Jennifer Walters often outshines her cousin Bruce Banner, the Hulk, and her latest method to triggering a transformation to She-Hulk continues that trend. Jen’s technique to tap into her anger is very relatable for one particular segment of sports fans.
In many contexts, She-Hulk is a more palatable variation of the Gamma radiation infused behemoth. She-Hulk was born after Jen received an emergency blood transfusion from Banner tainted with irradiated plasma. She received Hulk powers and abilities while keeping the intelligence personality and full mental faculties of Walters. The Hulk’s ability to transform has always been tied to his anger and rage. In The Avengers, the MCU’s version of Banner explained his secret to controlling his Hulk-outs with the iconic line “I’m always angry,” before converting into his large green alter ego. However, Walters typically has more control over her metamorphosis--and a recent Avengers mission shed some light on her own secret to success.
When She-Hulk needs to appear in Avengers #35 to stop a train, Walters cycles through a few angry thoughts, including student loans, but the one that instantly does the trick is... the New York Knicks?
The timing was perfect as the Jade Giantess was able to collide with an oncoming train full of Khonshu’s acolytes, allowing Captain America and Blade to board and dispatch of the foes. The Avengers strike was a part of an effort to push back against Khonshu, the Egyptian moon god responsible for empowering Moon Knight, who recently made a power grab to reshape the world, fearing a future controlled by the demon Mephisto. Fueled by anger inspired from one of the NBA’s most disappointing franchises, She-Hulk assists in quickly dispatching Khonshu’s disciples.
Walters is an LA native and attended UCLA for law school, which has tuition hovering around $50K a year, so it makes sense Jen could be easily be enraged at the thought of student loans. But why would a Los Angeles girl be so emotionally invested in the Knicks? She-Hulk has spent plenty of time in New York. She’s served as a member of the Fantastic Four and Avengers, teams that both have substantial ties to the Big Apple. Even the law career of Jen Walters has seen high-profile cases play out in NYC, including an occasion where she represented Spider-Man in a lawsuit against J. Jonah Jameson and the Daily Bugle. Coastal allegiances aside, the Knicks provide enough angst to summon She-Hulk for anyone familiar with their past few decades.
She-Hulk is slated to be one of Marvel’s Disney+ entries with an expected 2022 release date. Rumors around the series include potential appearances from Mark Ruffalo’s Banner and storylines revolving around defending superheroes in the courtroom. There are no rumors about whether She-Hulk will visit Madison Square Garden to sit courtside at a Knicks game next to Spike Lee, but unless the team gets better, it’s probably better if she doesn’t. You wouldn’t like her when she’s angry.