20 Revelations About The MCU From The First Two Episodes Of "She-Hulk: Attorney At Law"
We may be only two episodes into She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, but that doesn’t mean the MCU’s first fourth-wall-breaking sitcom hasn’t already offered a ton of interesting information regarding our heroes and the universe in which they live.
Marvel Studios / Disney+
With a watchful eye, this writer assembled 20 interesting new things we’ve learned about the MCU and its inhabitants in only the first pair of revelatory episodes of She-Hulk.
1.The Power of The Hulk’s Metabolism
One of the more interesting details about the Hulk’s biology revealed in the first episode of She-Hulk is that both Bruce Banner and Jennifer Walters, when in Hulk mode, have an incredibly accelerated metabolism, similar to that described by Steve Rogers in Captain America: The First Avenger after being injected with super-soldier serum. While this means that neither Banner or Walters can get blackout drunk while as their green alternate self and barely feel a thing, their human sides do end up having to deal with the massive hangover.
2.The Hulk’s Relationship with Recently Deceased Avengers is Explored
While messy copyright issues have ensured The Hulk remains a supporting player throughout the MCU’s growing roster of heroes, it has been rare to see Banner have any significant emotional moments with his fellow heroes outside of Natasha Romanoff and Thor Odinson. However, She-Hulk gives Banner an opportunity to mourn some of the characters who passed in Avengers: Endgame, including Romanoff, who he cites as one of the only people that could calm his Hulk side, and Tony Stark, whom he mourns when reminiscing about his smart-ass comments about reclaiming the laboratory. There’s even dialogue alluding to Steve Rogers potentially having passed, though that could be just vague presumptions following his alleged retirement and disappearance following Endgame.
3.The Sakaarian’s Still Have Business with The Hulk
Marvel Studios / Disney+
One of the loose threads introduced yet not resolved by the end of She-Hulk’s first episode revolves around the inciting incident of the series, as the shocking, sudden appearance of a Sakaarian spaceship causes Jen and Bruce to crash their car off the side of a steep hill. Jen seems to lose consciousness soon thereafter, and we don’t exactly know how The Hulk may have dealt with that Sakaarian ship. But one thing is for certain as indicated by the end of Episode 2: There is still unfinished business between the Sakaarians and their one-time gladiatorial champion, though no one quite knows if the Grandmaster is behind this, if he may have been sent for by Nick Fury, or if it may be a bit more complicated than anything we could imagine.
4.Super-Powered Characters Are Rapidly Surfacing
MCU Fans know that "enhanced" individuals have been joining the MCU at a rising rate thanks to the projects of Phase Four, both on television and the big screen, but a fairly monumental line is offered as a throwaway line in Episode 2 of She-Hulk, in which Walters' new employer lets slip that super-powered individuals have been emerging at a rapid rate. While I'm sure some may be posited as jokey cameos in future She-Hulk episodes, there is a chance this could be hinting to more MCU crossovers or even the debut of a new hero (perhaps even an X-Men character?).
5.The Dynamics of Legal Culpabilty in the MCU is Explored
There have been tribunals, congressional panels, accords, and other various forms of the legal system showcased in the MCU’s past, but rarely have we seen inside the courtroom and the legal process outside of the Netflix Defenders saga, especially when it comes to super-powered vigilantes. Yet, in the first two episodes of She-Hulk, we learned that there is a burgeoning branch of “superhero law,” and that the super-powered are culpable for their legal misgivings, including a brief mention of Jameela Jamil’s Titania’s outburst being triggered by traffic court violations.
6.The Nature of Banner and Walter’s Genetics Are Explained
While some may remember that Bruce Banner’s blood is infectious in nature from the 2008 Hulk film that debuted the character in the MCU, the first big revelation of She-Hulk is that, much like her cousin, Jennifer Walters' genetics are somehow predisposed to filtering the excess gamma radiation. In this sense, it seems the Banner/Walters gene pool may prevent their gamma infections from entering “monstrosity” territory, unliked Banner’s nemesis, Emil Blonsky/Abomination.
7.We Discover the Value of Bruce Banner’s Blood
While the nearly 15-year-old The Incredible Hulk discusses the valuable research that Banner does on himself off-the-grid in search of a cure, She-Hulk hammers that, despite the Hulk’s service to the universe at-large, his blood is incredibly valuable if it were to fall in the wrong hands. Whether that be a rogue HYDRA cell, a shadowy government agency, or a mad scientist hoping for Hulk powers of their own, it’s an interesting conceit to hammer home, especially considering those may seek the same from She-Hulk. It’s also important to note that The Hulk’s skin is nearly impenetrable when not in human form, which may explain why his blood has been so difficult to accrue thus far.
8.Women Have an Easier Time with Hulk Transformations
In perhaps the most widely-circulated revelation in the first episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Jennifer Walters reveals that she can adapt to the restraints of the Hulk and integrate her personality into her alter-ego seamlessly, perhaps as a result of a lifetime dealing with sexism, mansplaining, and misogyny. While this theory isn't necessarily one to be clinically tested in the series, it's a unique spin on balancing the character's personality and biology while addressing some real life torment women endure as a part of everyday life that men do not.
9.Bruce Banner’s Beachside Getaway
Where does Bruce Banner conduct his experiments now that the Avengers Campuses have been destroyed? As we find out in Episode 1 of She-Hulk, Banner has a remote laboratory-slash-tiki bar on a clandestine beach, built by Tony Stark as a “gift” of sorts. This revelation not only showcases the kind of technology to which Banner has access, but it also subtly sews in Tony’s consideration for Banner’s alter-ego, knowing that one experiment gone wrong in a more populated area could have consequences akin to those in Age of Ultron.
10.The Hulk Personality Separator Prototype
While this reveal might be this writer’s choice for “Series MacGuffin,” one of the more intriguing bits of information showcased in She-Hulk is that Bruce Banner has developed some kind of personality separation device that allowed him to keep “the big guy” at bay while he recovered from his arm injury suffered in Endgame. Though he emphasized that the device was specifically configured to his genetic data, it’s too big of a reveal to be discarded so quickly, and there’s a good chance this type of device will play a part in future Hulk shenanigans, whether it be in She-Hulk or elsewhere.
11.We Meet Titania, a Super-Powered Influencer
Speaking of Titania, though she is largely absent from the second episode of She-Hulk, the premiere ends with her briefly battling with Jennifer Walters, who reveals herself to the world. Dressed in a decidedly extra costume and causing a ruckus, Titania’s explosive first impression shows the character as a strong yet inept super-powered individual who is later revealed to be a well-known social media influencer.
12.She-Hulk Takes Place Adjacent to Shang-Chi
Marvel Studios
At the beginning of She-Hulk, some MCU fans were somewhat confused about where exactly in the chronology of Marvel that the series takes place, though we know that it’s some point after Tony’s death and Hulk’s Snap-related injury in Avengers: Endgame. However, the revelation of Abomination’s prize-fighting at the end of Episode 2 suggests that She-Hulk takes place during the events of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
13.She-Hulk may have accidentally complicated the MCU’s Phase Four timeline
Marvel Studios
While the MCU usually does a solid job of ensuring all of their details line up, the suggestion that She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Shang-Chi happens simultaneously provides some serious potential issues with the Phase Four timeline: Why is Bruce Banner in human form and still recovering from his arm injury at the end of Shang-Chi when his arm is effectively healed and he’s reverted back to “Smart Hulk” in She-Hulk? If the video is new, why is the Macau fight club still up-and-running after the attack from the Ten Rings and Xu Xialing’s ascension to the leader of the Ten Rings? And does this mean She-Hulk and Shang-Chi both happen prior to Ms. Marvel, considering the post-credit scene of that series brings Carol Danvers back to Earth?
14.The Department of Damage Control has a Super-Prison
Marvel Studios / Disney+
Previously in the MCU, supervillains (or heroes defying the Sokovia Accords) were imprisoned in The Raft, an inescapable ocean-set prison colony. However, She-Hulk revealed that the Department of Damage Control, a federal agency that is growing as an antagonistic force in the MCU after Spider-Man: No Way Home and Ms. Marvel, has its own maximum-security prison, in which Emil Blonsky (aka Abomination) is currently imprisoned.
15.The Abomination is Seemingly Rehabilitated since The Incredible Hulk
Marvel Studios / Disney+
It appears that Jennifer Walters' defense of Emil Blonsky will be one of the major through-lines in upcoming episodes of She-Hulk, but it also appears that Blonsky has since been legitimately rehabilitated, or at least so he'd have you think. Not only does his philosophy match his behavior, having reportedly apologized to Bruce Banner specifically, but if we're remembering his appearance in Shang-Chi, it almost appears that Abomination and Wong had a seemingly friendly backstage interaction, which may give credence to Blonsky's dubious claims of pacifism.
16.Super Powered Individuals are Still Stigmatized After the Blip
Marvel Studios / Disney+
One of the primary cruxes of She-Hulk's second episode is the professional and personal ramifications of revealing her Hulk nature, which lands her a mistrial and blackballs her from nearly every law firm while she is otherwise labeled as a hero among the general public. Many MCU projects revolve around hiding one's powers, including Spider-Man: No Way Home, but She-Hulk really doubles down on telling viewers that being a superhero can be a blight on their alter-egos in the MCU, even after those with powers helped to reverse the Blip and kill Thanos for good.
17.The Abomination Provides a More Complicated Villain POV in the MCU
Marvel Studios / Paramount Pictures
The MCU has always gone above and beyond to try to paint (some) of their villains as people beyond traditional mustache-twirling evil, from giving Thanos a warped yet tangible morality to having Baron Zemo have an incredibly personal motivation to destroy the Avengers. In this sense, Emil Blonsky provides his take on the events of The Incredible Hulk, painting himself as someone who was drugged and manipulated by a government that was quick to turn its back on him despite only following orders. It's an interesting, if somewhat deceptive, point of view, and only time will tell if it pays off in the courtroom.
18.There Are Abomination Followers in the Greater MCU
Marvel Studios / Disney+
If Emil Blonsky's words are to be trusted, there's another potentially concerning bit about his imprisonment on the horizon: his philosophy of peace and love has worked on a number of "pen pals" who are offering him a community and shelter upon his release from prison. This could be planting the seeds for a number of things, but I'd have to assume that these may be potential henchmen or other super-powered individuals ready to help Blonsky escape (for good) should a jury of his peers attempt to send him back behind bars.
19.Jennifer Walters’ Family Stinks
Marvel Studios / Disney+
In Episode 2 of She-Hulk, we finally get to meet the Walters Family...and they're the absolute worse, grilling and ridiculing Jennifer Walters at every corner. While her father does initiate an intimate talk that helps to remedy the situation in a bittersweet fashion, even he proves to be a bit of a manipulative SOB, as the post-credit scenes reveal he tasked his daughter to now complete labor-intensive chores in her Hulk-Visage.
20.It’s Confirmed: Steve Rogers Is Not a Virgin
Marvel Studios / Disney+
In the most jaw-dropping revelation from She-Hulk, a running gag about Steve Rogers' goody-two-shoes mentality and timeline in becoming Captain America ends up paying off in the final beat of Episode 1, in which Banner lets slip that Rogers did, in fact, lose his virginity, much to Jennifer Walters' jubilant surprise.
