Now that we've all seen She-Hulk episode 2 — you've watched it right? because this is your spoiler warning — it's time to go over what we just saw. Specifically, the fact that She-Hulk just planted a flag in the MCU for where it fits into the chronology of the existing Marvel movies and series.
And, interestingly enough, She-Hulk apparently is not the most-recent piece of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In fact, She-Hulk takes you back to a 2021 Marvel movie.
That said, this is just one point in She-Hulk, and one in the second of nine episodes. So, we could see it stretch beyond this one moment. Who knows, it could even tie into upcoming Marvel movies and shows in ways we can't predict.
Oh and after you're done here, check out our She-Hulk review to see why we love the new Disney Plus show to much.
She-Hulk episode 2 ending: An abominable surprise
She-Hulk episode 2's ending is all about Jen Walters' first case for GLK&H, the parole of Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth), aka The Abomination. You know, the guy who tried to kill Jen's cousin, The Hulk. Well, that little detail didn't matter to GLK&H partner Holden Holliway (Steve Coulter), who brought Jen into the firm on the promise that it's She-Hulk who is the face of the firm's superhuman law division.
So, when Jen goes to meet Blonsky at the Department of Damage Control's supermax prison, she discovers he's a changed man. He's gone through something of a spiritual rebirth, with his yoga, namastes and seven soulmates. And after Jen gets enough reason to think Blonsky's a reformed person, she leaves. She even calls her cousin, who makes a neat little joke I'll explain below.
But, after Jen tells Holliway she'll take Blonsky's case, he tells her that she needs to check the news. And here's where we learn where She-Hulk currently sits in the MCU. It seems that Blonsky's escaped the prison, as footage of Abomination as a cage fighter is on the news.
Ask anyone who's seen Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and they'll tell you that scene takes place early in this movie, because that cage Abomination is in is inside of the Golden Daggers Club. You know, the fight club owned and operated by Xu Xialing (Meng'er Zhang), Shang-Chi's sister. Interestingly enough, She-Hulk writer Jessica Gao told ComicBook.com that Abomination "was put in Shang-Chi because he was in our show."
With the help of our guide to watching the Marvel movies in order (which is confirmed by the "Marvel Cinematic Universe in Timeline Order" section on Disney Plus), this places She-Hulk as occurring after Shang-Chi (or during the middle of it, as Abomination's time in the cage fight doesn't take up a whole lot of the movie); therefore, it also takes place after The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. There's also an Easter egg reference in She-Hulk to Eternals (which is immediately after Shang-Chi on the timeline), but that movie stretches across such a wide range of events that it's harder to nail down its exact importance at this moment.
What She-Hulk's MCU timeline spot means
She-Hulk's placement near Shang-Chi and after The Falcon and The Winter Soldier opens up one big possibility for the series. This means She-Hulk's characters could interact with the new Captain America, and former Falcon, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie). We don't see him needing legal help, though.
That said, this means US Agent John Walker (Wyatt Russell) is also in play, as is Bucky Barnes, the former Winter Soldier, who seemed to have found some peace. And they're both too chaotic to not need help. We doubt Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) needs legal help, not when she's the Power Broker.
She-Hulk episode 2 Easter eggs and references
- When Jen mocks the kinds of people who become superheroes, talking about "billionaires" (Tony Stark), "narcissists" (also Tony Stark) and "adult orphans" (also, sadly, Tony Stark).
- Jen's questions, as she ponders if the Avengers offer healthcare, maternity leave, pension and pay isn't just a natural set of considerations. It's also a callback to the money problems we learned about when Sam Wilson and his family were on hard times in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
- Surfing the web when she is supposed to be job hunting, Jen browses a page stacked with Easter eggs. Not only do the categories on this page include "Find Ant-Man," "Avengers" and "Norse Mythology," the sidebar includes an ad for Iron Man Threes sneakers and the headline "Man Fights With Metal Claws In Bar Brawl." That last one sounds like a Wolverine reference, and the latest nod to the X-Men's imminent arrival (last hinted at in the Ms. Marvel post credits scene).
- Also on that page, we see a sidebar headline that reads "Why is There a Giant Statue of a Man Sticking Out of the Ocean?" This is most likely a reference to the Eternals, as that movie ended with a — literally — giant form of the Celestial known as Tiamut the Communicator sticking out of the ocean. This is one of two MCU timeline indicators, we'll get to the next one below.
- As She-Hulk enters the offices of GLK&H, we see a wall of framed Marvel comics in an office of one of the lawyers, further proving that there are comics of the characters of the MCU inside of the MCU. Hulk, Captain America and Thanos are among those on the covers.
- When Jen calls Bruce to talk about Blonsky, Smart Hulk answers and eventually reminds us of the Incredible Hulk movie nobody ever talks about — where Tim Roth debuted as Abomination. Specifically, he says "that fight was so many years ago i’m a completely different person now, literally," referring to the fact that Edward Norton played Bruce Banner back then.
- The footage of Wong and Abomination fighting, shown to prove that Blonsky "broke out" of the DODC SuperMax Prison, is from the last time we saw Abomination, in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
She-Hulk episode 2 post-credit scene
Back at the Walters household, dear old dad (Mark Linn Baker) needs help moving stuff around the house. Jen complies while Ched explains he doesn't understand 4K.
Next: MoviePass 2.0 is failing out the gate — and users are ticked off.
