Debuting in Savage She-Hulk #1, the titular character quickly became a mainstay of the Marvel universe. Throughout the decades, She-Hulk has starred in over a dozen solo series and guest-starred in countless others. Proving herself to be a valuable ally for numerous teams, formidable combatant, and successful lawyer, She-Hulk is one of the most intriguing heroes on Earth.
One of She-Hulk's most definitive traits, aside from being superhumanly strong and green, is her fourth-wall breaking sense of humor, a rarity in comics. Her fantastic brand of humor and style can be seen most famously throughout her late 80s and early 90s in The Sensational She-Hulk, written and drawn by John Byrne. Every issue was packed with self-aware humor as She-Hulk referenced other superheroes' comics, spoke to the reader, and even walked out of her own comic.
Readers can find prime examples of Jen Walters' fourth wall breaking in The Sensational She-Hulk issues #2 and #3. In issue #2 She-Hulk is attacked unexpectedly by a race of creatures known as the Toad Men. This references that these very same creatures attacked The Hulk, She-Hulk's cousin, in his second issue, too. As She-Hulk realizes what's happening, she turns towards the reader and actually yells at John Byrne in annoyance.
In issue #3, villains Ruby Tuesday and the Headmen kidnap the hero. Soon after, the story implies the villains have gone even farther, decapitating Walters. She-Hulk then breaks the continuity of the comic and talks to the reader. She comments on how spooky and serious the issue is becoming. She cracks a few bad jokes to no avail before having a pie randomly fly straight into her face.
This style of humor hasn't been relegated strictly to She-Hulk, though. Despite debuting as a generic masked mercenary in The New Mutants #98 (by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza), the anti-hero Deadpool has become famous for his ridiculous and over-the-top brand of humor, going so far as to also breaking the fourth wall. One of the best examples of this can be found in Deadpool #11 (by Joe Kelly and Pete Woods) as Deadpool is transported back in time to star in 1967's Spider-Man #11. It's a ridiculous and funny romp that has The Merc With A Mouth riffing on everything from the characters to the dialogue.
The 2016 film Deadpool and its sequel, 2018's Deadpool 2, are both absolutely brimming with fourth-wall breaking antics as Deadpool routinely speaks to the audience, breaks the flow of the story to reference flashbacks, and even mentions other films from lead actor Ryan Reynolds. This style of humor has become synonymous with Deadpool over the past decade, but it's important to remember that he's simply walking the trail that She-Hulk blazed years before.
She-Hulk's live-action debut on Disney+ is a wonderful continuation of the style and humor that defined her so well back in the day, complete with Hulk-sized action and her classic wit. With the first episode dedicated to her origin story, it'll be exciting to see where the show continues to go from here. If the series maintains the blend of action and comedy it gave in the first episode, then it's safe to say that fans of She-Hulk will have much to look forward to in the coming weeks.