She-Hulk is the newest hero to be adapted from the Marvel comics, but how have her powers changed in the translation from page to Disney+?
The MCU has introduced a new Marvel Comics hero in their newest Disney+ show, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
She-Hulk follows Jenn Walters (Tatiana Maslany), a lawyer who also happens to be a hulk, as she attempts to survive the courtroom, her dating life, and those who keep trying to attack her.
Now, as is the case with adaption, changes are often made to the character. We’ve recently seen with Ms. Marvel that a hero’s origin and powers can be drastically altered for the overall Phase plans that Marvel always seems to have. So how have She-Hulk’s powers changed from page to screen?
Spoiler warning for She-Hulk…
What are She-Hulk’s powers in the comics?
She-Hulk has been in the comics for a pretty long time, so her powers and origins can slightly change from time to time. But according to Marvel’s official website, her abilities are as follows: “She-Hulk is extraordinarily strong and tough, able to leap great heights, and hold her own in a physical fight against some of the most formidable powerhouses on Earth.
“Notably, unlike Bruce Banner and others who have become Hulk-like creatures thanks to Gamma exposure, she retains her intelligence in She-Hulk form.
“She-Hulk’s strength increases when influenced by strong emotions such as anger or fear; she’s also extremely agile and swift and has nearly limitless endurance and resistance to injury, illness, disease and pain.”
As for how her powers came to be, Marvel gives a pretty dark backstory: “Jennifer became an attorney with a thriving career, until a crime boss, Nicholas Trask, shot and seriously injured her to get back at William [her late father, who was a Sherriff]. Luckily for Jennifer, her cousin Bruce Banner, the Incredible Hulk himself, happened to be in her native Los Angeles when it happened.
“A blood transfusion provided by Bruce helped heal Jennifer, but it had a side effect, producing a gamma-powered, green-skinned hero dubbed the She-Hulk.”
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So, that’s how the comic handles it. Does the MCU show match up?
What are She-Hulk’s powers in the MCU show?
She-Hulk’s powers seem to be pretty similar to her comic iteration, however since the MCU always seems to have a deeper plan behind all of their choices, there have already been rumors surrounding how her powers may develop over the series.
Firstly, her origin story. It’s a little different than the show – her parents are alive, for one thing. But in the beginning of the show, a flashback shows Jenn driving with her cousin Bruce Banner – AKA the Hulk – and we see the pair run into a spacecraft, which causes the car to tumble off the road. Both of them get cut up by the accident, and when Jenn attempts to pull Bruce out of the wreckage, his gamma-radiated blood mixes into hers, causing her to become the She-Hulk.
She-Hulk’s powers seem to be pretty similar to the MCU’s Hulk, disregarding the whole double-personality thing. In fact, a training montage between her and Bruce shows she might actually be better than the Hulk.
She picks up on his fighting techniques pretty quickly, including the thunderclap. She also seems pretty equal to him in terms of speed, durability, and strength, as shown by a fight between them at the end of the first episode. This suggests that She-Hulk is also every bit as powerful as her comic book counterpart, though we have yet to see the full extent of her powers.
While there is a spaceship instead of a crime boss, the origin of She-Hulk’s powers seems somewhat similar. However, there may be something else going on. When testing her new powers, and Jenn’s surprising amount of control over her Hulk form, Bruce mentions an anomaly with her blood. Specifically, her blood is able to synthesize gamma, which may be what makes her Hulk persona different from his. Now, the MCU has toyed with the idea of mutants already, so there is a theory that this could be an aspect of her power origin, but all of that’s up in the air right now.
Guess we’ll have to wait and see how these powers develop over the course of the show, and if there really are any secret plans behind the origin of her abilities.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episode 2 will premiere on Disney+ on August 25.
