Everything you need to know about Hulk and She-Hulk’s relationship

The hype surrounding the upcoming She-Hulk: Attorney at Law show has Marvel fans extremely excited. She-Hulk has long been a fan-favorite character, with comics fans often clamoring for her inclusion in every Marvel project and event.

However, many people new to the hero often wonder if she is related to The Hulk or if it is merely a shared name used by two unlinked characters.

Why Was She-Hulk Created?  

She-Hulk has a fascinating history, as she was created because of legal worries. In the 1980s, The Incredible Hulk TV show starring Lou Ferrigno was drawing loads of viewers every week.

However, Marvel was worried. Kenneth Johnson, the producer of The Incredible Hulk show, had previously worked on the popular TV show The Six Million Dollar Man. This show introduced a female counterpart to the hero, called The Bionic Woman, who proved popular enough to get her own TV spin-off dubbed The Bionic Woman. 

Marvel was worried that Johnson would do the same with Hulk and thus wanted to make sure that if he did try and introduce a female Hulk, Marvel would already own the rights to the character, and thus John Buscema and Stan Lee quickly came up with She-Hulk. Launching a character who quickly cemented themselves as one of the most popular Marvel characters. 

What Is She-Hulk’s Origin And How Is The Hulk Involved?

Because of this, She-Hulk’s backstory was kept simple. She-Hulk’s real name was Jennifer Walters, and she was the daughter of LA Sherrif William Walters and Elaine Walters, the latter of whom died when Jennifer was young. Jennifer quickly blazed a trail for herself, becoming a successful attorney in LA. However, one day Jennifer was shot by criminals hired by crime boss Nicholas Trask, who was angry with Jennifer’s father, William. Things looked grim for Jennifer as there were no donors with her blood type available. 

Thankfully, her cousin happened to be in Los Angeles at the time, and he was able to donate enough blood to give Jennifer an emergency transfusion that would save her life. However, this cousin wasn’t any random person, as Jennifer’s cousin was Bruce Banner, The Incredible Hulk.

Getting Bruce’s Gamma-irradiated blood led to Jennifer developing Hulk powers just like her cousin. Like Bruce, her transformation is set off by her anger. However, in time Jennifer can gain control of her powers, meaning that, unlike Bruce’s Hulk, Jennifer’s green persona is a hyper-vibrant and exaggerated version of her normal personality. One that retains all of Jennifer’s knowledge and memories, making her formidable on the streets and in the courthouse. 

Since then, She-Hulk has starred in many comics and Marvel events. Her relationship with the Hulk has played a massive role in several comics. And Bruce has acted as an ally and a foe over the years. Famously, the pair came to blows, most notably during the World War Hulk and Doc Green story arcs. 

This interesting relationship between her powers and her cousin makes She-Hulk one of the most fascinating characters in the Marvel universe. Hopefully, the She-Hulk: Attorney at Law series touches on this intriguing element of Jennifer’s character.