Jennifer Walters, AKA She-Hulk, is one of the many DLC characters that have leaked for Marvel’s Avengers. The cousin of original Hulk Bruce Banner, She-Hulk has risen up the ranks in recent years to become one of the most popular characters in Marvel comics. From that perspective, her inclusion in the games makes sense, though it also comes with some issues that Crystal Dynamics will need to solve.
With Marvel’s Avengers already including the original Hulk in such a prominent role, making Jennifer stand out from her relative will be a legitimate challenge for Crystal Dynamics. With the two boasting terribly similar abilities despite their different stories and personalities, it will be a major challenge to make She-Hulk feel unique on a gameplay front. That said, Crystal Dynamics should have no problem creating a strong She-Hulk story, ensuring that at least one part of the DLC is a success.
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She-Hulk’s arrival is a clear example of the fundamental problem with Marvel’s Avengers DLC, as she is essentially set to be a clone of the original Hulk in terms of her abilities. Like Ant-Man and The Wasp, Clint Barton and Kate Bishop, and War Machine and Iron Man, a similar gameplay style seems guaranteed. Players can expect to smash through their foes using the hulked-out Jennifer Walters, throwing around AIM opponents just like Bruce Banner.
However, even though She-Hulk can easily fall into the trap of feeling like a reskin, it is certainly possible for Crystal Dynamics to make her standout. Much like Clint Barton’s Hawkeye can standout against Kate Bishop’s if some major differences between the two exist, She-Hulk can be given some interesting gameplay with a bit of creativity. For starters, she should be faster than The Hulk, boasting higher and further jumps to increase her movement speed. Beyond that, though, Crystal Dynamics can make use of the fact that Jennifer Walters’ Hulk is a smarter than Bruce Banner’s.
The relationship between Jennifer and her Hulk side is far more symbiotic than that of Bruce Banner’s, as she does not fear the transformation into her stronger half. Lacking Banner’s mental issues and not relying on anger to trigger the change, Jennifer keeps her intelligence upon becoming She-Hulk — though she does speak less eloquently in recent comics. As such, her moveset is often more refined, and the character's enhanced speed is something Crystal Dynamics should utilize to help her close the distance between enemies quickly. While she may lack the brute strength of Banner’s Hulk, She-Hulk should be able to easily dodge attacks, deliver combos, and use abilities that fit a much quicker version of The Hulk. Not too unlike Captain America’s moveset, only with a reliance on purely hand-to-hand combat, there is a chance that She-Hulk can be unique.
However, one area that She-Hulk can truly shine is in her story. With many still being unfamiliar with the Marvel character despite her rise in popularity, Crystal Dynamics should feel free to cover her backstory in the DLC. A skilled lawyer known for defending the innocent, Walters is gunned down by a villain she angered in court. Severely wounded and likely to die, the original Hulk gives his cousin a blood transfusion. The Gamma radiation from Banner’s blood saves Jennifer’s life, turning her into She-Hulk in the process.
While this backstory will surely be covered in the MCU’s She-Hulk series, Crystal Dynamics could just as easily recreate the moment in-game beforehand. Using She-Hulk’s origin to build her in-universe relationship with Bruce Banner, the two Hulks teaming up could be the focus of She-Hulk’s DLC. Allowing for more moments with Troy Baker’s well-realized version of The Hulk while also establishing She-Hulk as another new hero like Kamala Khan, the DLC could make even elevator conversations before AIM Hives more interesting.
While Bruce Banner could be a more effective mentor for Jennifer than he was for the young Ms. Marvel, and it would be interesting to see his reaction to Jennifer being able to transform at will and without pain, there is plenty more that can come from the DLC. One great Marvel easter egg could see Jennifer facing off against another famous comic book lawyer in court. Matt Murdock, AKA Daredevil, could make a cameo in a legal scene. While Daredevil is deserving of his own game, an appearance in the She-Hulk DLC could certainly be a good start, and the cameo could serve as a great teaser for a future hero addition.
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While Crystal Dynamics can make She-Hulk’s DLC interesting via refined, speedy gameplay and a story on Jennifer Walters’ relationship with Bruce Banner, a final way to make the expansion successful is through its villains. While it is certainly a bit more challenging to think of villain additions for She-Hulk’s arrival than it is for the Spider-Man DLC’s antagonist, one pair of foes immediately stands out.
Instead of stealing a Hulk villain like The Leader or going with an over-the-top foe like the Man-Elephant Behemoth, She-Hulk’s DLC should incorporate Absorbing Man and Titania. The former boasts an interesting connection to Daredevil, as he lost to his father Jack Murdock in a boxing match. The latter is She-Hulk’s greatest foe, with Titania being a consistent thorn in the side of Jennifer Walters. While Absorbing Man strengthens the likelihood of a Daredevil appearance, and Titania’s backstory of being a victim of severe bullying could be interesting to see on-screen, the best thing about the villainous duo is that they are a couple in the comics.
Playing off the dynamics of the villains’ relationship could make them a standout pairing to face off against, and if She-Hulk teams with either Daredevil or Bruce Banner in her story, it makes sense that she would have two foes to face off against. Further, Absorbing Man and Titania could be the game’s only boss fight where players have to face off against two beefed-up enemies, pulling from the legendary Ornstein and Smough fight in the original Dark Souls game. With Titania providing the traditional superhuman strength and reflexes to go with Absorbing Man's unique power to copy the abilities of everything he touches, a uniquely balanced battle can be created.
While She-Hulk’s DLC will likely not fix all of Marvel’s Avengers’ problems, it does have the potential to be another solid step towards redemption. With the differences between She-Hulk and The Hulk being tied to their personalities as opposed to their abilities, leaning into that with Jennifer Walters’ story would be a wise idea. If the narrative is strong, an attempt at a different moveset is made, and the right villains are used, She-Hulk’s DLC could prove to be great.
Marvel's Avengers is out now on PC, PlayStation 4, Stadia, and Xbox One, with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions currently in development.
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