Headscratchers / She-Hulk: Attorney at Law

Cell signal in space?

• How was Bruce able to talk to Jennifer in the middle of the cosmos in Episode 2? He doesn't exactly look like he's close to any data towers...
  • Superscience.
  • Considering that Nebula, Rocket and Danvers are talking via hologram with Natasha from space, back in Endgame, and Danvers is talking with Bruce and Wong also from space in Shang-Chi, it's implied that the interstellar superheroes shared the technology to make off-world communications. After all, Carol gives Fury a communication device that allowed that in 1995.
  • The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special revealed that the MCU has satellite dishes that can provide Super Cell Reception upto several lightyears.

Inconsistent security

• If Emil was really put under that close surveillance to make sure he doesn't escape, how was Wong able to let him out of his cell to go fight clubbing with no one the wiser up until the very end of Episode 2? And better yet, how is Wong himself not incarcerated for helping a convicted supervillain leave his cell and go to another country?
  • Magic.
  • Also note that they only found out because someone posted the video, rather than actually noticing that he escaped. So there's no way Wong would be implicated (at least at first).
  • Wong doesn't necessarily live in the United States (the various sanctums are all magically connected to Kamar-Taj, and in the first Dr. Strange, that's where Wong lives) and if and when he does visit the states, they have no way of knowing, since he portals back and forth rather than having to fly and go through customs. It would be pretty difficult to nail him down long enough to arrest him and since he's friends/allies with all of the superheroes, none of them are going to agree to hunt him down.

Celebrity dating app defense?

• During Dennis' case, the defense's main argument is that he was knowingly dating a Light Elf, and that the Megan Thee Stallion impersonation was willing roleplay. However, after the trial, Dennis states that they met on a celebrity dating app where the Elf registered as Megan thee Stallion. Why didn't Pug bother using this as evidence that Dennis thought he was dating the real singer?
  • Didn't you answer your own question? Dennis mentioned the celebrity dating app "after the trial".
  • Even if it was brought up during the trial, taking some shady "meet and date celebrities" app at face value would probably fall under the whole "he should know better vs. he's deluded enough to believe it" argument.

Wong knowing about the memory spell

• How does Wong know about what happened in Spider-Man: No Way Home when he talks to Jennifer about not wiping everyone's memories again? He wasn't in New York when all of that was going down, and he got his memories of Peter Parker wiped shortly after, so how could he possibly have that knowledge to dissuade her?
  • Maybe he was referring to a different incident.
  • In No Way Home, Wong explicitly knew about the memory erasing spell– when Strange brought it up by name ("The Runes of Kof-Kol"), he recognized it and warned him against using it. When talking to Jennifer, he doesn't mention Spider-Man, he just says that it's "messy" to erase memories, so he could easily be talking about a different incident.
  • Also the spell only erased memory of Peter not Spider-Man, and Strange does remember the Multiverse conflict Spidey was apart of and likely remembers using the memory spell, and could have easily told Wong about what happened.
  • The spell erased people's memories of Spider-Man's secret identities. It didn't erase their memories of the spell having been cast.

Donny Blaze's Sling Ring

• Why was Donny, despite being kicked out of Kamar-Taj for showing to be extremely irresponsible with its use, allowed to keep it?
  • He probably stole it.
  • Then why didn't Wong take it from him? It's like he would care about Blaze reporting him for theft, given that it was a gift.
  • Donny probably stole it originally without anyone noticing (sleight of hand is the basis for most of his tricks), and afterwards Wong didn't consider a legal attack from that angle. Jen, meanwhile, wouldn't know that basically all of Donny's magic is dependent on one stolen artifact, so she wouldn't suggest it as an option.
  • But it still doesn't explain why Wong, an all-powerful sorcerer, doesn't just use magic to take back the Sling Ring. He says he wants to set a legal example but why does he even need to do that when, again, he's super powerful and anyone powerful enough to stop him from just confiscating their magic items wouldn't be stopped by a legal injunction anyway.
  • Donny spoiled the Sopranos for Wong. Simply taking the Sling Ring back isn't severe enough. He must suffer additional punishment! Like being slammed in court and then tossed into the Mirror Dimension.

Isn't there a warrant out for Wong's arrest in the United States after pulling Blonsky from prison?

• Yet in episode 4, this is never brought up even once.
  • Technically he has committed a crime, but it might be that the prosecuting authorities are still considering what charges to bring and have not yet brought a warrant out. Or it could be they decided that the chances of a successful prosecution were so unlikely that it wasn't worth doing so given Wong is an Avenger and defender of the world. There could be other considerations as well, it would be pretty embarrassing to admit that someone can waltz in and out of their highest security jails at will. Blonsky's parole hearing would be private, so they don't have to publicly admit this, but bringing charges means they would and that might put the idea in the minds of other magic users; sometimes it is better to just let things go. Also a consideration is that while Blonsky came back of his own free will, there is nothing to say Wong would if they did file. As Sorcerer Supreme, Wong could probably walk in and out at will, and it would be nigh on impossible just to pin him down to trial (plus risking pissing off the entire magical community, who might not be inclined to come to America's aid in a magical crisis), which would be very publicly embarrassing verging on debacle. There are many reasons why Wong, despite having technically committed a crime, is free to come and go as he pleased.
  • Wong also might technically be a head of state. It's unclear what Kamar-taj's legal status is.

How many superheroes are in the world

• In the episode 5 is revealed that there is a tailor for all kind of superheroes and you can see at his shop that he has been really busy with all the suit he has made, so exactly how many crime fighters are in this earth.
  • The implication is that there has been an explosion of enhanced people since the Blip, with the general public now having some access to New Asgard, Kamartaj, as well as black markets for superpowers becoming more popular. This is why Damage Control has become such a large agency, because SHIELD is still a black ops agency that cannot handle the sheer volume of people.
  • The majority of enhanced individuals aren't crime fighters, just public figures. "Superhero" seems to have become an all encompassing term for a public figure who is enhanced. Presumably, the majority of the tailor's clients just have special body needs that would necessitate custom-made clothing. He inquires to Jen about making it stand up to combat because he was told she was an Avenger, who would see combat, not because he is making armor for all his clients.
  • Heck, "superhero" could also refer to anyone who dons a flashy costume to fight crime and protect people. Just ask both Hawkeyes, who don't have superpowers. And there are a lot of superheroes in the comics, perhaps more than even Marvel Studios can give movies or shows to. So there may be a lot more C-list or lower superheroes we haven't seen yet running around somewhere.
  • And as Frog-Man demonstrates in Episode 8, ordinary (relatively-speaking) people with more money than sense might go to him to get a suit that will let them function as a superhero. . . if not well, because of their own incompetence.

How did Titania Copyright the Name She-Hulk in the First Place?

• Even if she beat Jen to the patent office, Jen already had the name She-Hulk. In fact, why did Jen even have to prove that she was using the name before Titania copyright it? She was already publicly known as She-Hulk. Had a TV interview with them calling her She-Hulk, even saying that people started calling her that and it stuck. That was weeks, maybe even months before Titania's copyright.
  • My bet is that Titania is still bitter that Jen easily kick her ass in the first episode, and just wanted to screw her. Titania chose to grab the She-Hulk name for her products because she's that petty.
  • She didn't copyright it. She trademarked it. This isn't just a pedantic difference of names; they are two completely different types of intellectual property with two completely different sets of rules. Whereas US law automatically grants copyright from the moment of creation until it expires many, many years later, trademarks are a bit trickier. Trademark rights in the US are generally awarded by the first use "in commerce". Based on what we see, if anybody has a superior claim to Titania's in this regard, it would likely be a news station significantly covering She-Hulk by that name. However, the US also does not allow a trademark including a person's name without that person's written permission. This does include nicknames, but people calling her She-Hulk doesn't necessarily qualify it as a nickname if she doesn't identify with the moniker and, in fact, publicly rejects it. Thus, the trial where she had to establish that she did actually use it as a name for herself before Titania used it as a trademark.

About the tailor

• MCU superheroes have a personal one now?
  • There are a lot of heroes getting their suits ruined in battle.
  • Why Luke Jacobson instead of Leo Zelinsky?
    • Zelinsky operates in New York in the comics, and they needed someone situated in LA for this series. Also he debuted in a Spider-Man book, so it's possible that Sony has the rights to him. Plus, this show has gotten a lot of mileage out of digging up extremely obscure characters.

Luke Jacobson’s tailor shop

• What other stuff did it contain besides the ones made for she hulk and daredevil?
  • Suits for other superheroes and the materials used to make them.
  • Which superheroes?
  • According to the credits, Eugene Patilio aka Frog-Man is seen in Jacobson's shop, likely coming for his suit.
  • Any superhero Marvel wants to include in the MCU. For all we know, Squirrel Girl, Speedball, Reptil, and Hazmat could be on his client list. Plus, considering Matt's getting a new costume from him, maybe heroes we haven't seen in a while from the non-D+ shows could be clients.

Wrecking crew

• Who do they work for?
  • It's a mystery, one that hasn't been solved yet. Either it will be addressed later in the series, or it's a setup for a future Marvel project (either a future season of She-Hulk or a different entry, with Marvel you never know). Check the WMG section for hypotheses about who "the boss" is.
• Addressed later: they work for Intelligencia, with Todd Phelps as creator and boss.

Why Was Jen's Lawyer Mallory so hostile to her?

• Why is Mallory so hostile to Jen? Jen has literally done nothing to her. They hadn't even interacted before she was put on Jen's case against Titania.
  • Possibly because Jen became head of GLK&H's Superhuman Law Division even though Mallory had been working there longer.
  • Mallory just has that sort of personality. 616 Mallory from the comics is also a bit of a hardass. Her first interaction with Jen is her boss assigning her to a case. Specifically, from Mallory's perspective, it's a waste of time. As she says to Jen in the episode, this problem would have been avoided simply by trademarking the name She-Hulk. Mallory does warm up to Jen, but the answer you're looking for is that some people in life just have cold personalities to certain people. First impressions play a big part in that.

Frog-Man and Mr. Immortal

• How long have Frog-Man and Mr. Immortal existed in the MCU?
  • If his banter is any indication, Mr. Immortal is implied to had been around for at least a few centuries.
  • Leap-Frog is a fairly new thing since we see him pick up his costume from Luke in episode 5.

Jen's fashion woes

• Has she never heard of Long Tall Sally? That's one of several companies dedicated to making clothing for tall women. As her height and proportions in Hulk form are still in the realm of "Yes a normal human can be this size" (compared to her cousin), there's no reason she had to spend multiple episodes wearing men's suits and having to rely on a superhero tailor to make mundane women's clothing for her.
  • That's supposing Long Tall Sally actually exists in the MCU. Also, she was trying to find clothes that can fit both her Jen and She-Hulk forms to not have to replace her Jen's outfits everytime she has to hulking out.

Jen’s secret identity not being a secret

• How come Jen and her secret identity are both public instead of her secret identity as She-Hulk?
  • This was shown in the first episode. Jen wasn't planning on being a superhero so she didn't keep a secret identity. She used her powers on a spur of the moment in court and then was given the She-Hulk moniker by the public/media.

Sokovia Accords Repeal

• In Episode 8, Matt Murdock reveals that the Sokovia Accords are now defunct, allowing for superheroes to conceal their identities again. However, both WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier previously indicated that the Accords were still in effect, with Director Hayward from the former series being arrested for violating the Accords by creating White Vision. So are the Accords actually repealed or not?
  • WandaVision was set something like six weeks after Endgame, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was set six months later. She-Hulk is more like a year to 18 months after those series. There's no contradiction, the Sokovia Accords can simply been repealed after those series and before She-Hulk.
  • Even before then, the Accords were already pretty toothless, given Steve, Wanda, Natasha, and everyone on Team Cap who were supposed to be fugitives due to the Accords were walking around freely, several of whom were even next to Ross at Tony's funeral and he didn't try to arrest them.
    • The accords looked that were repealled after Thanos' fingersnap, since most of Cap's side were refugees in Wakanda or fugitives everywhere else. Yet during Endgame we see Natasha being the director of the remaining heroes, and Cap organizing public support groups, so it looks that these were deader than the Comic Code Authority!!

Why is Intelligencia After She-Hulk

• I get the meta joke about sexist and misogynist on the internet complaining about women. But why are they SPECIFICALLY after her? She's not a super hero. She hasn't interfered with anyone robbing a bank or plans for world domination. She's had her powers for what, 6 weeks? It really makes no sense that they would be so interested in her.
  • Mainly, it IS a reason in-universe as well- they're internet mysogynists that are hating a woman, who regardless of being a hero, has gotten A LOT of attention in that time, and simply hate her for that much... though based on the needles/lab scene we've seen it's MORE likely that they're working for someone who wants her/her blood and benefits from her now being seen as a danger due to her freakout from the harrassment.
  • With Carol off-world, Wanda’s fate unknown, and Natasha dead, she's already pretty much the highest profile super powered female in the world despite not doing superhero stuff. That she hasn't done a single thing to deserve hatred is the whole point. It seems stupid, because it is.
  • A less two-dimensional reason could be because she's not doing anything with her powers. It can work off the belief some have that superpowers makes you obligated to better society with them. Look at how some fans call Steve Rogers selfish for going back in time to live out his life with Peggy.
  • Jen is also an easy target because she doesn't keep a secret identity, is a public figure and is getting lots of attention as a Distaff Counterpart to a more famous male superhero. Given the kind of people the hate is coming from, there's possibly a narrative that Jen is only getting spotlight from her being related to Bruce, so the misogyny is possibly being disguised as annoyance that she's taking media attention from more 'deserving' superheroes. Think the pro wrestling fans who insist that a woman they don't like who's being pushed is only getting it because of who she's dating or related to. The fact that there are so few female superheroes publicly operating - Black Widow is dead, Scarlet Witch is in isolation, Captain Marvel hasn't been on Earth since the 90s, Hope has been underground and everyone else is an alien or recluse - makes Jen easier to go after because she's the most visible.
  • Jen is also easier to go after precisely because she's not an acting superhero. She doesn't try to fight crime or beat bad guys. She just tries to be a lawyer and lead a normal life. Real life cancel mobs are more likely to go after someone who seems like they could feasibly be taken down. That's why they go for the revenge porn route, knowing it'll damage her public image and hoping it'll scare her into being a recluse.

Why is Jen off parole?

• Jen was made to wear an inhibitor because of her actions at the gala. Capturing Intelligencia shouldn't reverse that decision or else it would already have factored in. So, why does she now get to be a super-powered lawyer again?
  • Because K.E.V.I.N. wants it that way. There's really no point asking that kind of question after that level of fourth wall break.
  • If you notice, Jen wasn't wearing her superhero costume at Abomaste originally but was after the fourth wall break. Jen also broke the inhibitor off her leg when the D+ menu came down. So K.E.V.I.N. probably rewrote the whole episode so that Jen never had an inhibitor to account for the plot hole.
  • Since the revenge porn incident would likely damage her career for months, if not years, and thus disrupt the status quo too much then K.E.V.I.N. probably retconned the whole thing out of existence or else rewrote things so that Jen didn't face repercussions for the incident.

How did Todd survive hulking out?

• I thought it was established in episode 1 that being a part of the Banner household means something in their DNA allows them to survive the gamma radiation and instead would kill any one else?
  • This was an intentional plot hole that even Jen was confused about (plus it's a riff on Marvel's use of the Evil Counterpart trope). It's one of the reasons why Jen stormed to Marvel Studios to fix the ending.
  • He mentions that they not only had that blood sample injected on her, but also synthesised her blood so he could survive the effects. Maybe it would only have worked for a short time, but it's also worth noting that Emil also survived a similar process, so it's not unheard of.

What about Titania?

• Jen fixes every issue of the finale with K.E.V.I.N except Titania. Sure. Her appearing out of nowhere makes no sense, but why would they suddenly be cool considering their beef was actually one of the lawyer comedy plotlines? Just deleting her from the scene would have made more sense.
  • Were they cool? Titania doesn't really interact with Jen, she's just filming a crime scene for social media. You'll also notice that K.E.V.I.N. still kept all the cameos and plot beats (minus the Hulk blood) he had planned for the show, he just put them in less obtrusive places at Jen's request.

Reconciling the Fourth Wall Breaking

• Fourth Wall breaking is a trope that is older than dirt, and 95% of the time it is used solely for comedic effect and to add a bit of self aware humor to the show. Every once in a while you have a show where 4th wall breaking happens "in universe", and actually affects the plot or moves it along, but even then this usually only occurs in shows that are parodies or clearly established to be something the audience isn't meant to take entirely seriously (for example; Mel Brooks movies, or the Attack of the Killer Tomato franchise). For the most part, She-Hulk has also been a show that used the 4th wall breaking of it's protagonist simply for comedic effect and self awareness, but as of the season finale, it has crossed the line into making its 4th wall breaking actually plot relevant, and now begs an important question: how do we reconcile the 4th wall breaking of the show with the larger MCU, or can we, and what are the implications of this seemingly "in-universe" 4th wall awareness on Jen's part? Why is she aware of the 4th Wall? What are the metaphysical implications of acknowledging that the MCU is a fictional world *in-universe*? Will Jen share her knowledge that the world is fictional with anyone else? And considering what she did in episode 9, it seems like one could consider She-Hulk a reality warper and possibly the strongest character in the MCU. I for one will be interested to see how they might handle She-Hulk if she appears in any future shows or movies that are not her own, if they will have to tone down or leave out the 4th wall breaking entirely.
  • To be fair, when She-Hulk broke the fourth wall in the comics, everybody around her reacted with confusion and just dismissed it as some weird quirk. As for Jen altering reality through fourth wall breaking, K.E.V.I.N. did say they are going to beef up security to prevent her from pulling this again.

Does this mean the D+ timeline is wrong

• At the Intelligencia meeting in the finale, at one point they mention Lady Thor from Thor: Love and Thunder when disparaging female superheroes. The official Disney+ timeline places this show as taking place before the events of the movie. So in order for that to make sense would the show have to have started before the movie but by the finale has taken place after it. In that case would it only be the finale or any other episodes? Just a bit confused because the show is a bit unclear over how much time passes between certain episodes?
  • The Disney+ timeline has changed the order in the past, so it might be that the chronology is still being worked out.
  • The show is more slow-paced than the others, it would make sense for the plot to span out for a couple months.
  • It's possible that Jane became Mighty Thor some time before the main events of the movie, and her existence was public knowledge for some time. The Asgardians seem pretty used to her being around when Gorr attacks, much more than if she was a new thing.
  • I think it's safe to say nothing that happened in the final scene before Jen breaks the fourth wall and meets K.E.V.I.N. is supposed to be considered accurate or canon. Remember, this is a scene that is discussed as a "written episode" with the writers so they (in-universe) would also be aware that this would be released after Thor: Love and Thunder and the whole scene is drastically altered because Jen is genre-savvy and trope-savvy and understands this doesn't fit for HER show.

The implications of Jen's fourth wall breaking

• So could she enter any MCU movie or show set before her own, thus giving her a very weird form of time travel?
  • It's best to defer to Roger Rabbit rules for non-serious abilities like that; ie, only if it's funny. Also for an in-universe take, even if she could then she can't do it the same way anymore, since K.E.V.I.N. tells her that he fixed the bug that let her enter the D+ menu.
• Also, why was the TVA MIA when Jen very clearly decided to rewrite the ending of her own show? Or does K.E.V.I.N. have some sort of agreement where whatever he says/does overrides any boundaries previously set by them?
  • TVA exists inside the fictional universe, K.E.V.I.N is outside it. K.E.V.I.N trumps the TVA. Additionally the exact status of the TVA (or TVAs possibly) "after" (for lack of better term) Loki is unclear.
  • In addition to K.E.V.I.N. having power over the TVA, it could just be that the rewritten ending is what was supposed to happen, much like the Avengers' time-travel shenanigans.

Collateral damage

• So is Jen off the hook for the collateral damage caused in her fight with Matt? Does anyone know if she did it? I mean I know she was imprisoned for losing control at the party afterwards but for that in particular, I'm a bit curious.
  • Maybe there was a lawsuit and those two ace lawyers managed to pin it all on Leap-Frog? He's already being tried for a bunch of other felonies, being made to pay for damage that was inflicted with him on the scene seems plausible.

Hulk inhibitor

• In the pilot, Jen asks Bruce to build her the same inhibitor that he uses to keep himself from turning into the Hulk. He insists that the technology must be carefully created and tailored to her biology and refuses to do it. He then leaves Earth. Later in the season, both the Abomination and She-Hulk receive inhibitors as part of plea bargains, with no explanation how they could be created in Bruce's absence.