In The Incredible Hulk Returns, Dr. David Banner (played by Bill Bixby) is working as a janitor at a university when he runs into a former student named Donald Blake (played by Steve Levitt). Donald has been studying Norse mythology and has discovered an ancient hammer that belonged to Thor (played by Eric Allan Kramer), the Norse god of thunder. When Donald strikes the hammer on the ground, it summons Thor to Earth, but both Donald and Thor are confused and weakened by their powers being bestowed on them again.
In the meantime, a criminal organization led by a man named David Copperfield (played by Tim Thomerson) is after the hammer, hoping to use its power for their own gain. Banner and Donald team up with Thor to stop the criminals and retrieve the hammer.
Throughout the movie, Banner struggles to keep his anger and the Hulk at bay, while also trying to help Donald and Thor understand the modern world. Meanwhile, Thor is desperate to regain his place in Asgard, but he is prevented from doing so by a curse placed on him by his father Odin. Together, the three heroes must overcome their differences and work together to save the day.
The Incredible Hulk Returns was released in 1988 and was the first television movie to feature both the Hulk and Thor. It was followed by another TV movie, The Trial of the Incredible Hulk, in which the Hulk teams up with Daredevil to clear his name of a crime he didn't commit.