."
"Or there is one other possible option. You can take a blood sample from me. My prolonged exposure has had no effect. I'm...uh...my gamma mutated blood has made me immune to the virus."
"Huh, bring Hulk here and Bruce Banner won't be far behind. Betty meant that..."
"Incredible, isn't it."
"To say the least."
- -Donald Blake and Bruce Banner
"Betty! I can't lose you this way. You're my lifeline."
"And you're mine."
- -Bruce Banner and Betty Ross
"I want Banner!"
- -Abomination
"I ain't a brain-dead hunk of muscle no more, Banner. And I'm ready for a green-on-green rematch..."
"Abomination, this is not the time for your petty grudges against the Hulk. The good doctor is here to help us."
- -Abomination and Gargoyle
"Alright pal, you want a bout with the Hulk, just keep pushing me."
- -Bruce Banner
"Please understand, comrade, the tragedy was unintentional. After the Leader banished me I came to these quiet, germ-free caverns to ensure the purity of my experiments gamma rays. But an unforeseen development occurred. Tiny arthropods who feed on salt had found new sustenance, gamma waste."
"And these insects carried the virus. And the salt must have contributed to its mutation."
"Yes, yes. They quickly infected the workers in the salt mines who then carried it up to the city. Where it spread."
- -Gargoyle and Bruce Banner
"You caused this outbreak. Now you're gonna help me solve it, understood!'
"We are yours to command. As long as saving my life is in the bargain."
- -Bruce Banner and Gargoyle'
"Perhaps, by using slow, minimal exposure of control gamma emissions..."
"Like a slow boil. That could work! Because overexposure could destroy these particular mutagenics and..."
"Create a process that could possibly cure you?"
"Yes! Maybe. B-but the ambient factors in this serum can never be duplicated. It-it mutates too quickly. I'd have to try it now or never. This is my chance."
"There is time to do both."
"No, there isn't. Let's just forget about me. Let's just move forward."
"That is a noble deed, Dr. Banner. You are an honorable man."
"No, I just want to save the woman I love."
- -Gargoyle and Bruce Banner
"Uh, it's been so very long since I gazed upon this face, which my own senseless radiation experiments took from me. And now, I must give it away again. To save my miserable life."
- -Gargoyle
"Normal? Heh! Give me my strength back instead of this iron Zoot Suit. That's all I want. The Hulk and I have a long overdue slug fest to tend to."
- -Abomination
"I am ready."
- -Gargoyle
"Mighty Uru hammer, take us to the object of our quest."
- -Thor
"Thou does sorely try my patience."
- -Thor
"Hulk! Search through thy heart for the one called Betty!"
"Betty?"
"'Tis she who have dire need for thy lifeforce."
- -Thor and Hulk
"Behold! A raging turent from the river above. Surely, flooding the mine will destroy the city. Stand with me, giant. Harness thy wrath to impede this calamity."
- -Thor
"Take Hulk to Betty."
"Would be Thor's sincere privilege."
- -Hulk and Thor, last line
"There should be enough serum left in here to save those most dear."
"Gargoyle...how...why? I didn't expect this."
"Even a pathetic troll of a man capable of a noble deed."
"Thank you."
- -Gargoyle and Bruce Banner
"In another time, another place, we might have been respected colleagues. But today, you and I, are fated enemies. It would be a mistake for you to think otherwise."
- -Gargoyle
"Military choppers. Fully armed."
- -Donald Blake, last line
"Betty, I..."
"I know. Now you have no choice."
- -Bruce Banner and Betty Ross
Trivia
- Ernesto Lopez, director of the episode, previously directed the Fantastic Four episode "To Battle the Living Planet" also featuring Thor.
- The man who recruits Betty Ross is from the DCC. Likely it means Disease Control Center, a play on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is shortened to CDC.
- Donald Blake talks about a cloak and dagger summons. Cloak and Dagger are two superheroes who at the time had yet to appear in animation.
- Thor is the second guest star who also appeared on Fantastic Four. Ghost Rider previously appeared in "When Calls Galactus" and "Innocent Blood".
- John Rhys-Davies previously played Wilson Fisk in the live action television-movie The Trial of the Incredible Hulk with Lou Ferrigno.
- Lou Ferrigno fought Thor as a live-action Hulk in The Incredible Hulk Returns.
- The next time Hulk and Thor would fight is in Ultimate Avengers. The next time just the two would fight is in Hulk vs Thor.
- The car coming out of the tunnel that crashes into Hulk looks like a Jeep Cherokee. Wolverine drove a Jeep Wrangler.
- First episode with Richard Moll as Abomination. He and Mark Hamill voiced villains Two-Face and Joker, respectively, on Batman: The Animated Series.
- This is the first episode of the series where Abomination speaks. In his previous appearance he was only making incoherent sounds.
- It is possible, though unspecified, that the brunette doctor is Jane Foster, a Thor supporting character and nurse who works with Donald Blake.
- In the comics, Betty Ross actually did die when she was infected with gamma-mutated blood given to her from Abomination.
- Gargoyle's eyes do not blink at the same time.
Goofs
- The hazmat suits have mittens for gloves. It's not very effective for the careful delicate handling of patients and equipment. Real hazmat suits have fingered gloves.
- The area around Mount Rushmore is nothing like in real life. For example, there are no trees on top and the mountain stretches up higher than the faces. Though it could be looked at as a fictionalized environment that is meant to be different from real life.
- There are six sides to a cube but eight squares are released from the helicopter for the rage cage. It is possible that two were just for back up.
- The rage cage was very successful and Hulk only escaped because of Thor, yet it was never used again for some reason.
- Realistically speaking, no one sees two circles when looking through binoculars. It always appears as one circle. This is a common mistake in film and television.
- The shot of Thor charging up Mjolnir to release Hulk is actually from when Thor charged a machine to power Galactus in "To Battle the Living Planet".
- It is bright and sunny when Hulk leaves South Dakota but in the middle of the night moments later in Detroit. The time difference is not so great between these two places. Possibly, Thor took some unseen time to release Hulk from the cage.
- With all the damage from the battle there is no way that traffic could continue to pass through the tunnel. Especially past the overturned semi truck.
- Donald Blake turned into Thor in a hazmat suit, but changes back into a business suit.
- When Bruce Banner and Donald Blake stand in the hallway, a woman walks through a door and her arm phases through it.
- The homeless man is brought in with his clothes. When he is taken to Donald Blake he is shirtless and hatless. When he attacks Betty Ross he is fully clothed again.
- Abomination could not have left his footprints nor salt since he had the special harness on his feet too.
- The movements of Gargoyle in the mirror don't match the actions of the real Gargoyle.
- The shot of Thor in the cave approaching Hulk is used twice.
- Abomination rips a hole in the cave, causing a raging torrent. But when Hulk and Thor walk up to seal it, they're standing in a calm pool before the hole is sealed.
- There is no way that the homeless man could have been cured and made it to the train before Bruce Banner, since it was being developed when Bruce was forced to flee.
Continuity
- The last time we saw Detroit was in the X-Men episode "Night Of The Sentinels, Part Two" when Jubilee was captured by Henry Peter Gyrich.
- Only appearance of Donald Blake.
- Donald Blake mentions that Bruce Banner was thought to be killed in a gamma reactor explosion. This was shown in the Iron Man episode "Hulk Buster".
- Thor's appearance is a continuation from his appearance on Fantastic Four's "To Battle the Living Planet" and "When Calls Galactus". He also had a non-speaking cameo in "The Dark Phoenix".
- The last time Mount Rushmore was seen was in the opening titles of the season one of Fantastic Four.
- This is the only time Gargoyle and Abomination appear without Leader also making an appearance.
- Last appearance of Thor. A painting of him appeared in "Avengers Assemble, Part One" and he would be in the opening titles of The Avengers: United They Stand but was never seen in the series itself.
- Last time in animation that Donald Blake is associated with Thor. Donald Blake next appears in Doctor Strange: The Sorcerer Supreme, and is his last appearance outside the comics, but no mention of Thor is made.
Background
John Rhys-Davies reprises his role from Fantastic Four.
Richard Moll takes over the role of Abomination from Kevin Schon. He also plays the homeless man who befriends Hulk.
Philece Sampler takes over the role of Betty Ross from Genie Francis.
The title refers to the fact that Thor is bound to a mortal, as said in Donald Blake's chant, and that mortals have boundaries and can die.
Reception
"Stu" of Marvel Animation Age felt it was a good episode that featured another guest star from Fantastic Four. He liked that this version was just as good as the other series' version. He praised the design, dialogue, and voice acting. He also enjoyed the fight between Thor and Hulk since they are both powerful beings, and was one of the best in the series. He also enjoyed the way Gargoyle was used, as was Abomination. He liked that Mark Hamill and Richard Moll re-teamed from the DC Animated Universe. However, he did not care for the scenes of Bruce Banner finding the cure in Gargoyle's cave. He felt they didn't add anything to the story and didn't believe the explanation. But since it was relatively short he let it go. He did appreciate Gargoyle giving the vaccine to Betty Ross, showing that he wasn't completely evil and only wanted a cure. He also liked seeing someone help Bruce onto the train showing that not everyone was out to get him. "There's no denying this is a quality episode. It's a shame that, at current time of writing, not too many folks will have seen it."
The episode has an 8.1 on TV.com and 7.3 on the Internet Movie Database.