The fourth episode of Ms. Marvel just dropped and brought with it quite a lot of Kamala’s heritage and family history; not to mention some quality action sequences and Marvel Cinematic Universe world-building. But apart from the gradual exploration of what the series has dubbed the Noor Dimension, Ms. Marvel also debuted a connection to a future MCU project. In fact, it looks like a potentially major element of She-Hulk: Attorney At Law has had the foundation laid for it.
While the Department of Damage Control’s presence has faded since the first two Ms. Marvel episodes, their role in the story has carried on in a more subtle way. At the end of Episode 3, the DODC took the Clandestines into custody after the wedding fight. In Episode 4, we see the follow-up to that, as the Clandestine escape being brought into the DODC Supermax Prison. While we do not see any main area of the prison, we do see a shot of the outside of it. As it turns out, the DODC Supermax was the prison complex seen in the She-Hulk trailer.
By showing up in multiple projects, the Supermax has essentially been established as being a significant element in the MCU. While we got a taste of the Raft in Captain America: Civil War, that high-security prison has not been used since. The fact that the Supermax is run by the DODC is important for a few reasons. First, it means that, unlike the Raft, there is nothing secretive about it—it appears to be on land and is extremely visible and accessible.
Second, it means that the DODC is likely here to stay as an ongoing source of law enforcement and a thorn in the sides of superpowered people. This confirms the message in the second episode of Ms. Marvel that Damage Control is on a mission to target and incarcerate enhanced people. To what extent is unclear—surely some supers are allowed to operate, but we may find out more in She-Hulk.
Jennifer Walters, aka She-Hulk, is an attorney who specializes in superhuman law. We know from the She-Hulk trailer that she will deal with people like Emil Blonsky, otherwise known as Abomination. While we do not know for sure where Blonksy is being held, the DODC Supermax is now the top candidate. Practicing superhuman law requires either representing or suing superhumans. A great place to find clients or targets, then, would be a building where a bunch of superhumans is being held prisoner for alleged crimes.
So what do we know about the DODC Supermax Prison so far? Not a lot, aside from the fact that it is operated by the DODC. We can assume some relatively high-profile people, like Abomination, are there. If it is a sort of catch-all prison like it seems to be, a wide variety of supervillains should pass through. Despite being a Supermax prison, it clearly has terrible security. The Clandestine essentially walked out of that place. Plus, it is almost a given that prison breaks will pop up at least every now and again.
The first four episodes of Ms. Marvel are now streaming on Disney+.
