Michael Sutton

Michael Sutton is the main antagonist of the Incredible Hulk episode, "The Snare".

He was portrayed by Bradford Dillman.

Biography
Michael Sutton was a rich game hunter who owned his own private island. He seemed to be motivated out of sadism, given that he had decided at one point, he was bored with hunting animals, and had preferred to hunt men instead. He would follow whatever man he could find and appear to them as a friendly man simply inviting them over for the night. He'd take them there in his private jet (it's unkown as to whether or not the pilot was aware of his actions). Once they'd get there, he'd take a picture of them to hang on his wall. After having dinner with them, he'd drug their drinks, causing them to fall asleep, and then take them to the hole he'd bury them in once he killed them. After waiting a while to get ready and for them to wake up, he'd begin hunting them and put them through several deadly obstacles and traps as he does so. Through each obstacle, he'd give supply them a recording machine of him giving hints as to how they can survive each obstacle. He had succeeded at least 5-10 times, and buried them in his own personal graveyard. Although he'd also supply them with food and weapons in preparation for his "game", he did not play fair. It's hinted at the end of the episode that the reason why he's so successful is because whenever someone would win, they'd go to an escape boat only to find a recording machine of Sutton congratulating them. Once the recording is finished, it blows up, killing them in the process. He was also overly fond of chess.

Michael intends to do the same thing with the protagonist, David Banner, once he finds him at an airport. Impressing David with his skills at chess, as well as winning him over with his seemingly kind nature, he invites him over to his island after David's flight has been cancelled. Once they get there, he repeats the first process of the game, by drugging him over dinner and putting him in his future grave hole, next to the graves of all of his other victims. David manages to survive the first obstacle, but is eventually caught in one of Michael's traps. This causes him to Hulk out, get out of the hole, and overpower Michael enough to escape. When he reforms back, he heads over to Michael's mansion in search of more food, only to discover that Michael had prepared for this and trapped him in his living room. Each of the doors and windows are blocked, and David has to find a key to one of them, while avoiding several other deadly traps in doing so. He's also given a time limit to find it before Michael comes in and kills him. Michael waits for the time limit to reach as he watches David searching through the door's hole, laughing as he does so. While listening to the recording Michael had placed in the room, he is given a hint as the where to key is: "When it comes to chess, I could write the book". David searches in a chess piece for the key, but to no avail. He then concludes that the key is inside a fake book of chess. He manages to get, avoiding any traps, just before Michael comes in. Michael then yells for David, telling him how impressed he was with the monster he turned into, and demands that he bring it back to fight so he can kill it.

Once Michael arms himself with tranquilizer guns and more equipment to get the job done easier, he tracks David down, only to find one of his recording machines. David had left it there, with his own recording of how Michael is not a true hunter, but a coward, given how a real hunter plays fair. Michael nearly tracks David down, but is caught in one of his traps David had arranged for him. However, he escapes it and chases him up to a cliff. David insists that the game is over, but Michael refuses to let him go until he's transformed into the beast. David refuses to do so. Michael concludes that pain is what causes him to transform, so he whips David with the intent of making him change. He succeeds in doing so, but not before David trips and yanks the whip, only to make Michael fall and get struck in the leg by one of his tranquilizers. He attempts to kill the Hulk, and is too woozy from the tranquilizer. He then falls off the cliff, into a river, and drowns. The Hulk jumps in to save him, but is too late. Once he changes back, David buries Michael in the hole that was left for him, and well as the cardboard gravestone. He crosses of his name and puts Michael's on it. He then arrives at the rescue boat, and plays the last recording machine Michael had left for him. Fortunately, he suspects something suspicious of it, and sails off in the boat as it's playing on the dock, in just enough time to get away from it before it explodes.

Trivia
It's possible that Michael selects his victims by challenging them to a game of chess, and decides to kidnapp and kill them once they beat him at his given. This may be hinted by the fact that Michael seems antagonized when David beats him before he invites him over to the island.