She-Hulk’s MCU Origin Poses The Risk Of Retconning The Hulk’s Endgame Narrative

In the first She-Hulk trailer, Jennifer Walters’ origins are revealed, which could impact the Avengers: Endgame storyline in the future. As part of Disney+ Day

By Mabel Judith Andrady
December 5,2021
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In the first She-Hulk trailer, Jennifer Walters’ origins are revealed, which could impact the Avengers: Endgame storyline in the future. As part of Disney+ Day 2021, Marvel Studios debuted the first look at their next MCU series. Tatiana Maslany’s role as the superhero lawyer, She-Hulk, was teased. Along with her, Mark Ruffalo’s return as Bruce Banner and Smart Hulk in the brief peek of She-Hulk was also revealed.

Smart Hulk Retcon

Hulk’s journey through the MCU took various turns. These happened as the Infinity Saga ended and Phase 4 got underway. During Thor: Ragnarok, Hulk was mainly in control, Bruce Banner and Hulk united into Smart Hulk. All this while the Green Goliath fled following a beating by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. During the five-year time leap in Avengers: Endgame, this Hulk could wield the Infinity Stones to save everyone.

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However, it gravely wounded his arm in the process. It must be noted these events happened when Thanos snapped his fingers. Mark Ruffalo made a surprise appearance as Smart Hulk in The Legend of the Ten Rings. This is also where he reverted to Bruce Banner’s human form. This sparked a flurry of speculation concerning She-Hulk’s MCU origin and the story of Smart Hulk.

The She-Hulk teaser suggests that Jennifer Walters’ transformation into the Hulk will change the Endgame narrative somehow. Smart Hulk was very briefly glimpsed in the footage. He and Jennifer are in a containment unit in some lab. This is where they appear to be testing the mechanism that causes Jennifer’s She-Hulk metamorphosis. As his right arm is unchanged at this moment, Smart Hulk appears to be in excellent health.

There are two possibilities for the Smart Hulk retcon if this isn’t one of the MCU’s trickier trailer manipulations. If he shows up in She-Hulk’s MCU origin, it suggests that he was engaged in Jennifer’s transformations in Endgame. At the same time, Bruce could have also managed to heal his arm following the film’s events.

How She-Hulk’s Origin Takes Place

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The prospect that She-origin Hulk’s takes place within the events of Avengers: Endgame is intriguing to contemplate. The hypothesis that Hulk reverts to Bruce’s form after receiving a blood transfusion from Jennifer would be debunked by this fact. Additionally, this would imply that Hulk spent part of Endgame training his replacement during the five-year time leap. As a reason, it raises more doubts regarding what he was doing during that period. For him to keep this secret from the Avengers, it would be an odd omission. It would also be strange if Bruce didn’t use She-Hulk at the end of the fight.

Another potential retcon for the story of Smart Hulk in Avengers: Endgame would be the consequences of his deeds. The Endgame creative team spoke about the damage to Smart Hulk’s arm. This injury occurred after using the Infinity Stones to reverse Thanos’ past deeds. This was when Marvel did not make this detail canon. Seeing him in Shang-Chi indicated that his arm had not yet healed.

She-Hulk’s origin is likely to take place after Avengers: Endgame. This suggests the MCU is altering the long-term ramifications of putting the Infinity Stones on Smart Hulk. It is further suggesting that these ramifications are fast erasing the initial metamorphosis. It doesn’t matter what happens to She-Hulk. The show is sure to shed light on the Avengers: Endgame storyline.