She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is expected to explore the dynamic between Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner and Tatiana Maslany’s Jennifer Walters. The relationship between the two cousins will be forever changed once Walters receives her ability to hulk out in the series, and the trailers already showed a different kind of bond between them.
Marketing for She-Hulk revealed that Banner will ultimately train his cousin, but it is still unknown if he will end up helping her in her fight against Jameela Jamil's Titania. In addition, Smart Hulk's appearance also raises questions about the series' place in the MCU timeline, especially after an intriguing connection to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' post-credits scene.
Now, ahead of its premiere, a closer look at the training montage between the two cousins has emerged online.
First Clip of She-Hulk Released
USA Today shared the first official clip from She-Hulk, depicting a training session with Bruce Banner and Jennifer Walters' titular hero.
Mark Ruffalo's character tries to teach his cousin the ins and outs of being a big green rage monster, but clearly, Jen is already excelling at being a Hulk. Naturally, Bruce is jealous.
After pettily pushing She-Hulk off a cliff, Bruce thinks of another hidden Hulk ability to show Jen: the power to drink alcohol without getting tipsy.
Hulk tries to brag about this new ability to his cousin, but Walters appears to not be impressed by it.
The full clip can be seen below:
USA Today also released a series of stills from the show, the first of which shows Bruce and Jennifer trying to enter a state of zen:
Tatiana Maslany's Jennifer Walters and Ginger Gonzaga's Nikki Ramos engage in a fun chat inside their apartment:
A fresh look at Jameela Jamil's Titania was also revealed, with the character seemingly getting ready for a hearing inside the courtroom:
Creator and head writer Jessica Gao spoke to the publication about how She-Hulk’s internal struggle “is different than Bruce’s because hers is so much more internalized,” noting how others perceive Jen post-transformation:
“It really is about her wrestling with her identity and what it means to see people change how they treat her vs. how they treat She-Hulk.”
Maslany also revealed that she donned a motion-capture outfit similar to Ruffalo for her MCU role, sharing that they talked about "how bizarre that suit is:"
“He and I talked about how bizarre that suit is. Nothing about you feels like a superhero so there’s also an outsider feeling, which is sort of what the Hulk’s place in (the Avengers) is.”
The Orphan Black alumnus then shared that she is portraying Walters' "irreverent" sense of humor while doing action scenes, admitting that "she doesn't fight cool:"
“She-Hulk is not a trained fighter; ultimately, she’s Jen in a huge body that’s able to flick somebody and they go flying through a wall. She doesn’t fight cool.”
Will She-Hulk Introduce Another Major MCU Reveal?
Based on the new clip, it seems that She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is once again showing a weaker side of Mark Ruffalo's Hulk. The fact that Jennifer Walters is excelling at being a new Hulk is another low point for Bruce Banner, but this could set up a more satisfying redemption for the character down the line.
She-Hulk is Hulk's second appearance in Phase 4 after Banner's huge presence in Shang-Chi's post-credits scene. While it is still unknown how Hulk fits in the overall Phase 4 puzzle, it's possible that something major will happen to the original Avenger that could set up his significant role in Phase 5 and 6.
A previous rumor revealed that a World War Hulk story was being set up for the MCU, with both Banner and Walters heading off-world for a potential mission. However, the rumored project recently received a disappointing update, indicating that it will not be released anytime soon.
Despite that, She-Hulk could bring back Bruce Banner's former glory as the rampaging Hulk, setting up another grand reveal that could allow the character to evolve once again.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is set to premiere on Disney+ on Wednesday, August 17.
