She-Hulk Episode 1 Finally Confirms What Hulk Did During The Blip
Marvel Studios' Phase 4 slate has focused on new characters and new worlds in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the current era of the franchise, officially titled "The Multiverse Saga," and the "She-Hulk" series adds Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) to the roster. In the comics, she's a high-flying lawyer who gets a blood transfusion from her cousin Bruce Banner — played by Mark Ruffalo in live-action — after she gets shot by mobsters in "Savage She-Hulk" #1. But the Gamma radiation in his blood transforms Jen into She-Hulk — who could've seen that coming?
Thankfully, the series takes a different approach to Jen's origin, as Bruce's blood spills into her wound when the cousins get involved in a car accident in "She-Hulk" Episode 1. This makes sense because Banner would've known about the dangers of purposefully giving his cousin a blood transfusion considering his own unique condition.
The show also pulls from John Byrne's "The Sensational She-Hulk" comics, which see the hero break the fourth wall to talk to the reader. Head writer Jessica Gao told The Hollywood Reporter that she originally wanted to use that format in an even bigger way in the series. "It was tricky finding the balance because if I had my way, she'd be breaking the fourth wall every other sentence. Everybody had to pull me back a little bit more from it," she said.
Jennifer constantly breaking the fourth wall injects the series with a sense of fun, especially opposite Ruffalo's Professor Hulk, who teaches his cousin how to handle her newfound abilities. But while Jen and Bruce catch up, the scientist reveals what the Hulk did during the Blip after Thanos (Josh Brolin) killed half of all life in the universe.
Bruce Banner worked on merging himself with the Hulk
The world drastically changed in the five years between "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame" due to half the population disappearing as a result of the Snap. But when fans see Hulk again in "Endgame," Bruce Banner has figured out a way to combine his alter-ego's strength and size next to his own intellect and personality. It's a surprising development for the scientist, but it's one that allows him to still be part of the action while also pushing his character arc further. But "She-Hulk" Episode 1 reveals that it wasn't an easy feat to pull off.
Bruce tells Jennifer that he spent much of his time alone in his remote Mexican laboratory which was funded by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) — and they even built a bar together so they could have some fun during a tough time. Bruce also created a device to help him control his two sides, putting the brains and the braun together. This lab would also be where Bruce healed his arm after the events of "Endgame," as he was fairly injured from using the Nano Gauntlet. It's great that Banner spent his time productively during the Blip, but it's hard not to think that he could've been doing more out in the world.
Why didn't Bruce help the other Avengers during the Blip?
Let's face it; Bruce could have helped Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) try and keep the world from falling apart with the remaining Avengers during the Blip. She's not doing so great at the start of "Avengers: Endgame" because of everything she's been through, and Bruce could have been there for her. Would it not have been possible for him to experiment on himself at the Avengers compound? Come on, Bruce, you two were very close in "Age of Ultron."
In the first act of "Avengers: Endgame," most of the surviving heroes work together during the fallout. Nebula (Karen Gillan), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Okoye (Danai Gurira), Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), and War Machine (Don Cheadle) are all doing their part across Earth and the universe. The fact that Bruce hid out in Mexico trying to work on his new Smart Hulk ego and not helping his friends is quite unusual.