SciFiNow: On The Incredible Hulk And The Lonely Man

"The Lonely Man, The Incredible Hulk's most memorable theme was a melancholy piano tune that played at the end of each episode as David Banner hitchhiked to the next town. With this simple image and quiet, contemplative music, the show was able to suggest themes of regret, responsibility, guilt and isolation in the character of Banner without ever uttering a single word."

-SciFiNow #5 on the remarkable end theme, The Lonely Man, by Joe Harnell-



As a child either I was gifted with an innate sense of empathy and compassion or moments like the ones that concluded the end of each episode of The Incredible Hulk aided me in the development of those important qualities.

Was it nature or nurture? Was it both? That age old debate was in play for me each week.



Ultimately The Incredible Hulk taught us lessons about men and women regarding struggle, compassion, empathy and the idea of just what it might be like for someone to feel isolated and alone in this world. Each entry presenting the lonely man, David Banner, trying to find his place in the world, a symbol for us all.

The series always ended on this pensive and reflective note. The show was all the more beautiful for it by closing on a pensive dramatic and musical note.