The following contains spoilers for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Season 1, Episode 1, "A Normal Amount of Rage," which premiered Aug. 18, on Disney+.
Phase One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a rocky road in terms of a connected franchise learning the ropes of largely uncharted territory. However, by keeping things small, Marvel Studios was able to introduce big-name heroes in solo stories leading to The Avengers. But since then, each of those big-name heroes has gotten a sequel, aside from Black Widow and Hawkeye, who didn't have movies at the time. That said, among those bigger heroes, legal issues kept The Hulk from getting a follow-up as well. Thankfully, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law has given fans a speedrun sequel of that film.
Lots of what will be coming to the She-Hulk series could help fill in the gaps left by The Incredible Hulk, such as the current status of The Abomination and how Bruce and The Hulk managed to merge into Smart Hulk. But because a sequel was never greenlit, the drama and struggle that Bruce endured were barely explored as his story was told parallel to much larger narratives. Even recasting Edward Norton's Bruce felt like an unintentional distancing of a film that was still very much a part of the MCU.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law didn't exposition dump Bruce's past 15 years on viewers without concept. Instead, the series used Jen's transition with her new powers to let Bruce explain his life and what Jen may have to expect as a Hulk. But perhaps one of the most interesting aspects explored in the episode was how Bruce managed to understand and conquer his fear of becoming The Hulk.
In Avengers: Endgame, Bruce quickly stated how he started to look at Hulk as a cure rather than a disease, merging the personalities together and creating Smart Hulk. But it took time for him to reach that point. He managed to chronicle a syllabus of his life as The Hulk and the many tricks he learned while on the run, but the most important thing he learned was that it was a lonely life. Bruce always ran away from the issues he caused, which began alienating him from society. Even when he was an Avenger, he still felt like an outcast. But over time, and through a bout of forced isolation, he learned to control what had ruled him and began reconnecting with his family, like his cousin Jennifer (Tatiana Maslany).
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law also explored how Bruce finally figured out how to create Smart Hulk, and it was a lot more complex than he explained to his teammates. Because of the containment unit he and Tony built in a remote area of Mexico, it was clear that the integration of both personalities wasn't easy. But through training Jennifer, believing she also had an alter-ego, with various mental and physical exercises, it was clear that Bruce could combine both personalities into the Smart Hulk through meditation and understanding of one's self. That said, while it sounded simple, the series helped make the explanation easier by using it on Jen.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law has been a surprising peek into the life and times of a Hulk. Even though fans expected a story that would still include Bruce, it was hard to assume it would offer such clear explanations of his story since The Incredible Hulk. Furthermore, having the show double down on its canon status and showing that Bruce was still tortured, even if he was funnier, gave the context needed to make this series more of a sequel to the film than any other appearance.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law debuts new episodes Thursdays on Disney+.