TheMCU’s latest seriesShe-Hulk: Attorney at Lawhas already premiered on Disney+. Starring Tatiana Maslandy,She-Hulkis aFleabag-inspired comedy miniseries and marks the titular character’s MCU debut. The show has so far received mixed reviews among critics and audiences alike, which is evident in its polarized ratings (52% on Rotten Tomatoes). The dwindling ratings have landedShe-Hulkamong the least favorite spot of Marvel outings,Inhumans (2017) being at the bottom. PerDen of Geek, the series does a good job at bringing forward an amicable and inoffensive sitcom, but fails utterly past episode one by churning fluffy and seemingly unimportant content.
That said, this is not the first time the audience is witnessing an on-screen character sporting green skin and behavior fueled by rage. Sound familiar? The Hulk a.k.a. Bruce Banner, a much-beloved MCU character, shares a familial relationship with Jen. If you’ve seen the first few episodes ofShe-Hulk, you’re likely well aware of the change inShe-Hulk’s origin story. Of course, how Jennifer Walters gets her Hulk powers doesn’t change the foundation of her relationship with Bruce, and this is what makesShe-Hulkinteresting so far. Seeing the two side-by-side, it’s clear there are similarities, but also major differences. Here’s a rundown of what makes She-Hulk different from The Hulk.
4Controlling the Hulk Transformation
The Hulk is certainly one of the strongest Avengers in the original team of superheroes. He can smash buildings, thrash the God of Mischief, and, most notably inAvengers: Endgame, survive wielding the power of the Infinity Stones. Despite these displays of strength, however, Bruce’s inability to assert full control of his transformation into The Hulk (and back) keeps him from being the absolute strongest.
Jennifer, on the other hand, has demonstrated multiple times her control over her She-Hulk transformation. She can easily “Hulk in” or “Hulk out” at her own will. The reason why this is possible, per Bruce’s analysis of her blood, is because Jennifer’s situation as a lawyer constantly puts her in toxic situations with men, forcing her to keep her emotions in check, especially rage. In doing so, she has mastered the ability to better control her anger than Bruce.
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3Retaining Intelligence and Emotions
Jennifer and Bruce are also different from one anotherafterthey transform into She-Hulk and The Hulk, respectively. As seen in various circumstances, The Hulk exhibited the emotional range of a teaspoon, often losing his calm and giving way to his most primal feelings. Contrary to this, She-Hulk keeps full awareness and control over herself after her transformation. Much of this differentiation in their personality is accrued to the concept of alter-ego. While Hulk is an alter-ego for Bruce — one that took him 15 years to come to terms with, before finally finding a way to slip into his Smart-Hulk skin — She-Hulk has none of those complications, as outlined byScreen Rant. Both Jennifer and She-Hulk co-exist in the same body, creating a balance. So far, no particular reason has been given to clarify why this happens, but it can possibly be tied to Bruce’s Smart-Hulk DNA.
2Breaking the Fourth Wall
Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool may be the first character to bring on-screen the concept of breaking the fourth wall to interact with the audience, but the same is not true in Marvel Comics. This was first seen during the solo run of the comicsSensational She-Hulkin 1989. Through her interactive method in the comics, Jen criticizes the creative team of the books and even tosses John Byre, who penned the solo, out of the window. The same concept ofbreaking the fourth wallfrom the comics has been reintroduced in the show, where Jen walks the viewers down her journey of conversion to She-Hulk and further scoffs Bruce.
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1Strength: The Hulk vs She-Hulk
When it comes to squarely picking the strongest of the two Hulks, it becomes quite a task as, so far,She-Hulkhas not fully explored the potential of its titular character, and indeed points towards somewhat equality in their strengths. Of course, on occasion, it has been teased that Bruce is the more powerful one among the two. For instance, during the boulder-throwing sequence, The Hulk can throw the boulder farther than Jen. However, in the comics, both giant beings are often depicted as equally strong. This will nonetheless become revealed as the story ofShe-Hulk: Attorney at Lawproceeds and as Jennifer further develops in the MCU.
