The following contains spoilers for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Season 1, Episode 7, "The Retreat," which debuted Sept. 29, on Disney+.
One consistent thing about all Marvel superheroes is that their lives don't stay good for long. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law confirmed fan suspicions about Jen Walters' new love interest, Josh, who betrayed her in one of the more horrific ways possible. Yes, he stole her blood, and that's creepy, but She-Hulk is the first show brave enough to say that people who don't text back immediately are monsters.
A key tension point in "The Retreat" is that Jen sent a very corny morning-after text to Josh the night after they first slept together. Like the wedding episode that introduced Josh, "The Retreat" is another step in the long path to the character reconciling her "Jen" and "She-Hulk" sides. Her She-Hulk transformation is a metaphor about beauty standards, so when Josh seemed to prefer Jen, many eagle-eyed viewers called out his two-faced betrayal right then. Nonetheless, this character betrayed Jen in the worst way a person can betray another. No, not sleeping with her under false pretenses to steal her blood and subsequently her powers. That's awful, truly. But the worst thing? Josh pretended he was the type of person who texted back immediately, but really he's a "leave it on delivered" kind of guy. In other words: a horrible villain.
She-Hulk's Beau Has Bad Text Etiquette
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law viewers can go easy on themselves if they missed that Josh was suspect. The wedding episode wasn't "filler," as fans sour at Daredevil's absence uncharitably called it. Jen's arc, including flirting with Josh, were an essential part of the journey that she completed in Emily Blonsky's group therapy circle. Yet the unsubtle (pre-credits) tag showing the new She-Hulk blood-stealing device ready for action immediately cast suspicion on Josh. Fans went in thinking Titania was the Big Bad for the series and left it suspicious of Josh. Not because of his too-perfect charm, but because he looked like the type of guy who would text back days later with an answer to whatever question with zero commentary on the delay.
Given the way the series unfolded thus far, it seems like the mysterious "Hulk King" is part of a plot that won't be resolved this season. With a Frogman and Daredevil episode left on the docket, it seems more likely that the Man Without Fear would bring home the season in the finale. Whether it’s the Power Broker or Thunderbolt Ross himself, Jen is probably only still alive because Josh and his evil leader have left each other on "Delivered" for two weeks. She's dealing with some truly depraved individuals indeed. Any decent person would, at least, send an emoji reaction rather than simply saying nothing for almost half a week. Josh might be the most dangerous villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe on the strength of this pathology alone.
Jen Walters' Search for a Connection Is Disconnected
As much as She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is a satire of the MCU, it's also a satire of the real world. At the risk of taking a show about a gamma-irradiated lawyer too seriously, Jen's need for connection from Josh at this moment to her turning to her phone to find love earlier in the season is a big part of her emotional journey. It's no accident she found some clarity in herself when disconnected from the technologically connected world. As the world changes and gets smaller, new obstacles arise. For example, ghosting people like Josh did to Jen is rotten. Yet, something as simple as not replying to a text fast enough can trigger anxiety attacks, according to Bustle. The ways in which people stress themselves out over something as simple as a tiny email is real, which makes it a great thing to mine for a story or comedy.
The punchline of the bit is that for all the reasons people speculated that Josh didn't text her back, they never guessed the real reason. See? Superheroes are just like us. He betrayed Jen on every level possible, and if this is MCU setup, she'll never even get closure. That is why Josh is a villain on She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, not because of something silly like not replying to texts.
See what other good names She-Hulk: Attorney at Law slanders when new episodes debut Thursdays on Disney+.