*Some Jen-related spoilers.*
As I said in my review, She-Hulk was kind of hit or miss for me, but I did come away with a net positive impression of the show, and much of that was down to She-Hulk herself, one Jen Walters.
I don’t think we’ve seen any MCU hero more thoroughly refuse the call than Jen. When she’s given Hulk powers due to a sudden accident, she has all the understandable reactions initially, basically going through all the stages of grief in rapid succession. But once she realizes that she can control her abilities, and that as her Hulk, she still retains her own personality, she’s quick to want to return to her ordinary life. She trains with Bruce long enough to be assured that she has a handle on things, but she wants nothing to do with becoming an Avenger.
And that’s a recurring theme throughout the season. It’s not that Jen is a bad or selfish person. Far from it—rather, she’s already worked hard to help people through the law, and she doesn’t want to throw all that away now. I’m not saying she’s a self-denying do-gooder or that she isn’t paid handsomely for her work, but I am saying she’s very good at what she does and doesn’t intend to let her newfound Hulk powers get in the way of everything she’s worked for.
Needless to say, keeping her powers under wraps only lasts so long, and when Titania busts into a courtroom where Jen is presenting arguments, Jen feels obligated to subdue the rampaging superpowered influencer. In an instant, the cat is out of the bag. The DA’s office thinks having a Hulk on staff will get too messy, and her new job, at the superhuman law division of a high-powered firm, is predicated on appearing in court as She-Hulk, not Jen.
And so, the main thrust of She-Hulk isn’t really about Jen becoming a hero. Even though she does finally don the super suit she didn’t ask for and helps rescue someone from a bad guy’s lair, her story is about her coming to terms with the two parts of her identity. At first, she wants nothing to do with She-Hulk: she didn’t come up with the name, which she finds lazy and insulting, she doesn’t like the way people gawk at her Hulk body, and she worries that she got her new job, not for what she can do, but because of what She-Hulk is.
This puts her in an awkward position, continually trying to shy away from an identity that everyone is clamoring for. Whether it’s dodging media invites, feeling self-conscious over the limited selection of professional wear that fits She-Hulk, or getting the sinking realization that She-Hulk draws far more matches on dating apps than Jen does, she feels increasingly forced to become She-Hulk, and as she explains later in the season, that does a real number on her self-esteem. She likens it to having the ability to suddenly become that pretty, popular friend from high school that you always envied, but it feels like “cheating.” She-Hulk may be a shortcut to attention and success, but in the process, Jen is left out.
As the season goes on, however, Jen is also put in positions where She-Hulk is taken away from her, and she finds that she doesn’t like that either. Titania trademarks her moniker and sues her over the use of it, and even though Jen doesn’t even like the name She-Hulk, she’s suddenly forced to defend it in court. She shows up at a friend’s wedding ready to show off She-Hulk but is accused by the bride of hogging all the attention, which leaves Jen to spend the day drowning in a dress that was made to look great on She-Hulk. And when she’s fitted with a power inhibitor after losing her temper in extreme circumstances, she realizes she doesn’t want to just be Jen anymore.
She wants to be Jen and She-Hulk, and that’s what she fights for. And that’s important too. A lot of superhero stories are outwardly focused, be that on fighting villains, rescuing people, or saving the world. But stories about people standing up for who they are have a place in any genre, and it’s cool to see a narrative like that in the context of someone with superpowers.
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