MCU Phase 4 has a darkness problem and She-Hulk is solving it - thanks to Frog-Man. Ahead of August's grand premier, Marvel has released its first full She-Hulk trailer, giving MCU fans their best look yet at Tatiana Maslany playing Jennifer Walters. Quite apart from her hectic lawyer job (She-Hulk: Attorney At Law is now the show's full title), Walters is unfortunate enough to count Bruce Banner as a cousin, and inherits a green-tinted transformation all her own. Disney +'s She-Hulk trailer demonstrates the interplay between Banner and Walters, reveals Tim Roth's Abomination return, touches upon the delicate dynamic between superhero and super-litigator... and secretly reveals the long-awaited MCU debut of Marvel comics legend (in his head, at least), Frog-Man.

She-Hulk marks another entry in the MCU's rather morose Phase 4. Kevin Feige's franchise is renowned for its ability to balance drama and levity, but recent output has leaned more often toward the former. The specter of Natasha Romanoff's inevitable death hung over Black Widow, while Eternals pitted family members against each other. Spider-Man: No Way Home ended on a soul-crushing note, while Doctor Strange 2 threw Scarlet Witch into the multiverse of sadness. Over on Disney+, WandaVision told a story about grief and loss, while Falcon & The Winter Soldier turned political. Loki then took audiences on an emotional roller coaster, before Moon Knight revealed its central character was abused during childhood. Unless you're watching Shang-Chi or Hawkeye, MCU Phase 4 has not been a barrel of laughs.

Related: She-Hulk Can Tell The Hulk Story That Endgame Failed To

She-Hulk's Frogman tease promises to fix that. In the Marvel comics, Frog-Man (real name Eugene Patilio) is the son of a B-list villain, and decides to counter his dad's evil by becoming a hero. Sadly, Eugene is bereft of both the superpowers and specialist skills required to succeed in his desired field. A gag character concocted entirely for laughs, Frog-Man looks up to his fellow Marvel vigilantes and aspires to be like them, but he's a walking, bright green liability. That the success Eugene does enjoy as Frog-Man comes largely through good fortune and happenstance only makes the joke funnier. Frog-Man in She-Hulk is exactly what MCU Phase 4 needs right now - not just as comic relief (Marvel is already adept at that), but as an example of embracing the inherent ridiculousness of Marvel's comic world. We've seen glimpses of this joyful silliness through Throg (Loki) and Pip the Troll (Eternals), but Frog-Man debuting in She-Hulk looks to push that idea a tad(pole) further.

Frog Man appears in She Hulk trailer.

It stands to reason that as the MCU wades into darker waters (and waters have definitely been dark since Thanos was defeated), the comedic side of the spectrum should respond proportionately, maintaining the tonal balance expected from Marvel's live-action output. Having fun with ridiculous characters like Frog-Man in She-Hulk means Kevin Feige can keep putting his Avengers through hell, digging into the severe, mature themes prevalent throughout Phase 4, but without losing sight of Marvel's super-broad appeal.

Frog-Man's presence in She-Hulk also springs the added bonus of a meta superhero in the MCU. Many years have passed since Tony Stark proudly declared himself as Iron Man, and the MCU's population is now well-accustomed to superheroes flying among them. Hapless wannabes were bound to appear sooner or later, and Frog-Man can seize upon the subversive popularity of franchises like The Boys and One-Punch Man to explore what happens a regular guy who loves heroes puts on a colorful costume. It's Kate Bishop, but without the extensive history of sporting excellence, and that concept promises laughs galore in She-Hulk. If that CGI doesn't improve before August, Jennifer Walters will need a sense of humor...

Marvel's She-Hulk trailer provides little context around Frog-Man's debut, but his inclusion among this early collection of footage implies he's more than just a fleeting Easter egg. Maybe Frog-Man is a friendly neighborhood amphibian who "protects" Jennifer's street from evildoers. Or perhaps the public emergence of She-Hulk (Jennifer isn't exactly hiding her transformation) inspires Eugene to realize his own superhero fantasies. Either way, Frog-Man offers She-Hulk a pond-full of hilarity - and that's a commodity the MCU needs more than ever.

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