While She-Hulk: Attorney at Law was Jennifer Walters' origin story, the Disney+ series was also the first time the MCU has had a Hulk in a lead role since 2008's The Incredible Hulk.
Given the fact that Mark Ruffalo replaced Edward Norton as Bruce Banner, and Universal owns the character's distribution rights, the MCU largely steered clear of the 2008 film and a subsequent solo film. That is, until now.
Not only is Disney set to regain the rights to the character as early as next year, but She-Hulk revisited a number of plot points from the 2008 film, while also laying the groundwork for future Hulk stories.
But the appearance of a particular character in She-Hulk's season finale suggests that Hulk's cinematic future may be sooner than expected.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law's Cinematic Cameo
Warning - The rest of this article contains spoilers for the finale of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
During She-Hulk: Attorney at Law's finale, Bruce Banner drops by when Jen's having dinner with her family and Daredevil.
After Bruce explains that he's been on Sakaar, he says he has someone to introduce, saying, "This is my son, Skaar."
When Ruffalo steps aside, Skaar is shown to be a full CGI Hulk, played by Stargirl actor Wil Deusner.
In the comics, Skaar was the product of Hulk's time spent on Sakaar during the Planet Hulk storyline.
Back in June 2021, The Direct reported that Skaar would make an appearance in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
Outside of his role on Stargirl, Deusner is a relatively unknown actor, only having starred in smaller productions. As the role has been fully cast rather than using a stand-in, it is safe to say that the actor has a huge future ahead of him in the MCU as yet another young Marvel hero.
Building the Case for Hulk's Big Screen Return
The introduction of Skaar wasn't She-Hulk's only tease for a future Hulk film.
When Jen addresses the AI robot KEVIN about the writing for She-Hulk's finale, she rejects the idea of Bruce returning from outer space to save the day.
When KEVIN explains that Bruce's return is necessary to not only reveal why he was in space but to introduce a character, Jen says, "Save it for the movie."
That movie well might be World War Hulk, which has been rumored to be in the works before She-Hulk: Attorney at Law's Disney+ debut.
Spoiler-prone Mark Ruffalo actually referenced World War Hulk in talking about where the character could go next. He also talked about exploring the gaps in Hulk's MCU story, such as the timespan between Infinity War and Endgame.
Another gap happens to be the years spanning Age of Ultron and Thor: Ragnarok. Not only does that period explain the existence of Wil Deusner's Skaar, but ironically Age of Ultron and Ragnarok were both films KEVIN had playing in his secured room when Jen smashed her way in.
Perhaps Marvel Studios intends to adapt Planet Hulk and World War Hulk into a single story? If so, it could be a prequel or a flash-back heavy film.
After all, as Ruffalo noted, a lot of Hulk's history has yet to play out on screen, and it may come in handy in dealing with his son and the rising number of super-powered individuals.
In the meantime, Attorney at Law and its season finale left MCU fans with plenty to speculate about until Marvel Studios announces Hulk's big screen return.
All episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law are available to stream on Disney+.
