Marvel’s newest series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law has proven to be very popular, with its fun tone, likable characters, and irreverent sense of humor. But as the old saying goes, you can’t please everyone.
That sentiment certainly extends into the MCU, as Jen Walters aka, She-Hulk has faced a barrage of detractors since publicly arriving on the scene in-universe. Internet comments glimpsed in various episodes have continually complained about the character almost as much as certain groups have done in the real world.
In the show’s sixth episode, Jen’s best friend Nikki Ramos discovered a website known as Intelligencia, an online hate group chiefly concerned with spewing insults and invectives towards specific sections of the population. As it turned out, the site had a whole section devoted to She-Hulk. And now it seems like the group has ties to a notable MCU villain from films passed.
Ulysses Kluae: Agent of Intelligencia
In Marvel Studios’ 2015 movie Avengers: Age of Ultron, as the team is combing through the archives trying to find out where the titular maniacal robot had fled, they come across a file on Andy Serkis’ Ulysses Klaue. Listed under the character’s past affiliations is none other than Intelligencia.
Klaue’s part in Age of Ultron wasn’t overly substantial, but he did go on to play a role in Black Panther in 2018.
Now, it’s, of course, worth mentioning that one of the overarching storylines on She-Hulk is the thread of someone trying to steal Jen’s gamma-irradiated blood. By the end of Episode 6, it would appear that Walters’ charming would-be suitor is in on the plan and is gaining her trust in order to procure a blood sample.
In the closing seconds of the episode, it’s revealed that Jennifer is being observed, with a live feed being displayed on a laboratory computer. Then, a message reading “Is the next phase of the plan ready to go?” pops up on the screen. It’s at this point that the camera pans over to a high-tech syringe that was surely designed to pierce She-Hulk’s ultra-tough skin.
It’s almost certain that this lab has ties to Intelligencia, which, in the comics, is a group of super-intelligent supervillains primarily interested in exchanging dangerous secrets and plans.
An Intriguing MCU Connection
So, to be fair, it’s highly unlikely that Marvel Studios was thinking that far ahead when they added the reference to Intellgencia into Klaue’s file in Age of Ultron. But now, the MCU can use what was very much a throwaway inclusion and expand it into something that fits the larger storyline.
Perhaps at one point, Intellgincia in the MCU was indeed composed of a cabal of brainy bad guys, but decided to rebrand in the modern age into the hate site seen in She-Hulk, maybe as a way to reach and potentially radicalize new members.
So, who’s calling the shots at Intelligencia? And why do they want Jen’s blood so badly? It’s safe to say that these questions, plus many more, will be answered as Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law heads towards its final three episodes, with episode 7 dropping Thursday, September 29 on Disney+.
