She-Hulk

Publication history

She-Hulk was created by Stan Lee, who wrote only the first issue, and was the last character he created for Marvel Comics, until his return to comics with Ravage 2099 in 1992. The reason behind the character's creation had to do with the success of The Incredible Hulk (1977–1982) and The Bionic Woman television series, both from Universal Television. Marvel was afraid that the show's executives might suddenly introduce a female version of the Hulk, as producer Kenneth Johnson had already done with The Six Million Dollar Man. So Marvel decided to publish their own version of such a character to make sure that, if a similar one appeared in the television series, Marvel would own the rights. Kenneth Johnson later said the plans for season five of The Incredible Hulk was to have Banner's sister suffering from a disease where only the blood of a sibling could save her life, which would turn her into a "woman Hulk who was crazy and scary and dangerous". But six episodes into the season, a new boss at CBS decided to cancel the show with immediate effect, ending the last season with episode seven.

All but the first issue of The Savage She-Hulk were written by David Anthony Kraft and penciled by Mike Vosburg, and most issues were inked by Frank Springer. Vosburg later remarked, "The oddest thing about that book was that Frank drew really beautiful women, I drew really beautiful women, and yet, the She-Hulk was never overly attractive." The Savage She-Hulk series lasted until 1982, where it ended with #25 (March 1982). She-Hulk then made guest appearances in other characters' books. Her earliest guest-starring adventures followed no specific story line, besides her recurring bad luck with automobiles. She-Hulk also appeared in the limited series, Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions (June to August 1982), in which numerous superheroes are kidnapped from Earth to fight in space.

She-Hulk becomes a member of the Avengers in Avengers #221 (July 1982). Her early Avengers appearances continued the running gag about her car troubles. She-Hulk also made occasional guest appearances in The Incredible Hulk. Her appearance in The Avengers #233 (July 1983) was drawn by John Byrne, who would later become strongly associated with the character.

At the conclusion of the first Secret Wars miniseries, She-Hulk joins the Fantastic Four (Fantastic Four #265 (April 1984)). During She-Hulk's tenure with the Fantastic Four, she appeared in Marvel Graphic Novel #16: The Aladdin Effect, Marvel Graphic Novel #17: Revenge of the Living Monolith, and Marvel Graphic Novel #18: The Sensational She-Hulk. All three graphic novels appeared in 1985. The last, #18, appearing in November 1985, was written and illustrated by then-Fantastic Four writer/artist John Byrne.

Fictional character biography

The Savage She-Hulk

Jennifer Walters, the cousin of Bruce Banner (Hulk), is the small and somewhat shy daughter of Los Angeles County Sheriff William Morris Walters and Elaine (née Banner) Walters (who died in a car crash when Jennifer was 17). Operatives of Nicholas Trask, a crime boss who had crossed paths with her father, shot and seriously wounded her on the day that Banner visited her to tell her about his transformation into the Hulk. Since no other donors with her blood type were available, Banner provided his blood for a transfusion; as they already shared the same blood type and DNA, his gamma-irradiated blood, combined with the adrenaline from emotional stress, transformed Jennifer into the green-skinned She-Hulk when the mobsters tried to finish her off at the hospital. She then used her new powers to take down Trask, who was killed when the earth-boring device he rode malfunctioned, plunging him into the molten core of the Earth.

As She-Hulk, Jennifer possessed powers similar to those of her cousin, though at a reduced level. She also possessed a less monstrous, more Amazonian appearance. Initially, anger triggered the transformation to her She-Hulk form (as with Bruce Banner's). Like her cousin Bruce, his counterpart, the Leader, Doc Samson and most other persons mutated by exposure to gamma radiation over the years, her mutated form was originally explained as being molded by her subconscious desire to look like the ideal woman. She eventually gains control of her transformations when Michael Morbius cures her of a lethal blood disease. As a criminal defense lawyer, she defended Morbius when he was tried for serial murder and managed to reduce the conviction to involuntary manslaughter, considering his medical condition.

Jennifer eventually decides to permanently retain her She-Hulk form, feeling that it not only makes her a better lawyer, but also gives her an assertiveness and confidence that she never had as a human. After her brief solo career, she joined the Avengers. This led to her being transported to Battleworld by the Beyonder and her participation in the Secret Wars, which is most notable for sparking her long-standing rivalry with Titania. After the heroes returned to Earth, she temporarily replaced the Thing (who, having been repeatedly de-powered during the event, opted to stay in Battleworld for some time as a form of soul-searching) as a member of the Fantastic Four.

During her tenure with the Fantastic Four, She-Hulk met and started a romance with Wyatt Wingfoot. One day, she had to prevent a radiation leak in a downed S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier. This radiation exposure drastically affected Jennifer: she could no longer transform back into her original human form. However, this was an agreeable turn of events for her, since she preferred being She-Hulk, and it was revealed much later by Leonard Samson and Reed Richards that the block was purely psychological.

The Sensational She-Hulk

After her Fantastic Four years, She-Hulk rejoined the Avengers for a while. She becomes an assistant district attorney and begins working for New York City district attorney Blake Tower.

The Sensational She-Hulk #15 introduced a grey version of She-Hulk that appeared at night only and shared a lot in common with the Hulk, such as having a childlike mind, speaking in the third person and divorcing from her Jennifer Walters identity, referring to Jennifer as "puny Jennifer", She-Hulk returned to normal in the following issue, with her green coloration returning in The Sensational She-Hulk #17.

After a time, She-Hulk returns to the Avengers. Repeated exposure to the presence of her teammate Jack of Hearts, who has the innate ability to absorb radiation that is around him, leads to She-Hulk being unable to control her transformations. After realizing that she becomes a feral monster when transforming into She-Hulk, Jennifer flees out of fear that she will endanger her friends and others, leading to the "Search for She-Hulk" storyline.

The other Avengers track her to the town of Bone, Idaho, where Jennifer is lying low but the anxiety of being found prompts her to change, causing her to damage much of the town. Her cousin shows up but fails to reason with her; he "Hulks out" and the two fight — the devastation to the town subsequently being blamed on the Hulk. Jack of Hearts eventually shows up and transfers the radiation back into her body, giving Jennifer back control of her She-Hulk form. Following the deaths of Jack of Hearts and Scott Lang, she succumbs to her savage side once again, which resulted in her tearing the Vision in half.

Psychological limitations inhibit her transformation between her two forms. For a time, as detailed in She-Hulk #4 (March 2006), Jennifer works as a relief volunteer helping to repair Bone. She gains confidence after solving a murder mystery, reveals her green alter-ego to the entire town, and then uses her strength to make many more repairs. This, combined with Leonard Samson's new 'gamma-charger', gives her full control over her transformations for, as she said, 'the time being'.

Single Green Female

The events of The Search for She-Hulk, combined with her own lack of personal responsibility and the potential legal ramifications of her saving the world swaying juries leads Jennifer back to the legal profession in a more full-time capacity when she is offered a partnership in the New York firm of Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway (GLK&H), which plans to establish a "Superhuman Law" division. As part of the offer, Jennifer agrees to revert back into her human form while practicing law.

Her experiences at GLK&H change Jennifer's worldview significantly; she now realizes that as Jennifer Walters and She-Hulk, she has much to offer the world in both forms. She also learns that her powers as She-Hulk are dependent on her own physical abilities and takes up bodybuilding to raise her strength to a previously unimaginable level.

"Civil War"

During the 2006 "Civil War" storyline, in which the superhero community became divided over the ethics of the Superhuman Registration Act, She-Hulk decides to obey the law and register. She also supports Tony Stark (Iron Man), though she as an attorney, she advises individuals on both sides of the conflict. She agrees to file suit against Peter Parker for fraud on behalf of her father-in-law, Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson, although her true intention is to keep the suit tied up in the courts indefinitely.

In She-Hulk #14 (2006), Clay Quartermain of S.H.I.E.L.D. informs Jennifer that she has been drafted into that organization as a result of her registration. Her mission is to fight various foes of the Hulk while training heroes under the Initiative. She serves with the Hulkbusters: Clay Quartermain, Agent Crimson, Agent Cheesecake, and Agent Beefcake.

"World War Hulk"

Due to her involvement in S.H.I.E.L.D., She-Hulk derives a bit of information suggesting that the organization knows of her cousin's whereabouts. Anticipating a problem, Tony Stark has She-Hulk secretly injected with S.P.I.N. (Super-Power-Inhibiting Nanobots) Technology, removing her powers.

On her way home, Jennifer runs into Amadeus Cho, a young genius out looking for friends of the Hulk. Cho, whom the Hulk once saved, discovered what the Illuminati had done to the Hulk, and he wants help in finding him. Cho temporarily restores Jennifer's powers so that she can take out Doc Samson, who came to apprehend Cho for Reed Richards and Tony Stark. Cho says he can permanently restore Jennifer's powers if she will join him, but she politely refuses, instead directing him to Hercules and Angel.

During the 2007 "World War Hulk" storyline, a re-powered She-Hulk assists in the evacuation of Manhattan. She tries to reason with the Hulk, but is unsuccessful. Following these events, Jennifer returns to the law firm to work on suing Tony Stark for stealing her powers. She is subpoenaed to give a testimony in a case in which Mallory Book is trying to prove that the Leader's criminal acts are the result of a shift of personality induced by his mutation, and an addiction to his gamma irradiated powers, and that he thus cannot be held accountable for his actions. Despite this, the Leader is later acquitted of his crimes.

Post-"World War Hulk"

After the Leader's trial, Artie Zix reveals himself as RT-Z9 and holds the main staff of GLK&H hostage while asking them questions at the behest of a group of aliens from a corner of the galaxy recently discovered by the Watcher Qyre. The aliens, called the Recluses, wish to keep their existence a secret. She-Hulk earlier decreed that Qyre not reveal knowledge of the Recluses' existence at the meetings of the Watchers. This had serious repercussions: it is revealed at the close of She-Hulk (vol. 2) #20 that an evil being has conquered that portion of the galaxy, and is preparing an assault on all of creation. Qyre, who holds knowledge of the plan, is unable to speak of it to anyone else. At She-Hulk's time trial, it is revealed that her actions made a destructive event called the Reckoning War possible.

Jennifer finds that tourists from an alternate universe – designated the Alpha universe – are crossing into her universe – which they call Beta. Reed Richards realizes he can use the previously stored configuration of the Alpha She-Hulk to restore Jennifer's powers by purging the nanites from her body and setting the teleporter to loop her back to this reality. Having regained her abilities, Jennifer remains in her home reality, while the Alpha Jennifer returns to her own universe and reconciles with her boyfriend Pug.

She was later recruited by Stark as a member of an Initiative-sponsored incarnation of the Defenders for a short while until Tony Stark disbanded the team. Afterwards, she continued to aid team leader Nighthawk for a brief time until she was fully able to join the team on Nighthawk's request and that it would be away from the Initiative.

Lady Liberators

Some time after the Skrull invasion, the country of Marinmer suffers a devastating earthquake. Because the victims of the earthquake are members of a minority religious group, the Marinmer government has confiscated all humanitarian aid packages, and because of Marinmer's strong ties to powerful countries such as Russia and China, other nations refuse to intervene for fear of sparking a war. She-Hulk and the Lady Liberators secretly enter Marinmer, intending to steal the confiscated aid packages and distribute them to the earthquake victims. The Winter Guard attempts to stop them, but gives up after seeing the plight of the earthquake victims.

"Dark Reign"

As part of the 2008 - 09 "Dark Reign" storyline, Jennifer appears in the four-issue miniseries All-New Savage She-Hulk, in which she fights Lyra, the alternate reality daughter of Hulk and Thundra after she comes to the Earth-616 reality for the DNA of the strongest man. While Jennifer and Lyra were fighting, Sentry tosses her away believing the man Lyra is referring to is him. She-Hulk later returns, enraged, and pummels the Sentry into the ground. She then helps Lyra escape from Avengers Tower.

M.I.A.

In The Incredible Hulk #600, Jennifer tasks Ben Urich to discover the identity of Red Hulk. She informs him that she is unable to as she has asked too many questions to the wrong people. She has Urich bring a photographer (Peter Parker), and meets him along with her insider, Doc Samson, and they venture into a S.H.I.E.L.D. base that is actually a front for A.I.M. and Thunderbolt Ross's Gamma Power Super Soldier Program. Leonard Samson then appears to have a breakdown and is overtaken by an alternate personality. The clashing duo are subdued by MODOK and the facility explodes in the aftermath of a fight between Red Hulk and Hulk. Jennifer, Samson (who has reverted to Leonard) and Red Hulk are caught in the explosion.

Incredible Hulks

Following the defeat of the Intelligencia, Jennifer begins traveling with her cousin Bruce, Skaar, Korg, Rick Jones, and Betty Ross. Shortly after the events of World War Hulks, Skaar learns that his brother Hiro-Kala is approaching and that he intends to crash the planet K'ai into Earth. She-Hulk is on the team as they manage to successfully avert disaster. Upon returning to Earth, the group finds the world in flames as it is in the grasp of the Chaos War. They journey to Hell, where they fight and defeat the Chaos King.

At some point before or after these events, Jennifer and Lyra settle in New York, where Lyra begins to attend high school in an attempt to gain an understanding of humanity as it occurs in this timeline. As well as helping to integrate Lyra into society, they are also involved in trying to round up the remaining members of the Intelligencia.

Future Foundation

Prior to a time- and multiverse-spanning trip by the Fantastic Four and family, the Thing asks She-Hulk to be a member of the Future Foundation.

Doc Green

When the Hulk is elevated into "Doc Green" – a version of the Hulk possessing Bruce Banner's intellect – after he is treated for a shot to the head as Bruce Banner by use of the Extremis virus, he sets out to attack and depower other gamma-based mutates. Steve Rogers attempts to order the Hulk to stop before he goes after She-Hulk, but when Doc Green finally confronts her, he instead admits that he has come to recognize that he is coming dangerously close to the Maestro, as part of him enjoyed eliminating his 'rivals', having decided instead to accept the eventual loss of his intellect as Extremis wore off rather than risk that persona emerging. Informing She-Hulk that she is the only gamma mutation whose life he felt had been legitimately enhanced by her condition, Doc Green provides her with the last injection of his cure, asking her to use it on him if he goes too far.

"Civil War II"

During the 2016 "Civil War II" storyline, after the Inhuman Ulysses Cain predicts Thanos' arrival on Earth, She-Hulk is mortally wounded by a direct attack from Thanos. When Iron Man learns that they used Ulysses' precognitive power to ambush Thanos, he vows to make sure that no one uses it again. Before She-Hulk goes into cardiac arrest, she tells Captain Marvel to fight for the future. After Hawkeye is acquitted for shooting Bruce Banner, Captain Marvel visits She-Hulk, who has recovered.

Post-"Civil War II"

Following Bruce Banner's funeral, Jennifer Walters left the superhero business and continued to work as a lawyer, where she gained her first client: Maise Brewn, who was an Inhuman descendant. Due to the stress following the fight with Thanos, Jennifer started turning uncontrollably into her version of the Grey Hulk at different intervals. Jennifer helped Maise when she was recovering from the trauma and being evicted by her landlord Mr. Tick. When Maise got impatient with Jennifer and summoned a Fear Golem that killed Mr. Tick and some police officers, Jennifer is nearly killed by it and transforms into the Hulk. She defeated the Fear Golem and prevented Maise from committing suicide when Maise was arrested for reckless endangerment afterwards.

Afterwards, Jennifer transformed into the Hulk and met the Hellcat. After changing back, Jennifer told Hellcat that she was worried over the fact that her grey color could mean that she is like Bruce (since Bruce also had a grey incarnation). Later, Jennifer was watching a live video on the internet when a baker named Oliver turned into a Hulk-like creature on-camera. Jennifer spent several days trying to track him down, eventually confronting him as the Hulk at the Brooklyn Bridge. During the following battle, she lost control of her Hulk persona, almost killing him, though the Hellcat managed to calm her down. However, the incident left Jennifer worried about losing control again.

The Leader kidnaps Jennifer and forces her to transform into the Hulk and attempt to kill his new assistant, Robyn, who willingly went through a blood transfusion to become a Hulk-like monster herself. The Hulk nearly kills Robyn, but Jennifer manages to regain control, before defeating the Leader by electrocuting him. A self-help writer named Florida Mayer uses a special pill to transport Jennifer to her subconscious, leading her to confront her Hulk persona and illusions of Thanos and Banner, finally overcoming her trauma in the process. Upon waking, Jennifer reverts to her standard green She-Hulk persona.

During the war against the Cotati, She-Hulk is revealed to have been killed and replaced by a Cotati, attacking the Avengers when they tried to negotiate a truce with their new enemy, the heroes only surviving the attack thanks to the Invisible Woman's forcefield, although the Cotati/She-Hulk then beats down the Thing and retreats. Invisible Woman, Mantis, and Thing are locked in combat with the Cotati-possessed She-Hulk. Back in New York, Jo-Venn and N'kalla release their positive memories which revives She-Hulk enough to break the Cotati off of her and to stop the fighting between the Kree and the Skrull. When the Cotati are defeated, She-Hulk and Thor take Sequoia away. It turns out that She-Hulk was able to return to life thanks to Leader who has mastered the way to control the Green Door.

Dating Jack of Hearts

After Jennifer managed to get her mind back in order, she decided to try to reassemble her life and professional career again, and was hired by her old rival Mallory Book, and Mallory's romantic and professional partner Awesome Andy, to handle legal representation and counselling for other superhumans. To help Jennifer, her good friend Janet van Dyne, The Wasp, also gave her a spacious new apartment. During this time Jennifer also made peace with her old foe Titania (although they decided to keep each others as regular sparring partners under lawful circumstances), and she gradually entered a romantic relationship with her old teammate Jack of Hearts. April, a scientist with intelligence enhanced by gamma-radiation, and her superhumanly strong husband Mark, also sought to drain She-Hulk of her powers to stabilize their own mutations. They failed in their attempt, but as a result Jack lost control over his powers to a sufficient degree to automatically drain Jennifer of her powers if they physically touch each other, so their relationship had to turn platonic from that point. Further complicating the situation, a charming and vastly super-humanly strong thief calling himself The Scoundrel began to actively flirt with She-Hulk during her attempts to apprehend him, but she rejected him after finding him morally reprehensible.

Characterization

Powers and abilities

A transfusion of gamma-irradiated blood from her cousin Bruce Banner (the Hulk) granted Jennifer Walters superhuman powers. In her She-Hulk form, she possesses enormous superhuman strength, that potentially makes her the physically strongest known woman in the Marvel Universe when her emotional state is sufficiently high.

Although She-Hulk's strength originally remained at a set level and did not increase, later in her history her strength has been stated to increase further from fear, or anger, similarly to her cousin. In addition the character possesses superhuman speed, agility, stamina, and reflexes.

As She-Hulk, Walters is exponentially stronger than she is in her Jennifer Walters form; therefore any extra strength gained as Jennifer Walters through intense physical training will be amplified, making her She-Hulk form even stronger. After being defeated by the Champion of the Universe, She-Hulk exercised for several months in her Jennifer Walters form, resulting in a significant gain in strength and muscular mass in her She-Hulk form and allowing her to soundly defeat the Champion in a rematch. At this time she was able to effortlessly sustain the Thing's maximum weight with a single arm, while her strength was greatly restrained by a "Jupiter suit," and she was shown as considerably stronger than Hercules. Similarly to her cousin, her powers can also greatly increase by absorbing radiation. She is capable of absorbing great amounts of energy, and used this ability to absorb the uncontrolled energy of the new Starbrand.

She-Hulk received a power upgrade from the Celestial Eson, and became more powerful than ever before, far surpassing Captain Marvel and even Thor (without the Odinforce) in strength. A Cotati-possessed She-Hulk nearly killed the Thing with her bare hands and punched through the Invisible Woman's force fields without even noticing the efforts by Susan Richards to protect her teammate.

She-Hulk's body is superhumanly durable and nearly impervious to force, pain, and disease: her skin can withstand extremes of temperature, as well as tremendous stresses and impacts without puncture wounds or lacerations. Her enhanced physiology renders her immune to all terrestrial diseases. She-Hulk also possesses a healing factor, which enabled her to completely recover, within minutes, from a skewering by the Wendigo.

Personality

Walters' personality has changed over the decades since her first appearance: originally ill-tempered and violent, she is now depicted as a fun-loving, extremely kind, empathetic, yet still feisty woman who frequently uses humor when fighting. She has stated that she does not want to kill her foes, especially ones that she has already subdued. She has also started and led her own disaster relief organization, and felt great remorse for almost destroying a small town (due to her transformed state briefly turning uncontrollable from radiation), whereupon she helped construction workers to rebuild it.

As a highly idealistic lawyer, Walters has a history of defending the rights of minorities, the mentally ill, individuals victimized by unethical corporations, criminals who were unduly mistreated and lacked a proper defense, and civil liberties generally; she also believes in the necessity of law and order. These priorities have sometimes made her personally conflicted: she reversed her stance regarding the Superhuman Registration Act, and expressed disillusionment when her more famous cousin (whom she considers a brother) was shot into space without due process, or when what she thought to be a torturer and murderer of children was cleared from all charges.

Jennifer has enormous amounts of determination and willpower that have allowed her to resist systematic torture and brainwashing at the hands of the Red Widow for several weeks without having her personality or idealism affected in the slightest.

When the Time Variance Authority put She-Hulk on trial to potentially erase her from history, Bruce Banner testified that, as a curse on himself and humanity, there are days when he feels like the only thing that has made his life worthwhile is that he did not only save the life of somebody he loves when he gave Jennifer his blood, but also had a hand in creating a genuine hero.

In an interview, former She-Hulk writer Peter David described her as follows:

She-Hulk has the potential to be our Wonder Woman. A powerful female with a strong moral center and a determination to do what's right. She's also a unique combination of brains and brawn. The ideal She-Hulk story is one that plays on both aspects of her make-up, the intelligence combined with her strength.

Breaking the fourth wall

For a time, starting with the Sensational She-Hulk series by John Byrne in 1989, She-Hulk was portrayed with a form of "cross-dimensional" or metafictional awareness to break the fourth wall. In some stories, she showed an awareness of being a comic book character, with visuals of her "tearing the page" or "walking through a page of advertisements" to reach an enemy's control center. She sometimes engaged in arguments with the writer (John Byrne), or appealed to the comic's editor, Renée Witterstaetter. The Sensational She-Hulk #50 (Byrne's last issue) involved Renée locking a bound-and-gagged Byrne in a storage closet while she and Jen tried to find the book's new writer. This trend was briefly carried on during her tenure with the Heroes for Hire, when she "spoke" to the book's narrator and "fired" him for losing the plot. Other Marvel characters that have been written to directly "address" the audience include She-Hulk's friend Louise Mason, Uatu the Watcher (who narrates a majority of the issues of What If by speaking directly to the reader), and Deadpool. On occasion, this practice has also been used for Loki, Rick Jones, Wyatt Wingfoot, and Howard the Duck. The Dan Slott series has not acknowledged this primarily-humor-based quirk of She-Hulk's, save for a coda in vol. 2 #3 (#100), in which Stu Cicero, a law firm "researcher" asks Jen if she can "really do stuff like that." She somewhat wistfully replies "No. I can't" – however, the panel is drawn at a somewhat ambiguous angle that suggests She-Hulk may be looking "out" of the comic at the reader. She-Hulk's most recent profile in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe continues to list this "ability" of hers, and confirms that she is simply downplaying it for the benefit of those around her.

The Dan Slott series took a different approach to the metafiction angle, making use of a concept dating back to Lee and Kirby's early Fantastic Four – that the heroes of the Marvel Universe permit licensed comic-book adaptations of their adventures to be published. Since all comics published before 2001 bear the seal of the Comics Code Authority of America (a federal agency in the Marvel Universe), they are considered legal documents admissible as evidence in the superhuman law cases on which She-Hulk works.

In much more recent appearances She-Hulk has demonstrated that she still has the ability to exit her narrative and talk directly with her readers.

Relationships

She-Hulk's relationships with men have been defined by her dual needs for independence and acceptance. These needs were evident in her often-tempestuous relationship with her father, Sheriff Morris Walters. A widower whose wife had been killed by mobsters, Walters was overprotective, controlling, and judgmental. In response, Jennifer sought independence from her father, while also desiring his acceptance.

Sheriff Walters felt that the best way for Jennifer to live was for her to follow his values. However, Jennifer grew up perceiving the gray areas of law enforcement (for example, she interpreted the events leading up to riots which occurred during her childhood differently from her father). Although Jennifer saw her decision to become a criminal defense attorney as a kind of homage to her father, Sheriff Walters instead interpreted her choice (to defend criminals) as a rejection of his values.

Jennifer worked at nurturing a supportive relationship with her father, and remained close to a childhood friend, Zapper, with whom she ultimately became romantically involved. Being She-Hulk allowed Jennifer to express emotions which she was not otherwise comfortable revealing. For example, although Jennifer Walters was restrained from dating a younger man, as She-Hulk she felt free to express her affection for Zapper. During that same time, Jennifer pursued a problematic relationship with the affable ne'er-do-well Richard Rory (a supporting character created by Steve Gerber for the Man-Thing stories), who actually valued her for who she really was.

Ultimately, She-Hulk's relationship with Zapper fell apart, primarily due to her insistence on permanently remaining in her She-Hulk form, eschewing the Jennifer Walters persona that Zapper had grown up with. Zapper believed that Jennifer's preference represented a rejection of her true self. Although in actuality She-Hulk liberated much of Jennifer Walters' repressed personality, the She-Hulk persona also repressed certain aspects of Jennifer Walters' personality which She-Hulk found distasteful.

During her time as an Avenger, She-Hulk engaged in a relationship with Starfox. This encounter was later retold in flashback, and in that storyline, Starfox was on trial, charged with sexually assaulting a married woman. The alleged victim testified that Starfox's euphoria power had forced her to be sexually forward, similarly to She-Hulk's own encounter with Starfox. Jennifer assumed that her interaction with Starfox had not been consensual after hearing this testimony, after which she severely battered him, including kicking him in the groin. However, she later discovered that Starfox had not used his powers on her, and that his brother Thanos had manipulated his mind to make him use his powers recklessly and plant falsely incriminating memories there.

Costumes

Due to her affiliation with different supergroups over the years, She-Hulk has donned numerous costumes. She-Hulk's personality has also gone through significant changes: from aggressive and short-tempered to intelligent, free-spirited, and vivacious.

Because of her various outfit changes, no single costume can be considered iconic (compared to Superman's blue and red tights, or Spider-Man's red and blue costume and mask). However, She-Hulk is immediately recognizable due to her size, green skin, and long, dark green, almost black hair.

In her first appearance, She-Hulk was a massive, towering figure, with wild, untamed, waist-length hair. She wore a ragged white dress or blouse (the dress ripping and tearing as Walters turned into her giant alter ego). That white garment, which was often only the blouse that Walters had on before her transformation, always covered her upper body and midsection (in the same way that enough of the Hulk's pants survived to cover him after his transformations). When she was asked about this in an early issue of the second series, Jennifer responded that her clothes carry the label of the Comics Code.

After her Savage era, She-Hulk wore appropriately sized clothes. For instance, she joined the Avengers and began dressing in a one-piece aerobics outfit. During the Avengers era, she wore a purple, one-piece swimsuit with a white belt and boots.

After the first of the Secret Wars, She-Hulk took the place of the Thing and became a full-fledged member of the Fantastic Four. Her costume kept the sleeveless/legless leotard design, incorporating the colors and style of the team's costumes, with a "4" prominently displayed across her chest and white gloves and boots. After leaving the Fantastic Four, she rejoined the Avengers, donning a white one-piece costume with the blue Avengers insignia emblazoned on it.

She-Hulk has then worn a purple and white one-piece leotard, complemented by fingerless gloves and sneakers. Her hair is long and straight, as opposed to the thick, curly tresses she sported in the past. After the events of World War Hulk, she has added baggy low-rise jeans to this look.

Cultural impact and legacy

Critical response

Jenna Anderson of ComicBook.com wrote, "Although she has had a slew of different comic interpretations over the years, John Byrne's take on her in The Sensational She-Hulk is often regarded as the most iconic – both for further developing her as a character, and for satirizing the comic book tropes of the time. In the decades since, She-Hulk has consistently remained spirited and feisty, but also incredibly intelligent, empathetic, and altruistic, both in her life as a superhero and as a lawyer." Deidre Kaye of Scary Mommy called She-Hulk a "role model" and a "truly heroic" female character. Peyton Hinckle of ComicsVerse referred to She-Hulk as a female role model, saying, "As a strong, self-confident woman who completely ignores female stereotypes, she's the kind of character more people — especially younger readers — need to see. She happily accepts the things that make her different and she doesn't try to hide herself just because others disapprove. She struggles with things too, but at the end of the day, she proves that with the right thinking, anything is possible. For male and female comic readers alike, that's an important message."

Alyssa Rosenberg of The Washington Post called She-Hulk a "feminist superhero," stating, "From the very start, She-Hulk was recognizable as a manifestation of a particularly female dilemma that persists today. She is an expression of how terrific it would be not to have to censor yourself, to be allowed to be angry without some man declaring you unladylike. [...] She-Hulk is not a male fantasy of how sexual liberation works, where women focus more on making men happy than on their own pleasure. Rather, she is an adventuress with a clear sense of her own gratification and joy." UGO Networks included She-Hulk in their "Best Heroes of All Time" list, writing, "There's nothing that's a cheap cross-marketing ploy about She-hulk [...] If nothing else, she has proven to have a longer shelf life than Spider-Woman (who is also in no way a cheap marketing ploy)." Dan Van Winkle of The Mary Sue included She-Hulk in their "7 Female Superheroes Who Should Join Marvel’s Cinematic Universe" list, calling her one of the "women superheroes we would love to see make their way into the MCU." Chris Arrant of Newsarama ranked She-Hulk 8th in their "Best Marvel Characters of All Time" list, saying, "From the novel idea of a lawyer specializing in superhero law to a successful businesswoman dealing with the realities (and fiction) of controlling (or not controlling) her anger issues, She-Hulk isn't a cliché or an archetype, which makes her one of top characters in the Marvel U.

Jo-Anne Rowney of Daily Mirror ranked She-Hulk 8th in their "Best Female Superheroes of All Time" list. Aaron Young of Looper ranked She-Hulk 10th in their "Strongest Superheroes In History" list. Rob Bricken of Gizmodo ranked She-Hulk 16th in their "Every Member Of The Avengers" list. IGN ranked She-Hulk 18th in their "Top 50 Avengers" list, and 88th in their "100 Comic Book Heroes" list, asserting, "Plenty of heroes have gained female sidekicks over the years, but few of these ladies have so capably managed to escape the shadow of their namesakes as She-Hulk. Where Hulk is merely an outlet for Bruce Banner's rage and pain, She-Hulk is pure liberation for the geeky, mousy Jennifer Walters. This gamma gal has an impressive track record in comics, and we're waiting for her to join her cousin on the big screen." Darren French of Entertainment Weekly ranked She-Hulk 19th in their "Let's Rank Every Avenger Ever" list. Comics Buyer's Guide ranked She-Hulk 11th in their "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list. Wizard ranked She-Hulk 104th in their "200 comic book characters" list.

Impact

In January 2016, She-Hulk was ranked 18th in the "Top 100 Marvel Characters" list across a popularity contest held by Comic Book Resources.

Literary reception

Volumes

According to Diamond Comic Distributors, She-Hulk #1 was the 36th best selling comic book in February 2014.

Kelly Thompson of Comic Book Resources called She-Hulk #1 a "strong opening for a character well deserving of the spotlight," asserting, "Overall, "She-Hulk #1 is a great start to a new series for a character well deserving of the spotlight. If Soule can find a way to better balance the lawyer element of the book by sprinkling in a bit more action, he and Pulido are likely to have a hit on their hands." Benjamin Bailey of IGN gave She-Hulk #1 a grade of 9.8 out of 10, writing, "This is not a superhero book. Not even a little bit. It's more Hawkeye than Hulk, following the stories of Jennifer Walters's law career – or lack of career, as the book starts – and what she does when she's not an Avenger or member of the FF. In other words, this is a comic that could have gone really bad really fast. In the wrong hands, this thing could have been a boring, bizarre mess. Fortunately, due to the very capable Charles Soule and Javier Pulido, that is not the case. In fact, She-Hulk #1 is absolutely fantastic. It's the She-Hulk comic we never knew we needed."

According to Diamond Comic Distributors, She-Hulk #159 was the 48th best selling comic book in November 2017.

Joshua Davison of Bleeding Cool stated, "She-Hulk #159 was a pleasantly surprising read. The story was gripping, if a bit slow. We don't get to see Jen fully She-Hulk out, but she is a likable enough character that I was fine just reading about her. Hellcat has a great presence in the comic too, and the read was overall compelling. I recommend it. Check it out." Joe Garza of SlashFilm included She-Hulk #159 in their "15 Best She-Hulk Comics You Need To Read" list, asserting, "The Leader has always been a great villain for the Hulk — and this storyline proves that he's just as great against She-Hulk — as he's typically forced into using his immense intellect to best a foe who relies on brute force. However, this story shines as an exploration of PTSD. During this time in the Marvel Comics universe, Bruce Banner was dead (only to return, of course), and the heroes had been rocked by a lasting status quo shakeup, She-Hulk included. This storyline saw her dealing with loss and identity in a way rarely seen before in "She-Hulk" comics, and it's handled with all of the grace (and punching) it deserves."

According to Diamond Comic Distributors, Immortal She-Hulk #1 was the 17th best selling comic book in September 2020.

In other media

Television

Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk appears in The Incredible Hulk (1982), voiced by Victoria Carroll.

Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk was intended to appear in The Death of the Incredible Hulk, but did not make the final cut. A year later, a proposed She-Hulk series for the ABC network was considered "dead."

Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk makes non-speaking cameo appearances in Fantastic Four (1994).

Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk appears in The Incredible Hulk (1996), voiced by Lisa Zane in the first season and Cree Summer in the second. She initially appears as a guest character before becoming a main character, which led to the series being renamed The Incredible Hulk and She-Hulk. This version is shown to enjoy an active sport-filled life to show off her strength and agility and will revert to her human form if she pushes herself too far for extended periods of time, with an adrenaline rush allowing her to change back.

Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk appears in the Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes episode "The Cure", voiced by Rebecca Shoichet. After Ben Grimm is reverted to his human form, She-Hulk replaces him in the Fantastic Four until he changes back into the Thing.

Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk appears in The Super Hero Squad Show episode "So Pretty When They Explode!", voiced by Katee Sackhoff.

Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk appears in the Ultimate Spider-Man four-part episode "Contest of Champions," voiced by Eliza Dushku.

Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk appears in Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., voiced again by Eliza Dushku. This version is a stunt pilot and a member of the titular team.

Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk appears in Marvel Super Hero Adventures episode "From Hulk to Eternity", voiced by Elysia Rotaru.

Film

After two television projects for She-Hulk failed to materialize, a live-action motion picture was planned in the early 1990s, with Larry Cohen as writer and director. Ten months later, Brigitte Nielsen was announced to play the title role. She posed for photos dressed both as She-Hulk and her alter ego Jennifer Walters, but the film was never completed.

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Tatiana Maslany portrays Jennifer Walters in the live-action series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022). This version is accidentally cross-contaminated with Bruce Banner's blood following a car accident. In November 2019, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said that there are plans to feature She-Hulk in future Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films following her introduction in her television series.

Video games

Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk appears as a playable character in Fantastic Four (1997).

Evil doppelgangers of She-Hulk appear in Marvel Super Heroes in War of the Gems.

Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk appears in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, voiced by Alicia Coppola. She appears as a mini-boss in the Anti-Registration campaign and a playable character in the Nintendo DS version.

Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk appears as a playable character in Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet, voiced again by Cree Summer.

Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk appears as a playable character in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, voiced by Maria Canals-Barrera.

Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk appears as a playable character in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, voiced again by Maria Canals-Barrera.

Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk appears as an unlockable playable character in Marvel Super Hero Squad Online, voiced by Grey DeLisle.

Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk appears as an unlockable playable character in Marvel Avengers Alliance. This version is one of the Serpent's Worthy, Skirn.

Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk appears as a non-playable and playable character in Marvel Heroes via the "Advance Pack 2" DLC, voiced by Mary Faber.

Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk appears as an unlockable playable character in Lego Marvel Super Heroes, voiced by Tara Strong.

Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk appears in Marvel Pinball as part of the "Infinity Gauntlet," "Civil War," and "Women of Power" tables.

Miscellaneous

Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk appears in the motion comic Marvel Knights: Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk, voiced by Nicole Oliver.

Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk received a Lego minifigure.

Collected editions