Billed as a legal comedy and delivered pretty much along those lines, She-Hulk: Attorney AtLaw didn’t seem like the type of show that would have far-ranging implications for the landscape of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, with one episode left to go, it seems that quite a bit of potential has been packed into these shorter episodes. Bruce Banner has left the planet for personal business on Sakaar; Jen’s blood has fallen into the hands of the HulkKing; and a man is running around in a frog suit! As big of a deal as Leap-Frog might seem to have been in Episode 8, “Ribbit and Rip It”, another revelation might end up being a bigger factor down the line.
During Jen’s brief and slightly embarrassing court battle with Matt Murdock, Murdock casually revealed that the Sokovia Accords, which have governed the vigilantism of superheroes since the United Nations adopted them in 2016 following the events in Lagos, Nigeria, have been repealed. The Accords were intended to put an end to the unsanctioned acts of powered individuals and groups, such as the Avengers, by establishing an agreed-upon set of regulations.
The Accords have been addressed in several projects over the years after having been established in Captain America: Civil War. WandaVision saw a government agency defy them and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, which was set in 2024, saw them on display in the Smithsonian. So while they might have seemed like a relic of the Infinity Saga, they’ve been kept alive for a reason before being tossed out there again in She-Hulk, which is set in 2025. What good comes from keeping them on the minds of the audience, though, when they’ve largely been ignored since their creation? The answer might be in the fine print.
By signing the Accords, heroes agreed to a whole mess of things, including:
providing a DNA sample
revealing their secret identities/legal names
power analysis
the use of tracking bracelets
The Accords also prohibited governments from sending powered heroes to other countries without the approval of that country; outlawed the creation of self-aware AIs; outlawed the creation of further superhumans without strict oversight.
For a line that was interjected into the middle of a fairly fast-paced bit of dialogue by Murdock, the revelation that the Accords no longer govern not only the actions of powered individuals but the CREATION of them seems incredibly important given the fact that Jen’s “better blood” is in the hands of, presumably, the Intelligencia which, presumably, is lead by The Leader. With The Leader recently announced as the villain of Captain America: NewWorld Order, Jen’s tease of a Red Hulk and the long-standing rumors of her blood being used to create multiple Hulks that might face off in a World War Hulk project, the fact that there are now no universally accepted regulations on how to handle these types of situations seems like it is setting the stage for chaos to ensue…and a new order to be established.
As for episode 7, and much the previous week’s, there were a few new takes on less known comic characters. This time we got Man-Bull, El Águila, and Porcupine introduced into the MCU, all of which were already the focus of individual features by our own John Sabato. Taking a deep dive into how these characters were adapted to the small screen makes little sense now, so we decided to focus on three other villains with whom She-Hulk has a history that might end up getting adapted themselves in the future. Especially considering both present and future events within the overall MCU.
RED SHE-HULK
Red She-Hulk #66 (2013)
With the increased relevance to the MCU’s future that The Incredible Hulk has managed to gain in the past few months, with The Abomination coming back, and Tim Blake Nelson set to return as The Leader in Captain America: New World Order, it’s probably not that big of a stretch to think of a possible Red She-Hulk appearance down the line. Especially given how that particular movie will probably explore a potential explosion of Hulks in the MCU.
Even if the MCU’s Red Hulk might not turn out to be Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, due to the passing of the great William Hurt, why not bring back another character from the first Hulk outing, thus allowing Betty Ross to become Red She-Hulk?
Red She-Hulk #67 (2013)
Red She-Hulk shares many of her father Red Hulk’s abilities, including superhuman strength, which enables her to take on both the Hulk and She-Hulk. She can pierce even the thickest and most resistant skin with her razor-sharp claws and talons. Unlike her father, she can produce energy blasts, which she might use to devastating effect. Though this was only for a brief period in the comics, she could fly and had theoretically limitless strength in her form as the Harpy. She also could come to own her “big ass sword” that was initially presented to the Red She-Hulk during the “Fear Itself” storyline and was crafted by Tony Stark using Stark Industries repulsor technology and enchanted uru metal (the same material Mjölnir is made of) from the Real Eternal, Asgard.
ABSORBING MAN
She-Hulk #23 (2007)
With Titania becoming such a big focus point in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and with the apparentease with which superpowered people now show up in the MCU, why not bring someone close to her that also happens to have a history with She-Hulk? Absorbing Man fits the bill.
She-Hulk #23 (2007)
Crusher Creel, who we’ve already seen on the small screen in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., played by Brian Patrick Wade) has the power to imitate the matter and strength of anybody or anything nearby thanks to a mysterious potion. Most frequently, he duplicates the qualities of anything he touches, including solids, liquids, gases, and even energy sources. Over time, he learned tochoosewhichsubstancestoabsorb,andeven how to absorb multiple substances at once and combine their properties. During one of his encounters with She-Hulk, she realized that he could only ignore certain materials’ qualities if it wasn’t abundant. But drowning him in something that would be detrimental to his physical condition could then turn his powers, which could allow him to be the most powerful villain in the entire Marvel Universe, into weaknesses.
UNUM
She-Hulk: Cosmic Collision #1 (2008)
Another interesting foe that could come up against Jennifer Walters, is Unum. The cosmic entity Enmity (one of the Seven Friendless, a group of seven cosmic creatures) basically assembled the being Unum from the remains of many extraordinarily potent dead entities, including Dormammu. The Latin phrase “e Pluribus Unum” which means “out of many, one” is where the name of this enormous entity originates.
What makes her especially interesting in the context of the MCU is that Unum was established with the sole intent of eliminating all heroes, but initially focusing on female heroes, something that could lead down a compelling path in terms of storyline and real-world analogies. Unum was essentially invincible, but She-Hulk managed to defeat it and as a result of the revelation that Enmity was only using her as a tool for amusement, the mighty Unum turned against her creator, destroying her physical form, and committing suicide.
She-Hulk: Cosmic Collision #1 (2008)
It’s doubtful any of these characters might show up in the final two She-Hulk: Attorney at Law episodes, considering how Daredevil and perhaps even The Leader could be making appearances. But with Jen’s story continuing beyond the show, and with the series making it clear that no character of off limits, it shouldn’t take long for her rogues’ gallery to expand significantly in the not-so-far future. Either with these or other characters.
The first seven She-Hulk: Attorney at Law episodes are now streaming on Disney+.
After finishing the seventh episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, it is extremely natural to wonder—what is this show? For a series billed as a legal comedy, there certainly is no particular plethora of legal plotlines. In Episode 7, for example, there are none at all. For a “superhero show”, there can be a stunning lack of superheroics. So what is She-Hulk? That may not be an easy question to answer, but the series has a personality that connects everything at its core; that is not a given for most series. In any event, it is genuinely hard to care about picking apart every ounce of She-Hulk when Episode 7 was everything a reasonable person could want.
Some of the biggest, deepest laughs of She-Hulk come from this episode without a doubt. The level of comedy the series attained in some of its earlier, more legal-heavy episodes returns in a very different form. In a universe and franchise so focused on action, adventure, and high-concept stories, any person that has the capacity to feel joy can appreciate some D-list supervillains in group therapy helping out the protagonist get over a guy who did not text her back. That premise is absurd, and it can only work in a very specific context. Luckily, She-Hulk provides that context.
Nothing could be said about Episode 7 without emphasizing how amazing the supporting cast of characters is. Obviously, Tim Roth’s Emil Blonsky makes a welcome return after his last appearance in Episode 3 to continue the “Abomaste” gag. And while various legal cases brought out some interesting figures in the past, such as Donny Blaze, Mr. Immortal, or the shape-shifting light elf, Episode 7 absolutely knocks it out of the park. Man-Bull, El Águila, Porcupine, Saracen, Wrecker, and Blonksky all come through as colorful characters. The fact that such a group got to spend most of its time together and interacting with one another is simply a unique experience in the Marvel universe, which allows She-Hulk to bring out the inherent humor of corny comic book characters in a safe space both literally and figuratively.
A major theme running through She-Hulk is that Jen is constantly losing. Sure, she is a functional Hulk and landed a snazzy job, but episode after episode has emphasized that Jen the human is not enough. Her dating life is perhaps the prime example of that, and the episode’s focus on Josh building her up and then letting her down just hammered that theme more. The “twist” that Josh is actually a villain was perhaps one of the most obvious reveals, so it was smart that her emotions stemming from the rejection were in the spotlight while the dramatic reveal was only given a few seconds in the end. It was refreshing to see Jen get a personal “win” this episode when she has her emotional breakthrough at the Blonksy retreat with the friendly help of some memorable characters with their own identity struggles. In fact, self-identity seemed to be the core issue tying all of those people together in one way or another.
Since Jen now knows, apparently, that “Jen is great” alongside She-Hulk, perhaps that is the audience’s cue to prepare for less self-growth and more plot resolution going forward. Granted, there are only two episodes left in the season, so that may not be hard to guess. But it does potentially give away what kind of place Jen will be mentally when she has to eventually deal with the invisible HulkKing villain (to the extent She-Hulk itself will actually deal with a potential explosion of Hulks in the MCU), as well as when she inevitably comes across Charlie Cox’s Daredevil. Doubtless, many have suffered in agony for seven weeks with no Daredevil, but at least they can be grateful the show may combine them when Jen/She-Hulk is at her best.
Episode 6 presented itself as a tricky one when it came to finding a strong enough connection to She-Hulk comics. Both Mr. Immortal and Intelligencia had a somewhat meaningful presence in it but were already the focus of a couple of features from the past week. It was then time for something different. And much like Jen herself stated, in the starting sequence, that episode 6 was a “self-contained wedding episode”, why not try and make this a self-contained P2S feature? If an engagement featured in a She-Hulk comic can also be referenced, then that’s enough to justify the option. Let’s go with that.
Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episode 6
Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episode 6
In 1989 Marvel published a two-part story entitled She-Hulk: Ceremony, that focused on Jen and Wyatt Wingfoot getting engaged. In the midst of it all both also had to help stop a madman attempting a mystical world conquest. Much as She-Hulk: Attorney at Law tries to focus on the comedic side of the character, this was a story that was initially intended to be a romantic comedy. But what began with the best of intentions turned out to be one of Marvel’s most clumsy attempts at giving feminism a much-needed spotlight.
She-Hulk: Ceremony #2 (1990)
The basic plot goes a little something like this:
While watching a TV soap opera, She-Hulk feels the need to become a mother. She decides to look for something to fill that “void she has discovered in her life” because she “feels empty.” In a baffling decision, she somehow sees her ex-boyfriend Wyatt Wingfoot (who she briefly dated when She-Hulk was a member of the Fantastic Four) as the only one who can help her. Wingfoot, a native American, is just beginning his legal education while still residing in the Baxter Building and is utterly shocked by being approached by Jen and being asked to father her children out of the blue.
By trying to appease the usual rom-com structure and conflicts, the story also ended up following the same clichés the genre usually features. She-Hulk thus ended up being portrayed as extremely bashful and uneasy about sharing her thoughts, very much unlike her usual honest, straightforward, and forthright character when it comes to her emotions. Another characterization that seems incredibly outdated is how the comic shows Jen as being very ambivalent regarding the right to choose to have an abortion or not, something she clearly states following a bomb threat at a local abortion clinic. This sort of tactlessness when it came to her character perhaps only came second to the disrespect towards native American culture with it being depicted in the most stereotypical fashion, filled with mystical nonsense, reducing it to a caricature.
In the end, and after finally defeating the big bad, Carlton Beatrice, Jen and Wyatt realize that they weren’t really in love with each other. They become aware that their engagement was (at least primarily) a result of a mystical basket (the story’s McGuffin) connecting them. They choose to separate with Jen making use of her legal expertise to assist in recovering Wyatt’s Keewazi Reservation which had been affected by the entire ordeal.
What does this have to do with She-Hulk: Attorney at Law? Not much. There’s Jen, there’s She-Hulk, there’s the idea of a wedding, there are fights and lots of nonsense (both the good and the wrong kind). But what ultimately sticks when revisiting such a story is just how much She-Hulk eventually evolved into a proper Marvel feminist icon, and how the Marvel Studios’ show manages to address several of the same issues in a much more respectful and gracious manner. With the show having such a strong sense of self-awareness, explicitly criticizing the misogynistic trends that, particularly on social media, surround female superheroes and female-led initiatives, She-Hulk has indeed come a long way in what it can add, as a character, to not to what comics and TV are concerned, but more importantly to the general discourse.
Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episode 6
Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episode 6
The first six episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law are now streaming on Disney+.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law has now revealed two-thirds of its nine-episode season. While Episode 6 was a proclaimed “self-contained wedding episode,” it was actually one of the most significant episodes in the series’ second act in terms of moving the ball. Albeit through teases, the serious end game of She-Hulk is becoming somewhat more clear despite the insistence that each week is unique to itself. The sixth episode was strong in the same areas the show has been strong: humor, absurdity, and Tatiana Maslany. But its ending cannot help but signpost that the series’ third act may be drastically different from what we have seen.
First, the wedding plot was enjoyable, and it managed to incorporate several different unrelated elements into one space. Of course, Jen’s delicate relationship to herself as She-Hulk is prominent, but her dating life, professional success, and feelings of not being recognized or valued enough all play a major role. On top of that, Titania manages to stay involved, fan-favorite cousin Ched gets more screentime, and Patti Harrison is just a general gift in pretty much any project.
What was perhaps most interesting about the wedding stems from the fact that it remained noticeably vague and we have not seen it end. Of course, the mysterious guy Jen connects with seems to be a prime candidate for Thunderball, the member of the Wrecking Crew we met in Episode 3. The fact that he seems to know the wedding party raises interesting questions as to who else in Jen’s life is in on the ultimate scheme to get her blood. The actual groom of the wedding was never revealed or shown, so it seems like there is a strong chance that the reveal could be significant. Still, if it is a “self-contained” episode, that would imply the wedding plot does not have much more to it, but yet it absolutely seems as though several major villains are lurking (or, in Titania’s case, very openly present) in the event.
Given that it seems obvious that getting Jen’s blood is the goal of the mysterious “super” villain behind the scenes of She-Hulk, Titania is shaping up to be quite the assistant for the more scientifically-associated (“Science Villain”) teased villain. Titania has her own personal grudge against Jen (and their battle was almost comics-worthy), but her presence at the suspicious wedding suggests that she may also be in on a larger plot. It is in Titania’s comic book nature to work with other villains, including the Wrecking Crew. In her comic book origin story, she was more or less created by Dr. Doom. Perhaps the Science Villain is who gave her her superstrength in the first place. And if, as the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe seems to hint at, the Science Villain is all about hulks, what is to say Titania is not a result of related experiments?
The speculation of who the Science Villain could be at this point is relatively mundane given the eventual return of Tim Blake Nelson as The Leader in Captain America: New World Order, but She-Hulk could always surprise. Of course, fans are still anxiously awaiting Daredevil’s arrival, and how he will fit in is still somewhat mysterious. Will he be mostly in a legal plot, or will he be a major force in helping Jen take on the final threat? It could be both, but one thing is certain—Charlie Cox is not in this episode. In any event, despite some posturing, it is hard to imagine that She-Hulk does not have significant ramifications on the wider universe after the end of the series. Even just the fact that Jen leaves a voicemail for space Bruce is making a point about other huge stories going on in this series’ orbit.
Outside of the main agenda, the B-plot with Mr. Immortal was the type of charming that only She-Hulk can deliver. It gave Nikki and Mallory more time to shine in their own rights, and Nikki as a character seems to consistently deliver more each episode. The series is able to tap into strange, funny, and out-of-pocket concepts from the comics without having to make a major statement on the MCU. In another project, the introduction of Mr. Immortal might have had greater ramifications. Here, it was a way to send a teasing love note to the type of source material that mostly does not make it into live-action. Still, the amount of superhumans occupying Earth-616 is clearly vastly more than anyone would have guessed before She-Hulk, and that may still have at least indirect implications going into Phases 5 and 6.
As She-Hulk finishes its second act, it is only clear that its own universe is expanding rapidly. While it still at times feels inconsistent or choppier than needed given the episodic structure, it delivers a unique charm and experience that no other MCU project has, and it does so through its overall tone but also its little details. Enjoying comicbook-y material, having multiple developed women characters, diving into humor a bit off-kilter than the MCU is used to, and taking an incredibly fun and bold swing at the series all pay off for She-Hulk. Those elements are as present in Episode 6 as ever. Still, it is a disservice to not call out the “self-contained wedding episode” as being one of the most plot-fluid episodes yet. The real villains are about to appear, and the superhero part of this MCU show is surely about to take off with it.
Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episode 1
Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episode 1
We had already gotten a quick glimpse of her on the show’s premiere, only for She-Hulk to bring her down with a single punch as she raided a courtroom. This, so far, has been the only actual physical confrontation between the two on Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. As for the comics, the story has been quite different as it is Titania’s strength and endurance that have propelled her into becoming one of She-Hulk’s lifelong adversaries.
Secret Wars #3 1984
When a cosmic being known as the Beyonder whisked Marvel’s best fighters to a mysterious realm known as Battleworld during the catastrophic events of Secret Wars, Titania (then Mary MacPherran) saw her life forever changed. She was unintentionally included in the group, just a regular citizen who had grown up being teased by peers for being from a low-income household and diminutive in stature. She and her buddy Marsha are then sent to Battleworld after making up a connection with Spider-Woman when Doctor Doom eventually finds them stuck there. He promises to equip them with cutting-edge alien technology in exchange for their participation in his army, which he intends to use to battle the Marvel superheroes on Battleworld. Once they agree, both of them undergo transformations: Mary becomes significantly taller and gains superhuman strength, endurance, and durability; Marsha can turn her entire body into blazing plasma.
Following this, the two of them change their names to Titania and Volcana, respectively, and join forces with Doctor Doom to become villains. Titania then battles She-Hulk for the first time, achieving a rare win that would later develop into a protracted conflict between them.
As for the show, and per the initial casting call when the character was referred to as Lucy, Titania is described as a glamorous Social Media influencer, a Kardashian-type if you may. Her origin is bound to differ from the comics’ since we’re still a few years away from the events of Secret Wars, with little to no guarantee that the upcoming movie will even play out in a way similar to the 1984 comic run where Titania made her debut.
Although her super-human strength appears to still play a big role in her character, she has found other ways in which to confront Jen. According to Jameela Jamil, who plays her on-screen, her biggest superpower might actually be “being annoying.”
Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episode 5
Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episode 5
Titania stands out because I think she’s the most annoying of them, actually. I think she almost doesn’t need to use her strength; she could just annoy you to death…and I think that is a superpower that we haven’t really utilized enough. She’s also very glamorous… and I like the fact that she’s completely unselfconscious. She’s completely unselfconscious and so, so weird.
Jameela Jamil
With Tatania deciding to face off with She-Hulk in a court of law instead of going the more traditional route of punching herself out of a situation, the series has deprived itself of the more action-orientated approach the comics usually go for, but the outcome of said decision is likely going to make her rethink strategy. With four episodes to go, and given the relevance given to the character, it’s perhaps pretty likely that a brawling face-off is in the cards, even if Titania doesn’t quite feel as the big bad the series has been teasing for a while.
Secret Wars #7 1984
The first five episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law are now streaming on Disney+.
With Charlie Cox’s MCU as Daredevil in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law just a few weeks away, hype is at an all-time high, especially given his recent appearance and subsequent interviews at D23 Expo 2022 in Anaheim. At the event, fans were shown a Hall D23 exclusive clip of Daredevil interacting on a rooftop with Jen Walters. The clip showcased a new take on the character as well as a new look: a yellow and red costume.
The yellow costume pays homage to the one worn by the character in 1964’s Daredevil #1 and has been teased in promotional material for the show. It’s also something fans of the character have been asking to see in live-action for some time now and has been the topic of social media talk in the months since it was first seen in the trailer for She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. As it turns out, fans aren’t the only ones excited about the yellow suit.
In an interview with Rotten Tomatoes, Cox detailed his emotions when he first learned he’d be wearing the classic suit in his appearance on She-Hulk.
I got to go to LA to go to a fitting and I walk in and the suit is hanging there but then there’s a drawing on the wall and it has the gold and red. And I was like, “no way.” It’s funny because when you play the character this long, you’re emotionally connected to the fans’ response. So you see something like that and it means something to you, but you know what it means…what it’s gonna mean. You start to have a sense of how people are going to respond to that.
Cox, who has been playing Daredevil since 2015 and who returned to the character after a long hiatus, is not only a fan favorite but also seems to clearly love the role and appreciate what it means to the massive fanbase that’s been built up over the years. With at least two future appearances set in stone for the character, it’ll be fun to see what other Daredevil costumes Cox gets to suit up in over the next several years.
Daredevil can be seen in an upcoming episode of She-Hulk: Attorney At Law ahead of an appearance in 2023’s Echo and 2024’s Daredevil: Born Again.
In a few weeks, Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock/Daredevil will make his highly anticipated appearance in Marvel Studios’ streaming series, She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. General audiences have seen footage of The Man Without Fear in teasers, trailers, and Episode 5 of the series, “Mean, Green and Straight Poured into These Jeans”, ended with a glimpse of Ol’ Hornhead’s new hornhead, getting fans primed for his eventual entrance. And while Murdock has already appeared in one MCU project in the past year, his brief cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home didn’t give fans enough time to get a sense of who he is. That’s all about to change and it’s a foregone conclusion that a whole lot of fans aren’t going to like it.
Reading between the lines-hell, just reading the lines-of everything anyone associated with She-Hulk: Attorney At Law has had to say about Daredevil appearing in the show, it’s clear that Marvel Studios, who regained the live-action rights to the character just a couple of years ago, is rebooting the character in a way that seems to knock the three season of the Netflix series off the required viewing list. It’s not to say fans of Daredevil can’t still enjoy the show and that new fans couldn’t watch it and glean some important information from it. It’s just that this doesn’t seem to be the EXACT SAME Matt Murdock.
Marvel Studios is smart here to let this play out on screen without ever giving a definitive answer because it allows them to both keep the conversation alive (all publicity is good publicity) and to “keep” the parts of the story built on Netflix that they like attached to the character, if only in the minds of the people who watched it. So much as they did with Peter Parker, they probably won’t redo the whole origin story and new fans will just get a condensed version of how this seemingly ordinary, blind lawyer ended up as a ninja with supersenses. However, when the character appears on She-Hulk in a few weeks, it’ll start to become pretty obvious that this version has some different bells and whistles.
As part of the Marvel Studios Showcase at D23 Expo 2022, fans were treated to an exclusive first look at a scene from the DD episode of She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. The scene, involving Jen as Jen and Matt as an All-New, All-Different Daredevil, complete in his brand new mustard yellow suit, took place on a rooftop and instantly gave the audience the visual equivalent of the new car smell. Everything about Cox’s performance from his demeanor to his cadence, to the flirtatious nature of his interactions with Jen felt intentionally different. It’s not to say Cox never smiled or had a good time playing the character on Netflix; it’s more that he’s playing the character with a different bent here and one that tonally fits what fans have come to know about She-Hulk.
And it’s not just Cox’s delivery that’s different. It’s more nuanced and detailed than that. His movements, his body language and, most notably, the Man Without Fear front flip he does off the top of the building as the scene comes to a close all look and feel brand new. Other than the piss poor handling of The Hand, one of the most frustrating things about the Netflix series was the lack of high-flying, acrobatics. For a character known as, you know, Daredevil, he didn’t do much Daredeviling. Doing some light somersaulting across a rooftop is a long way from the character’s comic book roots and in a 2-minute clip, Marvel Studios managed to get more thrilling acrobatics in than I remember in 3 seasons. That’s not to say he didn’t do any high-flying bits in Daredevil, there were maybe 5 spread out over the years, it’s just to say that it certainly wasn’t a big part of who that character was. Add that to the fancy flip that fans have seen in promo material for the show and you have reason to believe that Marvel Studios is going to make that a part of their DD’s toolbox.
It’s a hard argument to make, especially since his new costume seems to be nothing more than a repainted version of his old costume and that it is the same actor wearing it. And maybe it’s not an argument worth making based on a 2-minute clip, but everything in that clip FEELS like an incredibly intentional effort to let fans know that while this is the character they know and love, it’s not exactly the character they know and love.
Ultimately, Cox’s one-episode and change appearance in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law may not provide enough evidence to definitively say whether or not this MCU version of the character really is an All-New, All-Different Daredevil. That might be something that isn’t entirely clear until his longer appearance in Echo ahead of his own 18-episode series, Daredevil: Born Again. It also might be something that’s never made crystal clear. However, what is clear is that when everyone sees Cox’s performance in She-Hulk, it’s going to cause quite the stir on social media and message boards, because no matter how hard people want to hold on to what they love, this appearance looks like it’ll sound the death knell for the canonical relevance for the Netflix version of the character, which may die a slow death over several years.
Perhaps the most unexpected development to come out of D23’s Marvel panel was the reveal that Tim Blake Nelson would return as Samuel Sterns for Captain America: New World Order. Better known as “The Leader”, Sterns is traditionally a Hulk villain, and hasn’t been seen since he made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in The Incredible Hulk over a decade ago. Tim Roth‘s surprising comeback as Emil Blonsky in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, another famous Hulk baddie thought to be forgotten by Marvel Studios, had given fans hope that Nelson may also show his face again, but nobody seemed to suspect that Captain America would be the franchise he’d do it in. Now that it’s confirmed to be the case, the casting begs a very serious question – why would The Leader be the main antagonist in a Captain America movie?
Rumors swirled for a long time that Marvel had plans to revive the Hulk franchise with an adaptation of either World War Hulk or World War Hulks, two very different comic arcs with very similar names. A recent episode of She-Hulk sent Mark Ruffalo‘s Bruce Banner back to space and gave credence to the former title, in which the untimely destruction of Sakaar leads the Hulk to wage all-out war on Earth and its heroes, but the unveiling of Leader’s looming threat at D23 implies the MCU might secretly be on track to adapt the latter. The villain has a long history of attempting to manipulate gamma radiation as a means of molding the future in his image, and World War Hulks is one of his best efforts. As part of a supervillain group known as the “Intelligencia”, essentially the evil version of the Illuminati, Sterns plotted to create an army of Hulks that would help him and his cohorts take over the world. Although the phrase “New World Order ” is typically used when discussing much deeper, more political topics – something it would make sense for a Captain America film to cover – it is possible that Marvel Studios is using the name as a minor misdirect. In fact, it might actually make more sense if the New World Order in question is actually The Leader’s vision for his own personal Gamma World.
With a threat that large in scale, it would also stand to reason that The Leader’s plan does not unfold in its entirety in just one project. More likely than not, it plays out across multiple projects in the next couple of years, making Tim Blake Nelson a quiet connective tissue between Marvel’s fourth and fifth phases. To help explain this idea, it might be best to break the theory down by project:
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
At this point, what happens for the remainder of She-Hulk is anyone’s guess. Over the course of several episodes, the series has widened the window on how fans can view the MCU and raised its fair share of questions regarding the franchise’s future. Among the many ponderings, however, lies one untied thread that nobody seems to be talking about. In the pilot, Bruce makes a pretty big deal about the dangers of his blood and the blood of Tatiana Maslany‘s Jen Walters falling into the wrong hands. After all, they’re both Hulks, and the wrong person gaining access to their irradiated blood could lead to an awful lot of unfortunate shenanigans. A few episodes later, a group of hired goons, the MCU’s version of The Wrecking Crew, brought the matter up again when they tried their best to beat down and steal some of Jen’s blood. They were not successful, on account of She-Hulk’s skin being too difficult to pierce, but the attempt revealed there is truly someone out there who wants that gamma-laden plasma.
The identity of the person who hired The Wrecking Crew could end up being anybody, but now that The Leader is definitely on his way back to the spotlight, it seems more and more likely that he’s the one up to his old comic book ways. If this is the case, one has to wonder why he wants the DNA and how he would use it. Bruce explicitly says that the most terrifying outcome would be more Hulks in the world, specifically ones that won’t use their powerful abilities for the sake of good, so that seems like a pretty logical next step in The Leader’s grand scheme. Perhaps he’ll even play a major role in the She-Hulk finale, making a big play and stepping out from behind the curtain at the eleventh hour. There is a comic arc in which Mallory Book, played by Renee Elise Goldsberry in the show, represents Sterns in court and successfully argues that he is not responsible for his crimes because his exposure to gamma radiation forcibly altered his personality. Maybe Attorney at Law adapts this as a final case, with Sterns using the scenario to get closer to Jen and ultimately snag some of her blood. His first test subjects could even be The Wrecking Crew, who, in some sort of post-credits scene, finally grow to match their size in the pages of Marvel comics.
Captain America: New World Order
With his new Hulk drug ready to be dispersed, The Leader will need someone who is able to push it around the globe. Luckily for him, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier reintroduced audiences to someone who specializes in exactly that. Emily VanCamp‘s Sharon Carter, now known to criminal syndicates as The Power Broker, was last seen planning to use her newfound government position as a means of stealing high-level weapons and secrets to supply her nefarious underground business dealings. Whether The Leader is caught in She-Hulk or not, it stands to reason that she would have full access to whatever drug Sterns creates with Walters’ blood. In partnering with her, The Leader would have a means of sending gamma around the world without having to craft some sort of massive gamma dome in the middle of the desert, as he does at one point in the comics and in a multi-episode arc on Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
Carter’s involvement in The Leader’s plot is enough by itself to get Sam Wilson’s attention, but as the MCU’s new Captain America, it will probably be the random denizens of Earth transforming rapidly into Hulk-like creatures that draws him to the scene. If Sterns’ plan is enacted fully, it would mean a threat on a global scale that Wilson probably can’t handle on his own. Though the Avengers supposedly no longer exist following Avengers: Endgame, there are plenty of heroes who could come to Captain America’s aid in this time of The Leader’s “new world order” (of Hulks). Danny Ramirez has already been confirmed to return as Joaquin Torres, likely the new Falcon by this point, alongside Shira Haas‘ Sabra, in addition to any number of surprise appearances that could come to fruition between now and the time filming begins. New World Order would then follow in the footsteps of Civil War, acting as a miniature Avengers film that tests Sam Wilson’s mettle as a team leader for the first time. Granted, Wilson doesn’t really need this sort of test, but that seems to be the way the MCU is handling his tenure as Cap, and so it fits with the theory.
As for Bruce Banner, and how he aligns with everything, that remains a slightly bigger question mark. There are a few options, now that he’s in space. The Leader could have orchestrated a false Sakaarian situation to get him off-planet before he put his plan into action, as Sterns probably sees Banner as the biggest threat to his success, or Banner could really now be the father to Skaar, his half-Sakaarian son who played a big role in the World War Hulks story in the comics. At some point, the duo could return and join in the effort to put down Sterns or be saved for a separate project entirely. The details get a little messy here, but the general theory sentient remains – New World Order is about The Leader turning everyone into Hulks, with the first part playing as a thriller where Sam and his crew try to stop the spread of Gamma drugs, and the second part as an all-out World War Hulks adaptation that forces Sam Wilson to embrace his role as Earth’s Mightiest Hero.
Thunderbolts
It was said on stage at D23 that Thunderbolts exists because the word needs a team it can “trust” by the end of Phase 5. Secret Invasion probably plays a big role in this, but New World Order might too. Even if The Leader is taken down, he could still have done some irreparable damage to the world that the Avengers are partially blamed for, or at the very least, his actions might have proven that the world still needs a team of superheroes on its side. In the comics, after the fall of the Intelligencia, a captive Sterns is taken into the custody of General Thaddeus Ross’ Red Hulk and his newly formed team of Thunderbolts. Soon after, he is killed by The Punisher, who is a member of that team and still horrified by The Leader’s actions in World War Hulks. It’s possible something similar plays out in the MCU, with Sebastian Stan‘s Bucky Barnes taking the Punisher’s role after learning what The Leader did to his friend, Sam Wilson. As for why The Leader would be in the custody of the Thunderbolts in the MCU, that’s an entirely different theory.
If the Intelligencia is at all involved in New World Order, the line-up would have to be altered slightly to make sense. There’s a chance that Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, played by the incomparable Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, is in that group, and manipulates her way to controlling Sterns while she forms her own government-sponsored superteam. Basically, she would take the place of the comics’ General Ross, whose actor, William Hurt, passed away earlier this year. In that position, she could force Sterns to use his gamma drug to turn her into a Hulk herself, much in the same way Ross made Sterns and M.O.D.O.K. transform him into the Red Hulk during World War Hulks, so that she may have her own bit of power and act as the Thunderbolts’ muscle, something fans noted was missing from the line-up when it was revealed at D23. The source material has Betty Ross becoming the Red She-Hulk, but it doesn’t look like Liv Tyler will be returning to the MCU anytime soon, so it might make more sense if Val becomes an amalgam of a few characters and takes that spot to simplify things.
With that, the theory is just about summed up. It’s completely feasible that The Leader is planned to be the sub-villain of Phase 5, connecting several projects and bringing Hulks back to the forefront of Marvel lore by bringing World War Hulks to the fourth Captain America film. It’s not clear why Marvel would go this route instead of giving Banner another solo film unless the rights issue with Universal is still an ongoing problem. Either way, it’s an option, and one you heard here first.
While Episode 5 remained satisfyingly enjoyable, much of the dazzle of previous episodes seems dimmed here. The episode uses Titania as its legal case backbone, but overall it felt as though this episode was built as a transitional point for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Instead of wacky paranormal antics, the story sets the stage for She-Hulk as an actual superhero. The result is fine, but of the five episodes of the series so far, Episode 5 is arguable the most skippable.
The show’s humor is present throughout, but it feels softer and significantly much less cutting overall. The main focus of the episode, of course, is Jen’s own journey of self-identity and self-acceptance as She-Hulk. Her early moanings about the hero name given to her foreshadowed a time in She-Hulk when Jen would have to come to terms with that title for herself. Cleverly, the series framed it through a legal case. And perhaps it was more effective to present this type of narrative within a context not overpowered by the absurdity of Donny Blaze or another all-consuming joke. Still, Episode 5 feels a far cry from Episodes 3 and 4’s laughter and fun.
The episode also clearly lays the foundation for more superhero activities in later episodes. Obviously, Jen has now embraced “She-Hulk” as a part of herself. But the costume B-plot also ends in her receiving her (unseen) super suit, as well as a teasing reveal of Daredevil’s helmet. At this point, it is not entirely clear how Jen will make the jump from sticking solely to her legal carer to actually operating as a superhero, but with a costume and a super-buddy on the horizon, it is only a matter of time.
The use of She-Hulk’s supporting cast is highlighted in Episode 5. Nikki and Pug do get some additional adorable screen time, and the Matchr dates from the previous episodes returning was a satisfying full-circle moment for that mini-journey of Jen’s. Even cousin Ched makes a brief appearance after making a great first impression in Episode 2, but he remains fleeting.
Some of the supporting cast are, noticeably, a bit more fleeting than the story seems to recognize. A possible explanation could be rewritten episodes that removed significant backstories or introductions for some characters that were still used in substantial roles later. The best example perhaps is Mallory Book. She appears in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it way in Episode 3 but was just presumed to be an established character in this episode. Mallory is a major figure in Jen’s work-life at GLK&H in the comics, often portrayed as the rival successful colleague. She has been given a character poster and advertisement for the series, yet her role seems cut short. She may very likely have more time in later episodes, but it almost feels like the character was skipped over for several episodes.
Where She-Hulk goes from here, considering it is now potentially balancing a larger and maybe more traditional superhero story, will be interesting. The series has been incredibly unique thus far, but every Marvel Cinematic Universe series flirts with destroying its own identity for the sake of a more generic superhero plot. There is a delicate balance between She-Hulk’s attempted episodic structure and having a narrative that connects the full 9-episode series. It seemed stronger in the past couple of episodes that truly delved into the wild and weird side of the Marvel Universe on its own terms. But She-Hulk is destined to be a superhero as well, so the series will have a chance to square that story with the type of stories it has been telling so far. Taking the silly and fun out of the courtroom seems completely achievable, but Episode 5 just did not deliver at the same caliber as previous She-Hulk episodes.
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