She-Hulk Is the Better Hulk (and That’s the Point)

Jennifer Walters, better known to some as She-Hulk, is a lawyer by day and superhero by night. Okay, her life isn’t that clearly defined, though sometimes she wishes it were. She’s also the cousin of the infamous Bruce Banner, which is how she got pulled into the superhero life in the first place. After getting exposed to Bruce’s blood, she too became part of the gamma-monster family. However, right from the beginning, Jen’s journey as the Hulk was vastly different from the rest. She maintained her sense of self, her intelligence, her personality, etc. This was by design, allowing her story to show a different facet of the world of Hulks.

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She-Hulk’s entire design may be based on the Hulk’s, but she’s meant to be an intentional contrast to his character. Her struggles were always meant to be different from his, and vice versa. The same could be said for their strengths and weaknesses. To put it another way, Jen Walters was always meant to deviate from classic Hulk tales in both tone and purpose. So, yes, that is why she has always been “better” at maintaining her sense of self and purpose between transformations.

Embracing Her Power & Personality

Fans of the Hulk are well aware of Bruce Banner’s journey, how he struggled with control and rage, especially in the early years. That is not Jennifer Walters’ story. Ironically, she has had her bouts with control and overwhelming urges, but many of those were post-Civil War II. Jennifer was still herself when she was the Hulk; she was still a brilliant lawyer, complete with emotional control. That was the point. Readers needed to see this version of the Hulk, a version that was more empowering than destructive. It’s a poignant reminder about the potential and risk of gamma radiation. Gamma, like life, is unpredictable.

Notably, while She-Hulk maintained much in either form, her emotions still affect her strength. Strong emotions like anger and fear can still cause boosts, which isn’t always a good thing. She-Hulk learned to embrace all sides of herself, Hulk included. Her story quickly became about confidence, body positivity, and self-acceptance. It’s a vastly different tale from Bruce’s, which again, is the whole point.

Finding a New Balance as a Superhero

Even casual readers are aware of She-Hulk’s day job, attorney at law. It was even the name of her Marvel Cinematic Universe series! Unlike many superheroes out there, Jennifer didn’t quit her day job. She also didn’t tie her day job to an alter-ego, instead trying to forge a new path as a superhero and lawyer. Let’s be real; either job could easily demand more than full-time hours from a person, so trying to balance the two often feels impossible. Jen’s series has always done a fantastic job of highlighting this dichotomy and challenge.

As a lawyer, Jen has famously handled some important superhero legal cases within the Marvel Universe. She defended Howard the Duck from the Superhuman Registration Act (which felt somehow comical while having deeply serious implications), she went after J. Jonah Jameson on behalf of Spider-Man, and she even carried out Xavier’s will. In other words, she’s often doing something that matters to at least one hero, stretching the limits of her career, protecting others, and finding different ways to make a difference.

Playing the Meta Life

She-Hulk is famous for many things, including breaking the fourth wall. Some might even say she was doing it before it was cool. She-Hulk has been meta for years, allowing her to weave creative commentary into her stories. For example, she’s been openly demanding better villains for years now (Sensational She-Hulk #5, 1989) and going after the narrator of her book (Heroes for Hire #14, 1997).

She was playing the meta game before Deadpool came around, though he’s since become more famous for it. Is it because he pushes more boundaries? Maybe, but we’ve got to give credit where credit is due. She-Hulk’s fourth-wall-breaking abilities allowed her to criticize her own story and format, turning subtext into text. It’s why her meta abilities had to be part of her MCU adventure. It wouldn’t have felt right without at least one fourth-wall-breaking moment.

At the end of the day, She-Hulk was always meant to tell a different story in Marvel Comics. While Banner’s story has always been more like Jekyll and Hyde, her story was meant to be about complete integration and balance. This allowed her to flip the script in many ways, from challenging gender stereotypes to embracing herself for who (and what) she is.