Marvel Two-In-One #46
Battle in Burbank!
Furious that the Hulk has been given his own television series, the Thing decides to go to Hollywood and try to talk the studio into making a show based on the Thing. Meanwhile, elsewhere, Bruce Banner himself sees that a television show based on his alter ego causes him to change into the Hulk. Furious that there is a television show about him, the Hulk also heads towards Hollywood as well.
While the Thing tries to talk to a studio exec about getting his own show, the Hulk arrives and goes on a rampage. After a battle with the Thing, the studio exec agrees to not make the Hulk look stupid on television (satisfying the Hulk to leave) and agrees to give the Thing his own show. However, Ben gets more than he bargains for when he realizes that the program is called "Thing in the Family" and turns out to be a poorly conceived sit-com.
Recurring Characters
Thing, Hulk, Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Human Torch), Howard the Duck, Willie Lumpkin, Karen Page
Continuity Notes
This issue references The Incredible Hulk television series which aired from 1977-1982. Unlike most other TV Shows and movies referenced in the Marvel Universe, other forms of Marvel entertainment are not subject to the Sliding Timescale of the Earth-616 universe. Incidentally, the events of that Television series all take place in their own unique universe designated Earth-400005.
The Hulk remembers where Hollywood is, this issue references Incredible Hulk #4 where the Hulk crashed the set of a movie that was in production.
Hulk bemoans the attention he had gotten since Dollar Bill made a documentary about the Defenders and sold it to a television station in Defenders #62, publicly revealing the group to the world for the first time.
The Thing hopes he doesn't find the sort of trouble the last time he was in Hollywood. This is a reference to Fantastic Four #196 when the Fantastic Four had to battle a mind-controlled Reed Richards disguised as the Invincible Man was part of a larger revenge scheme cooked up by their old foe Doctor Doom.
The Hulk is shown crashing through the set of a M*A*S*H television series. M*A*S*H* Aired from 1972 to 1983. This should be considered a topical reference relative to the era of publication per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616.
Karen Page mentions that she has been "threatened by experts", this is a reference to the fact that while she was employed by and later dated attorney Matt Murdock (between Daredevil #1-86). Since Murdock was secretly Daredevil, she was regularly imperiled by his rogue's gallery.
The Thing's TV show "Thing in the Family" is a parody of the television series All in the Family which aired on television from 1971 to 1979. Depicted as the father in this sit-com is actor Carroll O'Connor, this should also be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale.
Although the Thing doesn't get his promised TV show in this story, he does find himself appearing in other film and television productions later. His life was adapted into a television series called Monster Man as seen in Marvel Two-In-One #78. There are at least two Cartoons based on the adventures of the Fantastic Four that Ben is aware of as seen in Fantastic Four #209 and 396 respectively. Ben is also later part of a film adaptation of Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur as seen in Thing #31.
