She-Hulk Preview and Breakdown
Welcome back to HLS Entertainment! I am so excited to breakdown another MCU show! It has been a while since doing one of these for a show, I missed out on doing a proper breakdown for Ms. Marvel. I am back to do a full deep dive into everything we need to know for the newest Disney+ Marvel show She-Hulk Attorney at Law!
Now, why should you care about what I have to say? Well, let us look at my track record and let it speak for itself. I will provide links to each Phase 4 MCU breakdown I have done, read them or scan through, whatever you like but the proof is there. I am pretty good at this. Thor: Love and Thunder Doctor Strange 2, Moon Knight, No Way Home, Hawkeye, Eternals, Shang-Chi, What If...?, Black Widow, Loki, TFATWS, and WandaVision.
We back? Okay great let's get started with the breakdown, we are going to go over locations and characters to know, then dive into the projected plot breakdown and then finish up with some really cool theories I came up with that I love. Before we get started, be sure to follow me on Twitter @HaroldLStokes. As a normal reminder treat everything past this as a SPOILER, on to the breakdown!
Locations to Know
Los Angeles
The primary location of the show
Bruce's Hideaway
According to trailers this is where Bruce attempts to train Jen how to control her Hulk powers and test her abilities. I am pretty sure it is in Mexico but as an Agents of Shield fan it would be hilarious for this to be Tahiti.
Maximum Security Prison
This is assumed to be the prison where Emil Blonsky is being held. I have seen some refer to it possibly being "The Cube" a prison in the comics for villains and aliens who have committed crimes on Earth. Could be the case but ultimately the name is not very important as much so as to who is held there. In the comics the Cube also became headquarters for the Thunderbolts and I think that is the important part. So far potential Thunderbolts members are either out free or locked up in the Raft prison (first seen in Civil War).
Characters to Know
Jennifer Walters aka She-Hulk - Tatiana Maslany
Bruce Banner aka Hulk - Mark Ruffalo
Emil Blonsky aka Abomination - Tim Roth
After being the villain in the second MCU movie, The Incredible Hulk (2008), Tim Roth finally returned to the role of Emil Blonsky/Abomination in 2021's Shang-Chi, so this will be his third MCU property.
His character has been in jail ever since his first appearance but seems now to be running a cult/self-help group and possibly be looking to get out on good behavior and as a possible set up for him joining the Thunderbolts. Just quickly the Thunderbolts in the comics is a team of "reformed" supervillains now fighting for good on behalf of the US government. Random thought I had during my rewatch of his first appearance Hulk, Blonksy's character motivation is driven by the fact that he is an aging soldier wishing he was younger. He was stated to be 39 in the film, in 2008... so in the MCU that means he is pushing mid to late 50's. MAYBE he actually has turned a new leaf in his older age and this is not a set up for Thunderbolts. How old can he still be Abomination? Or maybe that is the "twist" to his character arc going forward he eventually has to stay in Abomination form. Also just typing that I'd be shocked if there isn't a joke about that name being mean lol.
Titania - Jameela Jamil
Oh Jameela Jamil is for sure about to be everyone's new favorite addition to the MCU. Titania might end up being this season "main antagonist" but more so in a way where she keeps coming back over and over after She-Hulk keeps beating her. I imagine she probably becomes obsessed with She-Hulk and wants to be best friends but is a bad guy. She is best known for her role on The Good Place.
Wong aka Wong - Benedict Wong
Nikki Ramos - Ginger Gonzaga
Matthew Murdock aka Daredevil - Charlie Cox
Damage Control aka The Big Shadowy Government Agency
Damage Control seems to be showing up in this show. We have not been given confirmation of Agent Deever (Alysia Reiner) left or Agent Cleary (Arian Moayed) right being on this show but they have been our main DC agents we have seen. Though Deever was probably fired and or put in jail after Ms. Marvel... Or not because it is big shadowy government stuff.
Plot Breakdown
This show is going to be comprised of nine 30-minute episodes and is billed as a comedy show supposedly through the perspective of a day in the life law show. Not sure if I said show enough. Because of this it proposing an interesting dilemma as to how to break this show down, how would you predict a season of New Girl or Law and Order? I am going to list out plot points of things that is going to push the story along based off of information gathered from trailers and interviews. So much of the in between of this show is unpredictable (I am sure there will be a joke about that comparing it to her dating life). But I am here to do my best of a full plot breakdown and I am pretty sure I might have nailed it (besides the hidden ending but we will get to that)
If this show is going chronological order I believe this show starts off with Jen as a normal (excellent) lawyer. We see that she has risen to Deputy District Attorney, I am curious if it is to the same District Attorney she briefly worked with in the comics DA Towers. That name should sound very familiar to Netflix Daredevil fans because the character has appeared in 12 episodes played by Stephen Rider (he did a great job I would love to see him return). So something happens, either Bruce needs her advice or she represents him for some legal work. I am sure being the Hulk he has destroyed a lot of stuff he might need a lot of advice from her.
While driving together in a car they get in a terrible wreck and Bruce's blood comes in contact with an open wound of Jen's. Two very big things here let's take them one at a time. This is Jen's first transformation into She-Hulk which is a huge moment for her. Secondly, what is wrong with that picture? Why did he not Hulk out like we know he would have in potentially life threatening situations? If we think make to the Shang-Chi post credit scene we saw Bruce, arm in a sling like this and had a mysterious device on his left hand that glowed green. I believe Bruce came up with a way to force himself to stay in the Bruce form so Hulk could heal his arm after using it to snap the Nano Gauntlet. Bruce and Hulk are a team they work together, but this could have been a deadly situation for them both.
At this point Jen would more than likely have her own little mini freak out at suddenly becoming a big green hulking figure. I am curious if the show has Jen try to go off on her own at first or go straight with Bruce to his lab. Either way, Bruce takes her to the lab or she runs off and tries to be normal self THEN he "trains" her, they end up in Mexico. At this point back in Smart Hulk form, he tests and trains Jen trying to take her under his wing and try to warn her of all the issues he went through before having his breakthrough of Smart Hulk. But Jen seems to have it pretty nailed down aside from the initial transformations. She has a strong grasp on her emotion and control of the She-Hulk form. I think we get teases of Bruce growing jealous of how quickly she is grasping her newfound power. Once they have established, she is in control she decides she just wants to go back to her normal job being a lawyer and not become some superhero.
Jen returns home to LA and gets back to work. During her first case back suddenly there is an explosion through the courtroom wall and Titania interrupts. Nikki also working on the case tells Jen to Hulk out to stop her. Jen reluctantly agrees, they fight, and she probably tosses Titania really far away saving the day. BUT, Jen saving the jury taints them even possibly getting the case thrown out. This would obviously upset her boss and causes her to lose her job.
Obviously very upset at losing the job she has been working so hard to get and excel at she possibly goes out with Nikki talks things over. Until she gets a call/runs into the opposing attorneys on the very same case (GLKH) and they want to hire her, She-Hulk, to be the face of their new superhero division.
First case she is assigned to? Emil Blonsky aka the Abomination. Yes the villain who tried to kill her cousin and he is the reason Emil is in prison. She-Hulk points out this conflict of interest but her new bosses don't seem to mind at all. Sorcerer Supreme Wong shows up in her office as he has been helping with Emil training and help rehabilitating him. She becomes Wong's lawyer as well.
J en travels as herself to the prison where she meets Emil. Come to find out he is some culty therapy leader person (possibly a fake set up for him "being good" in Thunderbolts). Wong shows up too, we have meetings with her representing him trying to possibly have him be released on good behavior, claiming he was not in control of his actions because he was experimented on by General Ross and the US government. Claiming that he has become so fully rehabilitated that he now runs his own self-help group and is immensely popular. I believe this might be proven successful and he could be released on parole. Huge win for Jen.
Jen goes out with Nikki to celebrate but is wish washy on whether or not she likes her recent sucess because she thinks it is just because she is a Hulk representing a famous super villain. We see Jen trying to embrace being She-Hulk and going on dates, being a single superhero searching for an actual connection sounds rough. During this time I think we first see the Wrecking Crew, a group "super villain" upstarts trying to make a name for themselves attacking She-Hulk. In reality it is a group of four guys with fancy weapons who she can just flick off with her pinky. I believe they are a part of the running gag of them and Titania continuously showing up to be beaten and tossed away by She-Hulk over and over.
A couple notes here. Her and Emil could be the main through story for the show, where she gets him released on good behavior, that could be episode 2, 3 or 8 we don't know. At some point after getting her new job she calls Bruce and he congratulates her and I am guessing he is the one who send her the spandex uniform that she can just wear underneath her clothes, so she doesn't have to forever be just replacing clothes as often.
I feel like this is where the "Villain of the week" comedic lawyer show really gets rolling after episode 2/3. This includes her dealing with Wrecking Crew, Frog Man, and whatever demon bat things a bad magician conjures that Wong helps with, including meeting and helping Daredevil out with something but that is after she gets the suit so assumed later in the show.
At some point Jen goes to visit Emil and his self-help group and takes part of a therapy session. During this we see many ridiculous looking Marvel Comics villains that are trying to be better, and Emil is helping them. During this meeting Titania and the Wrecking Crew show up to fight She-Hulk. I think it would be hilarious if they actually showed up separately and fight each other too.
A question I have is, is Nikki engaged getting married? There is some wedding/rehearsal thing that we see that Titania shows up to. Also, in a behind the scenes clip we see Jen, Nikki and a man whose face is covered drinking champagne seemingly celebrating something.
The "final showdown" seems to be at the Southern California 20th annual Law Gala, but there is nothing in the trailers to show what happens or who shows up. Curious if it is just Damage Control coming after her and trying to make her out to be a rage monster like Bruce was but she isn't. She-Hulk might have been the guest of honor and was there receiving some kind of an award. This could be a fun moment for Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock to show back up but not necessary. We have no idea who shows up, maybe it is just Wrecking Crew and Titania again finally teamed up together, but we see red lights flashing and Damage Control showing up to the same place in the trailers.
I am super excited for this show it should be a hilarious blast, I left out one crucial thing (WHY the car crashes) and if you haven't seen that trailer and don't wish to know do not scroll past the second theory below because I show and discuss it!
Theories
The Netflix Canon Will Officially Be Broken
We know Daredevil/Matthew Murdock is showing up in this show at some point, we have seen him in the trailers. We also saw him in a quick scene with a new haircut in No Way Home (remember this) as he is representing/advising Peter, but also tells Happy he needs his own lawyer. We also saw Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin in Hawkeye and he seemed... stronger and a bit different. This show has also been rumored to bring in Jessica Jones at some point as a potential cameo. I am calling it now, at some point in this show they will say or do something that officially breaks and contradicts the story (excellently) done on Netflix. I believe they plan to keep the same actors, and parts of the same story but will ultimately ignore whatever plot points they wish.
I said remember that because I think Matthew Murdock could be working at the very same law firm (Hogarth, Chao & Benowitz) in NYC set up in both Daredevil and Jessica Jones, representing super powered individuals so it would make sense he was there to represent Peter.
Damage Control Sentinels Are Coming
We saw Damage Control took control of the Stark Drones that Mysterio used in Far From Home in No Way Home, and that they are now using them to help hunt down powered individuals in Ms. Marvel. After Ms. Marvel established she is now a mutant, it makes perfect sense to expand upon that storyline. Damage Control using drones to hunt down a mutant, sound familiar? I think we could find out that the person in charge of Damage Control is possibly Bolivar Trask. The Stark tech drones could easily be the first "Sentinels" as the government starts hunting down powered individuals.
She-Hulk Leads to World War Hulk
Okay so this is a huge left field shot in the dark but it ultimately could be true. There have been rumors circling a few times of an adaptation of the incredible World War Hulk storyline being introduced into the MCU. In this story Hulk was sent off to Sakaar by the Illuminati and fought his way from slave to gladiator to eventually rule the planet. Tragedy happens, his ship that he arrived in explodes and Hulk blames those who sent him there for tearing away the happiness he finally found. He gets to Earth destroys a lot of stuff and is hell bent on killing those who have wronged him and Hulk at this ultimate anger in pretty much unstoppable. So how could that possibly apply to the MCU?
In the Comics while on Sakaar (I believe it was actually a What if comic) Hulk has a son named Skaar. What if our Hulk really did have a son but we just had not seen him and now years later after Ragnarok and the time jump in Endgame Skaar comes to Earth to get revenge on Hulk for abandoning he and his mother on Sakaar, something Bruce at the time would have no idea he was doing because their memories were separate. The best possible evidence for this is look at that ship above it is nearly identical to the size and shape of the Grandmaster's "pleasure craft" the Revengers use to escape in Ragnarok.
Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing
Take another look at that ship in the picture above, yellow and purple are the favored colors of a certain floating giant head. MODOK has been teased and rumored for a while, and seemingly was confirmed to appear at some point in the future during Comic-Con, seemingly confirmed for Ant-Man 3. But there have been rumors of MODOK popping in and out of multiple shows and movies as a villain of the week type character, because in all honesty even for the MCU he might be too goofy a villain to be a film villain by himself. With this show leaning towards a possible villain/cameo of the week show what better way to start off MODOK.
This Show Will Introduce Theodore "Teddy" Altman aka Hulkling
Made this its own section but it really should be aligned with the same theory involving Skaar. I believe they could be mixing Skaar's story with Hulking's to create a new one, which would not be a first for the MCU. This could be a controversial change for the MCU making Hulkling actually connected to Hulk instead of his parents being a Skrull and a Kree. So many properties of Phase 4 have introduced potential Young Avengers members. Teddy is an integral member of the Young Avengers and this could be the perfect spot for him to be introduced as a scorned son coming to find his father after his Skrull mother passes away (or just took him that long to grow into being able to go find him). I am just about CONVINCED this is 100% happening.
