If you’ve been following the Disney+ news from this past weekend, you might be feeling a little overwhelmed at this point. Or you might be freaking out at the idea of some of your favorite characters coming to life in an all-new format.
One of the series Disney+ just announced was a She-Hulk series. And we’ve got to tell you, that series can’t come fast enough. So while we wait for any news on the plot or casting, let’s go over all of the basics about our favorite green lawyer. Read on to find out 10 things you should know about She-Hulk before the premiere.
What’s In A Name?
She-Hulk has been known by many different names during her time. Her human name is Jennifer Walters, but she also has gone by several other names: Hulk, Glamazonia, Jennifer Jameson, Jennifer Smith, Jade, Giantess, Shulki, Lady Hulk, and Gray Hulk.
And that’s not counting any nicknames that individual characters may have come up with.
Family Ties
Jennifer is related to the one and only Bruce Banner, the infamous Hulk. They’re cousins, believe it or not. And were good friends, even as kids. As adults, Jennifer stayed loyal to Banner, even with his Hulk issues. Banner isn’t the only famous character that Jennifer has been related to, during her time in comics.
Most of her other relations came from marriages, however. She was once married to John Jameson who brought a rather large family along with him.
A Transfusion
Jennifer Walters became the She-Hulk through a rather crazy turn of events. While being near Bruce Banner, she became gravely injured. So much so that Banner became convinced that she would die without his intervention. Thus he gave her a transfusion of his blood and the gamma that flowed within.
Naturally, this gave her a huge dose of gamma radiation… but the gamma didn’t activate in her blood until after a second attack was made upon her life. Then she became the She-Hulk we all know and love.
A Lawyer By Day
Jennifer Walters has an actual, stable day job, which is definitely a bit of an oddity in the superhero world. You see, she’s a lawyer. And a good one at that. She’s changed law firms at several points during her series (sometimes because firms let her go because of her less than reliable schedule). But she’s always stayed focus on the job she loves so much.
Actually, there were even times when Jennifer tried to give up her superhero life in exchange for being a full-time lawyer, though it’s never a change that has stuck. We don’t blame her for making the attempt though. We all need stability, especially after reeling from such a major loss or change such as she did.
Not Like the Others
One thing that makes Jennifer Walters’ She-Hulk stand out among the rest is her… unique retention while in Hulk form. You see, when Jennifer Hulks out, she doesn’t lose herself in the transition.
Instead, she manages to hang onto to all of her mental faculties in the process. At least, she classically used to. Things have been changing quite a lot for her lately, but more on that in a bit.
An Avenger
She-Hulk has come and gone from the Avengers team countless times. And every time she does join the team, she’s been incredibly useful. She originally joined the Avengers shortly before her time on Battleword, and later joined up again, only to leave and once again join up again later. As you can see, it’s been a bit of a back and forth for our heroine.
Currently, She-Hulk is an active member of the Avengers. She fought alongside the team ever since Jason Aaron began writing for the series, and was even involved in the War of the Realms plot that threatened the world. And she shows no signs of leaving.
A-Force to Be Reckoned With
Another famous team that She-Hulk joined with was the A-Force. The A-Force is an all-female team of some of the most iconic ladies in the Marvel universe. Here she fought alongside Dazzler, Captain Marvel, Queen Medusa, Nico Minoru, and Singularity.
The series has since concluded, but more than one fan out there would love to see the series boot back up again – especially given all of the changes our ladies have been facing as of late. It would be fascinating to see how things go this time around.
Grey Hulk
Speaking of changes, lately, She-Hulk has been going through a lot of them. During Civil War II, She-Hulk and a team went up against Thanos in an attempt to take him down. They succeeded, but She-Hulk was seriously wounded.
When she woke up, Jennifer found that her Hulk form had changed – likely due to the loss and anxiety, she was experiencing. Her Hulk form was now Gray Hulk, and she didn’t have nearly the same level of control as she once did.
Another Dose of Gamma
Almost immediately following Jennifer getting control of her Hulk form, she faced another dramatic change. During one of her first missions as a newly reinstated Avenger, she became exposed to an even stronger dose of gamma radiation.
The end result? She-Hulk gained more muscle mass, and thus strength. But she also lost a lot of what had originally made her so unique – her ability to rationalize and communicate within that form. On the bright side, She-Hulk now seems to be almost explosively full of gamma radiation, giving her a new boost like she’s never seen before. The real trick is learning how to control all of this new power.
Latest Squeeze
She-Hulk has had her fair share of partners during her run in the comic book world. Some people will happy joke about this, but we’ll refrain from doing so. Jennifer has famously dated more than one named Marvel hero. But most recently she’s had her sights set on a very specific one: Thor.
More accurately, we should probably say that She-Hulk is with Thor. Jennifer might be as well, but it’s a bit confusing for everyone involved. It’s the first relationship she’s been in while her two forms were so drastically different. And as it turns out, there’s a learning curve.
