She-Hulk Episode 2 Canonized a Bunch of Real Marvel Comics

We’ve only seen two episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, but the Marvel Studios series is already subverting our expectations in some hilarious and delightful ways. The series, which follows the unlikely superhero origin story of Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany) has been chock-full of self-aware Marvel references, not unlike She-Hulk comics themselves. The series’ second episode took that into a new direction, with Jen beginning her career as a lawyer at the firm of GLK&H — which also happens to boast an office filled with comic books. In the She-Hulk run of the 2000s, this back issues basement proves to be a useful tool in GLK&H’s superhuman legal battle, as any comics published with the Comics Code Authority seal are able to be regarded as legal documents.

In the time since Episode 2 of She-Hulk has debuted, some eagle-eyed fans (including The Direct) have been able to identify some of the individual real-life Marvel issues that appear in the office, and therefore exist within the MCU. Keep scrolling to check out a few of those issues, and share your thoughts in the comments below!

Avengers #4

Created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and George Roussos, 1964’s Avengers #4 brought about the modern-day return of Captain America, and saw him join the team of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

Captain America #274

Written by original She-Hulk co-creator David Kraft with art by Mike Zeck and John Beatty, 1982’s Captain America #274 showcases Steve Rogers’ fight against Baron Strucker and Hydra, which leads to the reveal that Strucker is a Life Model Decoy, as well as the death of Howling Commandos member Samuel Sawyer. 

Incredible Hulk #287

The presence of 1983’s The Incredible Hulk #287 creates a bit of a head-scratcher in Marvel continuity, considering the fact that Bruce didn’t become the Hulk within MCU canon until several decades later. The issue, written by Bill Mantlo with art by Sal Buscema and Chic Stone, shows Bruce briefly having control over his Hulk transformations, as well as his fight against MODOK.

What If…? #28

Published in 1991, What If…? #28 poses the question of “What If… Captain America Were Not the Only Super Soldier in World War II?” Created by George Caragonne, Ron Wilson, and Ralph Cabrera, the issue (as the title suggests) follows an entire group of men whose lives were changed by the super-soldier serum.

Thor #494

From Warren Ellis and Mike Deodato Jr., 1996’s Thor #494 sees Thor and the Enchantress on a quest to the Worldengine. While not necessarily an Earth-shattering adventure in Thor’s canon, its cover does have a pretty evocative drawing of Thor’s hand holding Mjolnir.

Thor #611

The first in Kieron Gillen and Rich Elson’s run on the character, Thor #611 picks up in the aftermath of “Siege”, as Thor must fight to protect Asgard from new unseen forces.

Agent Carter #1

One of the most recent comics on the wall is 2015’s Agent Carter: S.H.I.E.L.D. 50th Anniversary, part of a series of one-shots celebrating S.H.I.E.L.D.’s origin. In this particular tale, from Kathryn Immonen and Rich Ellis, Peggy Carter gets thrown into an adventure with Dum Dum Dugan and Lady Sif — something that could have feasibly happened in the MCU, since all three characters have been around for a while.

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New episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law debut Thursdays exclusively on Disney+. If you haven’t checked out Disney+ yet and you want to give it a go, you can do that here.

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