The new She-Hulk: Attorney at Law series coming to Disney+ in August brings a huge character into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Jennifer Walters. Yet, details about another literally huge character suggest that what we’ve seen so far of the show occurs before the events of Avengers: Endgame.
In the climactic film of Marvel Studios’ Infinity Saga, there's a five year time jump. During those five years, the Hulk undergoes a pretty significant off-screen change. The personality of Bruce Banner and the Hulk merge into the character known as Professor Hulk. In the film, the Professor is the one to snap his fingers and bring everyone back, which leaves his arm wrecked. When we next see Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, his arm is still in a sling. In the trailer, however, the Professor’s arm is clearly uninjured.
We know the CG visual effects in She-Hulk are not finished yet. The model for Hulked-out Jennifer is still particularly rough. So, it’s possible the Hulk’s two good arms are a matter of temporary VFX shots used in a trailer to promote the show. Yet, Kevin Feige revealed at Disney upfronts that Secret Invasion takes place during The Blip. This five-year period can be used as a setting for stories that establish new characters so that when it’s team-up time, the timelines line up. It would make sense for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law to be another one of those.
The presence of Tim Roth means that the events of The Incredible Hulk are going to play a role in the story. Still, we might also get to learn a bit more about how Bruce and the Hulk merged, and to see his time as a public hero, beloved by Earth -- which is what Hulk wanted in Thor: Ragnarok after all. Fans would particularly enjoy seeing this, especially for a character who rarely gets to be a public hero.
Naturally, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is going to be about Tatiana Maslany’s Jennifer Walters and her gamma-irradiated journey. The focus of the show, at least if it is going to be any good, will be on her character. Still, if this show takes place during the Blip, Jennifer is not all we’re going to learn about. We will get to see what life was like during those five years. The scenes we saw in Avengers: Endgame were all pretty bleak. Showing this world in the context of a comedy is a wonderfully bold choice. Fans get more exposure to this story, yet they don’t have to be too sad about it. From WandaVision to the new Doctor Strange sequel, grief has already played a big part in Phase 4 of the MCU.
It's also possible that the series could bridge the Blip and the post-Blip eras. In Shang-Chi, we can see Wong leading the Abomination back to a place that looks like his cell in the trailer. In fact, the reason we see Banner and not Smart Hulk in Shang-Chi’s post-credits may be related to events that take place in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. While this phase of the MCU may feel more disconnected than past ones, perhaps there are simply so many stories we’ve just not had enough time yet to see the connections form. Little things like Ruffalo’s appearance in Shang-Chi can not only help fill in those gaps, but give MCU obsessives something to think about.
Of course, it would be journalistically irresponsible to not acknowledge that the presence of a Smart Hulk with two good arms might not mean anything at all. He’s the Hulk and his powers are basically magic, so perhaps he’s all healed up. Maybe he can switch back and forth from Professor Hulk to Puny Banner on a whim? Maybe, like the models for the Hulked-out Jennifer, the post-Endgame Hulk visual effects model isn’t finished. He may have a withered arm in the actual show Or perhaps it’s just a simple continuity error. All of these things are equally possible, though they feel unlikely for Marvel Studios. Executives Kevin Feige, Victoria Alonso, and Louis D’Esposito are known to be close stewards of MCU projects, especially those with legacy characters involved.
Whether She-Hulk: Attorney at Law takes place during the Blip, post-Blip, or spans them both, that is not the main focus of this story. This show wants to do a lot -- from telling Jennifer’s story to making us laugh at the MCU. How it further builds the shared universe and advances the story we already know is just the type of bonus that makes these Marvel Studios projects so much fun.
You can find out if She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is set during or after the Blip when it debuts on Disney+ in August 2022.