We finally got some more news for the upcoming She-Hulk series. They have now hired Kat Coiro to direct a few episodes, as the production aims to start in February 2021. Jessica Gao was revealed as the series’ showrunner last November. We even found out that Tatiana Maslany will be playing the titular role. Everything is hinting at this show having a strong comedy vibe. Yet, Maslany‘s drama experience could give us a very unique Marvel show. The show is rumored to focus on Jennifer Walters’ time as a specialized lawyer for superheroes. The comedic vibe could hint at some crazy antics with D-list characters making an appearance throughout the show. This gave me an idea of how the show may emulate Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law. Also, how her clients may shape each episode and connect to the overarching plot. Let’s dive right into what type of clients poor Jennifer might have to face in her upcoming Disney+ show.
Hawkeye vs. the Law
So, the first question I asked myself was what characters from the overarching Marvel Cinematic Universe may appear. Mark Ruffalo is the obvious choice, as his blood transfer will transform his cousin into the iconic She-Hulk. Yet, it seems like a waste that they won’t bring in other characters from the franchise. At first, I thought they might bring in characters from other Disney+ series. Ms. Marvel wouldn’t work as she is keeping her identity a secret. I highly doubt that Moon Knight would be sane enough to approach a lawyer. WandaVision and Loki are breaking the space-time continuum in their unique way. So, if we go by street-level heroes the one that makes the most sense is Hawkeye. To be more precise, Kate Bishop could kickstart the series and introduce us to Jennifer Walters.
They are trying to introduce the Young Avengers. She-Hulk wouldn’t have any connections to this potential overarching plot. So, her having to represent Kate would introduce her to the group before they get together. She actually could even represent Kate before she officially becomes Clint Barton’s protegé. We don’t have a specific timeline for these stories. So, we could see her as one of Lawrence’s first clients. Her story could be the catalyst that she meets her cousin. Bishop running around with the Hawkeye moniker getting into trouble. Jennifer tries to help her out but when she is on the run, she hopes that her cousin could get in contact with the real Hawkeye to keep her safe. As this is one of the last entries of Phase 4, it could be a nice way to tie it into the rest of the series. Also, it would give us a great introduction to Jennifer’s kindness before she transforms.
Teasing a Leader
What if not all her clients are superheroes? What if she ends up having to represent someone we haven’t seen in a very long time? Yes, I believe that this show might be the return of the iconic Hulk villain, The Leader. It has been 12 years since Tim Blake Nelson played the character of Samuel Sterns in The Incredible Hulk. He tried to help Banner control the Hulk before getting knocked out. A chemical that started dripping into an open wound on his head started to change him. That was the last time we saw him. He got a brief cameo in the Fury’s Big Week comics. We see him getting transported away by S.H.I.E.L.D. to be locked away. Strangely, he hasn’t been freed since the spy organization fell apart during the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Perhaps he has been in U.S. custody with Thunderbolt Ross making sure he has him for a future project.
So, how does this tie into She-Hulk? In an attempt to flee from custody, he ends up at Walter’s law agency seeking help. As we learned she is a kind soul, she takes him in and tries to find out what happened to him. Stern has turned green with an oversized head, so she calls up her cousin to show up and help. The guy is disoriented and can’t control his abilities. It all leads to him losing control before Banner could show up and see his old friend again. Jennifer is mortally wounded with her agency blown to smithereens. The only thing he can do is transfer his blood to save her life. Now, we have the set-up for two characters having to face their gamma-powered transformations as they also face the law of their repercussions. Stern’s turn to evil could be built up when Thunderbolt Ross’ project results from these events.
Helping Heroes in Need
Jennifer became She-Hulk and learns to control her abilities with Banner’s help. She is a strong-willed hero and still wants to rebuild her law firm. She got fired from the one that blew up so she started building up her own. Sometimes fighting the stress of losing control, she wants to find Sterns and help him. On her way, she ends up meeting a variety of unlikely heroes that each come to her with their issues. This could open up the show to a lot of smaller characters that otherwise wouldn’t get a lot of attention. After having a brief cameo in Jessica Jones, we could get an actual appearance of the Whizzer. Robert Frank has been keeping his abilities a secret for years. Somehow, the government is trying to get their hands on him so he goes to Walters for help. We could finally get Milana Vayntrub to play Squirrel Girl in live-action after New Warriors has been canceled.
Jennifer slowly starts to realize that there is a connection to the rise in superhero-specific cases. So, she starts digging and uncovers one connective tissue. Thunderbolt Ross has been abusing the Sokovian Accords to gather superheroes in one location. After trying her best from a legal perspective, she decides that her newfound abilities may have been a blessing after all. She takes the fight to Ross to save as many as she can. She stumbles upon papers of a project titled Thunderbolts before rescuing as many as she can. Sadly, it seems that Sterns was nowhere to be seen. One last court case with Ross, she can use the law that she didn’t break any rules. She was able to save a lot of superpowered people but little did she know that Ross had his team together. We get the reveal of the core members with Sterns and even the reveal of Emil Blonsky a.k.a. the Abomination.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter, IGN
