Why was Banner's first name and profession changed for the 1978 television series?

Why was Banner's first name and profession changed for the 1978 television series? - Empty Bedroom Set

In the comic books, Banner's character is named Bruce Banner (from what I have read, "Robert Bruce Banner", though I'm not a diehard enough fan to know the origin of that) and he is a physicist.

I just started watching the 1978 show on Netflix, and the character's name is "David Banner", who is a physician/researcher.

Why was this change made? It doesn't seem like a trivial switch, and Stan Lee is credited as a consultant on the TV show, so it was not seemingly done to avoid any issues with copyrights.



Best Answer

The show's Wikipedia page provides a couple of possible reasons for the switch:

Johnson changed the name of the Hulk's comic book alter ego, Dr. Bruce Banner, to Dr. David Banner for the TV series. This change was made, according to Johnson, because he did not want the series to be perceived as a comic book series, so he wanted to change what he felt was a staple of comic books, and Stan Lee's comics in particular, that major characters frequently had alliterative names. According to Lou Ferrigno, it was also changed because CBS thought the name Bruce sounded "too gay-ish," a rationale that Ferrigno thought was "the most absurd, ridiculous thing I'd ever heard." On the DVD commentary of the pilot, Johnson says that it was a way to honor his son David. "Bruce" ultimately became the TV Banner's middle name, as it had been in the comics. It is visible on Banner's tombstone at the end of the pilot movie, and that footage is shown at the beginning of every episode of the series.




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How did David Banner get his name?

1995\u20132000: Beginnings and Them Firewater Boyz, Vol. Crump's stage name "David Banner" is taken from the lead character of the television series, The Incredible Hulk. With several of his friends, Banner sent some demo tapes to Jackson, Mississippi radio station, WJMI.



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More answers regarding why was Banner's first name and profession changed for the 1978 television series?

Answer 2

His name was originally just Dr. Bruce Banner. Then Stan Lee got confused and accidentally put Bob Banner in a few comics. He decided to call him Robert Bruce Banner from then so whichever he said would be right. People still knew him as mainly just Bruce though.

In the TV series they also knew him as just Bruce. The writer changed it to David in honor of his son instead. Now it has all gotten too complicated so he is just Bruce Banner and his job was different in the TV series because they didn't want to copy the comics. The TV series isn't accurate.

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