Warning: Contains spoilers for Immortal Hulk #42
One of Marvel's most interesting characters is the Incredible She-Hulk. Created entirely because Marvel didn't want any other company creating a female Hulk first, the character has outgrown her cynical origins to the point that now She-Hulk can break reality itself. Throughout her existence, Jennifer Walters has remained the primary She-Hulk, but the Immortal Hulk has changed the entire mythology behind Hulk, and that may just lead to an all-new She-Hulk. If Immortal Hulk #42 is anything to go by, a Hulk supporting character might be turning green soon.
The new comic by writer Al Ewing and a variety of different artists, actually doesn't feature much of the great green brute, instead focussing on members of Hulk's supporting cast. After Joe Fixit escaped custody and had the Savage Hulk battle the Thing, the Hulk has gone missing. His previous hunters, Gamma Flight, tell the government that they quit. While the group of former villains have a difficult path ahead of them, they don't have it nearly as bad as Hulk reporter Jackie McGee. After abandoning everything to report on the Hulk, she's out of a job and left considering the prospect of writing online lists just to get by. After a disappointing interview, she goes back to her apartment only to sense that something is off. In the apartment, she finds the gamma researcher Dr. McGowan.
The doctor explains that she teleported into Jackie's apartment because she's been looking for Gamma mutates. Gamma Mutates like Jackie. The former reporter tries to explain that she isn't a mutate, but Dr. McGowan's gamma radiation detector says otherwise. Jackie immediately starts to panic, eventually coming face to face with her reflection where she sees that her eyes have turned emerald green. Noticing that something is off, Dr. McGowan asks Jackie if everything okay, but Jackie only sees a distorted world filled with gamma monsters.
Though Immortal Hulk is filled with rich characters, Jackie is easily a standout among the new cast. Partially based on a character from the peerless Incredible Hulk T.V. show, Jackie's fascination with understanding the Hulk has been a compelling arc to follow. Early in Immortal Hulk she said that heroes look to help Hulk after he goes on a rampage but that, as a woman of color, Jackie is never allowed to be angry. In words that would prove to be prophetic, she asked, "How do I get my piece of that pie, Hulk? How do I get to be what you are?" Based on that line alone, it would appear Marvel has been planning this for some time.
It's still not clear what exactly Gamma will do to Jackie. Though hulking out is the radiation's most famous side effect, characters like Hulk's nemesis the Leader have had different responses. It's possible Jackie could gain super strength or it's possible her gamma exposure could give her superintelligence. So far, all readers know is that it allows her to see gamma radiation with her eyes. Regardless of what powers she gains though, a new She-Hulk is coming to Immortal Hulk.