Following Ms. Marvel this summer, the next MCU tv show set to premiere on Disney+ will likely be She-Hulk. The show will introduce Tatiana Maslany of Orphan Black as Jennifer Walters (aka She-Hulk), Bruce Banner’s cousin who gains similar powers to him, forcing her to juggle her life as a lawyer and superhero.
With Kate Bishop set to become the second Hawkeye in Hawkeye and Sam Wilson officially taking up the shield as Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, it looks like She-Hulk will be following in those footsteps and taking over Bruce's responsibilities. While only a short teaser was released months ago, the fandom on Reddit is abuzz with theories and ideas over She-Hulk’s plot, characters, and future.
As with any new film or tv show in the MCU, fans are questioning when She-Hulk will take place. Currently, Moon Knight is supposedly set in early 2025. Interestingly, Bruce Banner was last seen in a Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings stinger, presumably still healing from the events of Avengers: Endgame. She-Hulk could be set around that time to explain his transformation back into a human.
However, u/LittleYellowFish1 suggests that “At least the origin part of the She-Hulk show will be set before the main events of Endgame.” Specifically, during the time in which Bruce was training to become Smart Hulk. This would bring into question why she wasn’t present for the final fight against Thanos (although if she was powered up – perhaps she was incapacitated by becoming She-Hulk). Regardless, it does seem likely that She-Hulk will largely be set in the respective present of 2025.
In the comics, Jennifer Walters gets into an accident and requires a blood transfusion to survive. However, a fact some new She-Hulk fans might not be aware of is that Bruce is the one to give his blood and unintentionally, his gamma-induced curse. Like her cousin, she then becomes a hulked-out version of herself, though to a different degree, largely retaining her personality and intelligence.
Some fans posit that the blood transfusion in She-Hulk could be altered, acknowledging Bruce’s return to human status. u/Significant-Heron690 claims “that Banner, for one reason or another, transfers the Hulk from himself to Jen. I think Banner is going literally give Jennifer the Hulk and lose his ability to Hulk-out going forward.” This could be partly true – though maybe not in the long run, since fans are hoping for a Ruffalo-led solo-Hulk film in the future.
The accident that forces Bruce to give her his irradiated blood comes in the form of a gunshot wound by way of crime boss Nicholas Trask – presumably no relation to Bolivar Trask who created the Sentinals to hunt down mutants. She-Hulk’s origins in the MCU will likely be altered, perhaps in a way that better links Bruce Banner to her injuries.
An important part of Jennifer Walter’s story throughout the comics is her day-to-day life as a high-profile and adept lawyer. Many fans are eager to see this translated into the MCU, hoping She-Hulk could actually be framed like a crime procedural รก la Law & Order or see her representing different iconic MCU characters.
The most likely option would be Emil Blonsky (aka Abomination), who returned to the MCU in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, thirteen years after his introduction in The Incredible Hulk. u/tvg1010 supports this theory thinking “she’s arguing he was held unlawfully. Maybe he didn’t [get snapped away], and was held w/o due process for 5 years.” While it is only six episodes long, perhaps, over several seasons, it will see Jennifer represent other characters too.
The Incredible Hulk has always been the black sheep of MCU films, rarely being referenced or acknowledged in other projects. That is until Captain America: Civil War when William Hurt returned as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, the US Secretary of State. He then continued to appear in subsequent films periodically like Avenger: Infinity War and Black Widow. Sadly, William Hurt passed away earlier this year, closing out an incredibly prolific career in entertainment.
While unlikely, some fans hope that Hurt was able to add just a little bit more to the MCU in She-Hulk. u/INFP-Ca speculates “Maybe something will happen, like Ross knows the experimentation happening with Bruce's blood so he will forcefully get it.” This could’ve set up the arrival of Red Hulk, but that’s not entirely out of the question. Perhaps if Liv Tyler was to return, she could adopt this storyline and take on the role of Red She-Hulk.
Now with Abomination having returned to the MCU, the door is wide open to other characters from The Incredible Hulk. The two most probable – although of course, dependent on the actors – are Liv Tyler as Betty Ross and Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns. Betty hasn’t been acknowledged really since The Incredible Hulk – besides saying she was a victim of Thanos’ snap in Avengers: Endgame.
As to Samuel Sterns, this seems more likely since the film’s end teases his transformation into the classic Hulk villain, the Leader. u/MyMouthisCancerous thinks “Abomination will probably be Season 1's focus while Leader might be saved for Season 2 or as a Season 1 end stinger.” This ignites hope that She-Hulk will not be a one-and-done show like WandaVision, but will have multiple seasons or lead to a solo film.
It seems likely that the Disney+ series is setting up the arrival of the Young Avengers with Wiccan, Speed, Patriot, Kid Loki, and Kate Bishop so far being introduced in some form. However, that might not be the only new team joining the MCU. Many fans believe the Thunderbolts or Dark Avengers are next. This Redditor theorizes “it's General Ross putting a team together…and would be a great way to develop the Thunderbolts.”
However, following William Hurt’s passing, it seems even more likely that it will actually be Julie Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine – introduced in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – creating this team. Already, there are several candidates including US Agent, Yelena Bolova, Ghost, Taskmaster, Baron Zemo, and Abomination. If this is to be a part of She-Hulk, it could come in the form of a stinger at the end of the season.
The legal storyline that fans hope is present throughout She-Hulk could also bring in several characters across different MCU properties. Therefore, it would be logical to assume there could be some fun and interesting cameos throughout the season. Before Charlie Cox’s return as Matt Murdock (aka Daredevil) in Spider-Man: No Way Home, some people theorized that Jennifer Walters could serve as Peter Parker’s lawyer.
However, now some are pointing to a different character, with u/hunter360ho writing “Happy gets into legal trouble and needs a lawyer that is not Daredevil...Maybe She-Hulk becomes his lawyer for an episode or two…” Along with Jon Favreau, many fans are expecting to see Charlie Cox or Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson in some form too. This would be a great way to tease the former’s supposed appearance in Echo and the revival of Daredevil.
She-Hulk lends itself to deep connectivity to other MCU characters and properties, as opposed to Moon Knight which is largely divorced from the main story. Since her creation in the comics, She-Hulk has become a popular mainstay in the world of Marvel, and fans are expecting the same treatment in the MCU. As such, it seems likely that She-Hulk will set up future team-ups whether in the show or in future films.
u/Confidence-Special specifically writes, “She-Hulk will intertwine a ton of Marvel storylines and small side characters that nobody could predict being in the MCU in legal battles.” They claim this would lead to the creation of the West Coast Avengers – or the next generation of the Avengers – with She-Hulk, Hawkeye, War Machine, Scarlet Witch, Vision, US Agent, Shang-Chi, Mighty Thor (Jane Foster), Ant-Man and Wasp going against Zemo and the Masters of Evil.
One of the most exciting elements of She-Hulk stories that fans are hoping will be implemented into She-Hulk is her tendency to break the fourth wall. She shares this with Deadpool and Gwenpool, though she’s not as crude as them. Based on the information available it seems likely that She-Hulk will feature this tactic. How they do so, however, has led to some theories.
u/enkillepanatet suggests “a scene where She-Hulk is looking at the camera to say 'You Watchers probably already know who the villain is.' Thereby referring both to us as watchers, and to the actual in-universe beings.” This would connect She-Hulk to What If…? in which Uatu the Watcher serves as narrator and active participant in the plot concurrently.
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