She-Hulk Episode 1 MCU Easter Eggs & References

This article contains spoilers for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law episode 1.She-Hulk: Attorney at Law episode 1 is absolutely packed with MCU Easter eggs and references. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is expanding at a prodigious rate. The MCU's latest Disney+ TV show stars Tatiana Maslany as Bruce Banner's cousin, the She-Hulk, a lawyer who gains her own Hulk powers after she's caught up in a car accident.

There's a delicious sense of irony in the fact one of Marvel's top superhero lawyers was actually created as a result of contract law. Back in 1980, Marvel's Incredible Hulk TV show was proving to be a hit on CBS, and Marvel Comics bosses became worried the network would create a She-Hulk for their show. If they did, they'd own the rights to the character, and they'd potentially then be able to use her without paying Marvel a dime. Stan Lee himself dreamed up Marvel's She-Hulk, working with artist John Buscema, and she was the last character Lee would design for decades.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law episode 1 is a standard origin story, albeit with a number of side-plots explaining Bruce Banner's post-Avengers: Endgame story. The script attempts to balance establishing a new hero with positioning her in the MCU, and sets She-Hulk up as a powerhouse to rival (and potentially exceed) her more famous cousin. Here are all the MCU She-Hulk episode 1 Easter Eggs and references.

She-Hulk Episode 1 Riffs On Spider-Man's Catchphrase

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law episode 1 opens with Tatiana Maslany's Jennifer Walters rehearsing a closing speech for an upcoming court case. The speech riffs on Spider-Man's classic "power and responsibility" line, in a manner that's been typical of Marvel since Agents of SHIELD season 1, episode 1 released in 2013 and saw Chloe Bennet's hacker Skye telling a superhuman, "With great power comes a ton of weird crap that you are not prepared to deal with." Spider-Man's real "power and responsibility" line finally became part of the MCU in Spider-Man: No Way Home, after being teased for eight years. It seems Marvel want to keep the gag running.

The "Savage" Jen Walters In She-Hulk Episode 1

She-Hulk Told of the Savage Jen Walters Look

Jen is told her speech is perfect, but that she has to cap it off with "the savage Jen Walters look." It's an amusing line, but also nods to the title of She-Hulk's first comic book run: The Savage She-Hulk. Here, though, Jen wants to believe it's her lawyerly skills that make her truly savage - in the courtroom, not in a brawl.

She-Hulk Breaks The Fourth Wall

She-Hulk Jennifer Walters Breaks The Fourth Wall

Deadpool wasn't the first Marvel character to break the fourth wall - that honor goes to She-Hulk, and she's given the same ability in the MCU as well. She-Hulk breaks the fourth wall on numerous occasions throughout episode 1, addressing the viewers directly; the gag is most amusing when other characters react to her in confusion, with one entertaining moment in which the Hulk is clearly irritated by his cousin's comment "to herself." It will be interesting to see how Marvel maintain this over the course of the show, and even into ensemble movies.

Shang-Chi's Post-Credits Are Finally Explained In She-Hulk Episode 1

Bruce Banner in She-Hulk Showing Off His Gadget

Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner made his Phase 4 return in Shang-Chi & the Legend of the Ten Rings' post-credits scene, where he had reverted back to his human form. This came as something of a surprise, a major change in the Hulk's status quo given he'd morphed into Professor Hulk in Avengers: Endgame - a permanent Hulk, with the mind of Bruce Banner. Shang-Chi's post-credits are finally explained, as it seems Bruce simply built another gadget to help him change back. On close examination, he is indeed wearing this in the post-credits scene; the green light around his arm is visible, because he has his sleeves rolled up.

A Sakaaran Spaceship Creates She-Hulk

She-Hulk encounters a Sakaaran Spaceship

The MCU switches up She-Hulk's origin story, with her blood mixing with Bruce Banner's after they are caught up in a car accident. This is caused by the arrival of a very recognizable spaceship - it's Sakaarian, suggesting the people of Sakaar are looking for their old champion, the Hulk. This is clearly setup; in the comics, Hulk had a son while he was stranded on Sakaar, and there have been rumors Skaar son of Hulk will soon appear in the MCU. Time runs differently on Sakaar, so he could easily have aged substantially since his birth. The She-Hulk alien spaceship seems like major setup for both the Hulk's future, and the future of the MCU.

She-Hulk Episode 1 Features Avengers: Endgame's Gamma Lab

She-Hulk episode 1 quickly moves to the Hulk's Gamma lab in Mexico. This was referenced in Avengers: Endgame, with Banner explaining he spent 18 months in a gamma lab figuring out how to put brains and brawn together. It seems this was done with the help of Tony Stark, who built the lab for his friend and seems to have kept visiting Bruce during his time there, as Tony seemingly left some of his clothing in the lab, because Banner gives Jen a Led Zeppelin T-shirt that presumably belonged to him.

She-Hulk Episode 1 Features An Iron Man Shrine (And An Iron Legion Helmet)

Bruce Banner is keeping what seems to be a sort of shrine to Tony Stark, a broken Iron Man helmet. It's actually one of the Iron Legion helmets from Avengers: Age of Ultron, perhaps hinting Tony left it there himself - so both could bond over their past mistakes. This feels like one of Bruce Banner's treasured possessions, because Tony Stark was his dearest friend.

The MCU's Timeline Is Still A Mess In She-Hulk Episode 1

This is followed by a conversation in which Hulk explains (both to Jennifer Walters and to viewers) how she became a Hulk. During the conversation, Hulk drops a number of references to timescales - and, unfortunately, they prove the MCU's timeline is still something of a mess. According to Bruce Banner, he's been wrestling with the Hulk for "fifteen years, give or take." The MCU's Hulk was created in 2005, so that would fit with the present day. Unfortunately, the MCU jumped forward five years in Avengers: Endgame, and the Disney+ timeline places She-Hulk right before Ms. Marvel - meaning it should be set in 2025. Assuming the Disney+ MCU timeline is right, Hulk should really have said "twenty years."

The Hulk and She-Hulk Look At Their Bloodwork

According to the Hulk, he and his cousin share a rare combination of genetic factors that allow their bodies to synthesize gamma radiation. It seems Bruce Banner possesses a secret superpower, one that is actually responsible for the creation of the Hulk, because without it his ill-advised super-soldier experiments would have presumably killed him. The interesting question is whether this means Bruce Banner and Jennifer Walters are mutants in the MCU; Ms. Marvel is the MCU's first official mutant, and her powers seem to be a combination of genetic factors plus radiation, so there's definitely a parallel. Apparently Banner and Walters are different in some way, however, and the Hulk healed his arm using She-Hulk's blood.

"Smart Hulk" Is Officially An In-Universe MCU Name

In the comics, the combination of Banner and Hulk is traditionally called "Professor Hulk." The MCU has always preferred the name "Smart Hulk," and now it's official. Bruce Banner insists he didn't choose the name, but he clearly doesn't object to it, and She-Hulk spends quite a bit of time teasing him on it. The Hulk's greatest weakness isn't his temper anymore - it's his ego.

Hulk References Avengers: Age Of Ultron & Thor: Ragnarok

The Hulk remembers some of the ways he's controlled his transformations in the past, most notably Black Widow's lullabies from Avengers: Age of Ultron. According to Bruce Banner, the common thread is being rendered unconscious (Hulk's romance with Black Widow isn't mentioned here, but, to be fair, that's probably a bit too personal to discuss with his cousin without needed to). He also remembers being stuck as the Hulk for two years living on Sakaar between Avengers: Age of Ultron and Thor: Ragnarok.

The Hulk Thunderclap Returns in She-Hulk Episode 1

Bruce Banner spends most of She-Hulk episode 1 convinced his cousin needs to be trained by a more experienced mentor. This naturally results in a scrap, and the Hulk is rather smug when he demonstrates he can still pull off the Thunderclap - the Hulk's trademark move in The Incredible Hulk, not seen on the big screen since. She-Hulk then pulls a variation of the same trick, however.

Titania Joins The MCU In She-Hulk Episode 1

Jameela Jamil's Titania makes her MCU debut in She-Hulk episode 1. A classic Marvel villain, in the comics Titania is She-Hulk's greatest rival, a brawler created by Doctor Doom himself. It's doubtful the MCU will introduce Doctor Doom in She-Hulk, so her origin story has likely been rewritten for the show. She's basically used as an opportunity for Jennifer Walters to reveal her She-Hulk powers to the world. No doubt she'll learn her cousin's warning was true when he said heroes don't get to choose their names.

She-Hulk Episode 1's Post-Credits Scene Is A Tremendous Captain America Easter Egg

She-Hulk episode 1 has an admittedly random sub-plot discussing Captain America's virginity, which comes to a close in the post-credits scene. Worn down by his cousin, the Hulk reveals Captain America was not a virgin - he had sex with a woman while he was on the USO tour in 1943, before he went to the front lines. It is, of course, quite possible Steve Rogers dreamed up this tale to shut Tony Stark up, because Iron Man certainly enjoyed poking fun at his friend's naïveté. She-Hulk's post-credits scene includes another "America's ass" joke (another Marvel tradition since Avengers: Endgame), and features a fadeout F-bomb in the style of Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law episode 1 really is packed with Easter eggs.

New episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law release Thursdays on Disney+.