WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Avengers #28 by Jason Aaron, Ed McGuinness, Mark Morales, Jason Keith, Erick Arciniega and Cory Petit, on sale now.
There are a far more Hulks than many fans may realize, and the vast majority aren't Bruce Banner's angry green rage monster. The "Hulk family" is filled with other gamma-powered characters with various abilities and personalities, each of them existing in their own, unique niche in the Marvel Universe. Among the most prominent alternative Hulks, however, is Jennifer Susan Walters, more commonly known as She-Hulk.
In a recent issue of Avengers, She-Hulk has developed a brand new ability -- one that may alter her trajectory as a hero going forward. And it's all thanks to the scientists of... Wakanda?
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She-Hulk's Power Upgrade, Explained
Avengers #28 opens with the team trapped on Ravenstarr Maximum, a Shi'ar prison galaxy, and Thor infected by the Brood. To make matters worse, the Silver Surfer and his fellow Heralds of Galactus have decided to attack the planet the Avengers are on, due to its role in some cosmically significant event.
With Thor knocking Captain America down, it's up to Captain Marvel to temporarily subdue Thor long enough for Cap to smash him over the head with his own hammer. This knocks Thor's senses back.
However, to regain Thor in his entirety, they need to escape the planet entirely and return home. To do that, they need a Hulk. Carol calls to She-Hulk, who has just donned her new Wakandan battle armor.
Her armor came thanks to the collaborative efforts of Jennifer and T'Challa (Black Panther). It's designed to harness the inner Gamma radiation burning within her and fire it from her body. She uses it to free Ghost Rider's car, allowing them to make an escape from the Silver Surfer.
Have Hulks Shot Energy Before?
This is not the first time a Hulk learned how to harness their radioactive potential. Bruce Banner did that himself during the World War Hulk arc. His sheer destructive capabilities allowed him to level entire cities from his gamma aura alone, making him one of the most destructive forces in the entire planet.
Likewise, Red Hulk (Thunderbolt Ross) has also been able to absorb radiation into his person to increase his strength. However, Red Hulk failed to be able to radiate the energy outward as a blast. He only channeled it inward to increase his fighting capabilities and, as a byproduct, made himself physically hotter. Furthermore, when bombarded with radiation, most Hulks can soak up the energy to increase their strength. She-Hulk had a limited ability to do so, though she learned this very recently, back in Incredible Hulks #635.
She-Hulk has never had this power. Her strength has always been lesser than the Hulk's, but, as a trade-off, she retained her intelligence. However, in some recent stories, her strength has increased, making her a brutish monster. Her newfound strength has only been further augmented now by having her latent gamma radiation weaponized as powerful blasts, making her arguably the most powerful Avenger on the current roster.
In theory, this power can be used to make She-Hulk as dangerous as World War Hulk, by absorbing enough energy to make her as strong as him or releasing it, much like him, to destroy entire cities. The gamma already can blow up cosmic items, as seen in the comic. And that was just a test of the armor's capabilities.
Will She-Hulk's New Power Affect Her Intelligence?
The more gamma radiation she absorbs, the more mighty she becomes. However, She-Hulk has recently had problems retaining her intelligence while in Hulk form, which outwardly appears to be a more savage version of herself. While most Hulks have lost themselves while transformed, Walters appeared to be an exception.
On top of that, She-Hulk is one of the few Hulks who remains in one form. However, with the ability to absorb and release gamma radiation, would she revert back to her human form if she released too much? Will she need to put back on the now over-sized battle armor to reabsorb energy to transform again? Will this end up altering her Hulk form further, by forcing a new transformation artificially?
It remains to be seen exactly how this new Wakandan-enhanced ability will affect She-Hulk in the long run, if at all. It could just be a temporary power up that disappears after some time; or, it could create a new kind of monster in the Marvel Universe -- one even more powerful (and arguably power-mad) -- than the Devil Hulk currently running around the Immortal series. And that could be very dangerous indeed.
Avengers #28 is on sale now.