While reading The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr.Hyde, I felt something similar with The Incredible Hulk. Both of these stories used similar concepts with characters and made me wonder if The Hulk was inspired by it. So in this blog, I want to compare the two stories and their origins.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was created by Robert Louis Stevenson and published in 1886. Its story is one where most of the “action” takes place within the characters’ heads. The Incredible Hulk, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, is an action series which features Bruce Banner and his alter-ego, the Hulk. In the series, the action is physical as the fighting happens against other opponents. If you are wondering if The Incredible Hulk was inspired by Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde it is. In 1974, Stan Lee said that he was inspired by Jekyll and Hyde along with other characters such as Frankenstein.
Dr. Jekyll is a professor with a good reputation and Mr. Hyde is a low-class scumbag. Like them, Banner and the Hulk show the different sides of the same person. Banner represents a calm, civilized, scientist. While the Hulk represents anger, aggression, and is often seen as simple-minded. These two show the similarity of two opposing personalities within the same individual body. Another similarity is Jekyll and Banner are both scientists, whose scientific experiments created their alter egos. Jekyll transforms into Hyde because of a potion he created and used on himself, while the Hulk was created from Banner’s exposure to gamma radiation.
Overall, I found the research that I did on this too be quite surprising. Beforehand, I didn’t know that the Hulk was in fact inspired by Jekyll and Hyde and could only see similarities. Now my question to you is can you think of any other characters that could have been inspired by Jekyll and Hyde? If so, who are they and how are they similar?
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When I was about to write my blog post I saw the title of yours and went “Wait a minute!” I was instantly intrigued, so I clicked on it and read it before I even started my own post. At first, I thought it had to be a joke, but after I read your blog, I realized that you are 100% right. Your research into the subject proves your point. I also learned something about the origins of The Incredible Hulk that I would not have known if I hadn’t read your blog post. I wouldn’t have made the connection myself between Hulk and Hyde and I think it’s great that you did. It has now changed the image in my head for Mr. Hyde though. I picture him as a green guy, even though the story says he’s a thin, normal man. It might change the feeling of the story now as I imagine a green guy terrorizing England.
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Before I comment on a post, I look at the title to see if it will interest me and this one did. Comparing the Hulk to the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is very clear after reading your post, but somehow I didn’t see it before. To answer your question on characters similar to Jekyll and Hyde, I thought of Beauty and the Beast. I believe the original story of the fairy tale was written before “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, but it shares similarities. The beast is ugly, frightening, and unlovable like Mr. Hyde- but has a chance to be restored to goodness. The prince the beast transforms into is like Dr. Jekyll, kind and handsome.
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