The mid-credits scene of Shang-Chi: Legend of the Ten Rings not only introduced Simu Liu's title character and Awkwafina's Katy to the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe, it also revealed Bruce Banner to no longer be in his "Professor Hulk" form from Avengers: Endgame. That suggested Mark Ruffalo's character may have discovered a way fully suppress the gamma radiation in his blood, although the film provided no details.
That created a mystery the new Disney+ sizzle reel for She-Hulk may solve: A tantalizing glimpse of Banner’s technology could explain what happened to him in Shang-Chi, as well as the creation of his cousin Jennifer Walters' green-skinned alter ego. It also sets up a potential timetable, and hints at where She-Hulk falls in the MCU's Phase Four timeline. It’s a lot of information for one shot, yet all of the evidence seems to point to it.
Officially the final Marvel Comics character co-created by Stan Lee, She-Hulk was introduced in 1980 in her own comic, illustrated by John Buscema. The debut issue naturally covered: The daughter of the Los Angeles County sheriff, young Jennifer was wounded when a mobster shot at her father and misses. Her cousin, Bruce Banner, was the only one in the vicinity with matching blood, so he performed a transfusion in hope of saving her life. However, Banner's gamma-irradiated blood imparted a portion of his powers to her, but with an added benefit: She can control the change, and retains her personality when she does so.
She-Hulk has undergone her share of developments since her debut, and served as a member of both the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. Her most famous incarnation is like from John Byrne’s run, in which she broke the fourth wall and spoke directly to the reader. The Disney+ show appears to keep that aspect of her character, as well as her “day job” as a lawyer, which gives the MCU a chance to examine how the legal system works in a world with superheroes.
The new footage doesn’t appear to reveal much more than Banner’s presence in the life of Walters, portrayed by Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black), but when taken in context with his Shang-Chi appearance, it begins to answer some questions about Professor Hulk’s change. One shot depicts a human Walters within a chamber while Professor Hulk stands at the control panel and explains that anger or fear triggers the transformation. It suggests the apparatus was created to help Banner better control the Hulk – possibly even as part of the process of creating Professor Hulk – and that the two are using it to either stabilize Jennifer’s powers, or help her to learn to control them.
Comparing it to the Shang-Chi scene presents two significant differences in Banner’s appearance that shed light on his transformation back to human. First, his right arm is still in a sling in Shang-Chi, just as it was in his Professor Hulk form at the end of Avengers: Endgame. (He sustained the injury while wielding the Infinity Gauntlet to undo the Snap.) He also wears a wristband with a glowing green screen, something that has not yet appeared in the MCU. Neither of them can be seen in the She-Hulk clip, which suggests it takes place after the events of Shang-Chi. If that’s the case, then Banner can likely change to Professor Hulk and back at will, possibly with the wristband used to moderate the change.
How and if that connects to the device in the She-Hulk reel has yet to be seen, but it does provide further evidence about Banner’s change, as well as the possible means by which he achieved Professor Hulk in the first place. It also may give license to introduce more gamma-irradiated foes to the MCU, as well as enticing back existing figures like the Abomination and the Leader with interest in such technology. Regardless, the image suggests that the MCU’s careful timeline is being maintained, and that Banner’s mysterious Shang-Chi appearance will likely have all of its questions answered in good time.