Disney+’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law has given us the origin story of Jennifer Walters in season 1 episode 1, titled “A Normal Amount of Rage.” The Marvel series is setting up Jen, who is Bruce Banner’s cousin, as the lawyer known as She-Hulk, another Hulk in the Banner family. Jennifer becomes the “She-Hulk” when Bruce’s blood mixes with her own, and she then can be a Hulk when needed. The difference between Bruce’s original transition into his Hulk form and Jen’s is that she instantly has more control over it.
We see in the first episode how her relationship with Bruce plays into her life, what her “She-Hulk” ways will do for her life and career, and exactly her plan for being a “superhero” and a lawyer. But one thing that really works for me is how the show sets up her ability to control her Hulk form in a way that Bruce could never really prior to Avengers: Endgame.
**Spoilers for the first episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law lie ahead.**
Bruce instantly assumes that Jen is going to go through the same journey he did when he first became the Hulk. He has a whole binder, and it’s honestly kind of cute how he’s trying to be supportive and caring towards his cousin so he can teach her how to be her Hulk self and not hurt anyone. The difference is that Jen has years of training that Bruce never had to have, and it is highlighted by an incredible scene where Bruce is talking to Jen about being in tune with her emotions and thinking that he’s proving a point when she’s in control the entire time.
Women already have to control their anger
One of the things I love about this series is that Jen’s control isn’t something just gifted to her. She can control her Hulk form because she’s constantly aware of controlling her emotions when she’s out in the world, and it is something that many women can relate to.
“Here’s the thing Bruce, I’m great at controlling my anger. I do it all the time,” Jen says. “When I’m catcalled in the street, when incompetent men explain my own area of expertise to me, I do it pretty much every day because if I don’t I will get called emotional, or difficult, or might just get murdered. So I’m an expert at controlling my anger because I do it infinitely more than you.”
Frankly, that’s the most real quote I’ve gotten out of a superhero property probably ever. It makes total sense that Jen would be better at being a Hulk than Bruce because she knows what it’s like to hide her own emotions so someone doesn’t look down on her. Men don’t have to do that. They don’t have the constant worry about how they are acting, and their anger can instantly be expressed in a way that Jen’s never could, so when she becomes an emotion-based hero, she should have better control of it than Bruce did.
I love this scene in particular because even when Bruce sees her getting angry, he has a smug look on his face like he was right, and she shows him yet again that she was in control the entire time and can control how she Hulks out because it’s what she’s been taught to do. It’s sad that this is relatable, but it’s also the truth and I love how this show adds those layers into the story.
(featured image: Marvel Entertainment)
