Since Marvel flirted with bankruptcy a while ago, various studios have taken a stab at their characters, with varying degrees of success.  Some, like Spider-Man or The X-Men, have been unequivocal successes, while others, like 2003’s “Hulk,” and the “The Fantastic Four” were profitable, though not nearly as successful.

So, why do studios keep making them?  Because when some of them are profitable, they are EXTREMELY profitable.  By way of example, first three Spider-Man films pulled in over a billion dollars at the box office.

Then there’s the Hulk, the rights for which were originally purchased by Universal Pictures.  Ang Lee, hot off of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” having never done a film like “Hulk” before, made a movie that, while not without its charms, didn’t necessarily do the character justice.

One problem was that the people who translated it to the screen–Lee, Michael France, and James Shamus–didn’t necessarily know how to relate to superheroes, or their audience.  Another was that special effects at the time weren’t quite able to create a realistic-looking creature.

This ambivalence was reflected in its box office receipts, which weren’t remarkable, though enough to warrant a sequel.

Which happened in 2007, with “The Incredible Hulk.”  This time Louis Leterrier is behind the camera, and he delivers a Hulk significantly more faithful to the character as he appears in comics, though financially it doesn’t do significantly better than Lee’s film, despite the aforementioned faithfulness and more advanced computer effects.

The rights to the character eventually reverted back to Marvel, and he was used in Joss Whedon’s “The Avengers.”  Sometimes it takes a little time for a character to gain traction, though it appears that the third time is the charm because not only was the Hulk one of the most popular characters in the film, but Mark Ruffalo’s portrayal of his alter-ego, David Banner is considered to be the strongest version of the character yet.

The Hulk has also graced the small screen at various times, though the best version of the character had a series that ran from 1977 to 1982, which starred Lou Ferrigno and Bill Bixby.

A really interesting interpretation of the character appeared on NBC’s medical dramedy, “Scrubs.”