While Loki invaded New York with a Chitauri army at the behest of Thanos in 2012's Avengers, Bruce Banner arrived late to the scene - but just in time to be in the path of a Chitauri Leviathan that's chasing Iron Man. Calmly, Banner starts walking straight towards the Leviathan, prompting Captain America to say, "Doctor Banner, now might be a really good time for you to get angry." Banner replies, "That's my secret, Cap. I'm always angry."

Rejected: Why Avengers: Endgame Left Hulk Permanently Injured

However, this is no longer the case in She-Hulk, in which the Avenger tells his cousin Jen, a.ka. She-Hulk, that they need to be unemotional instead. Banner explains to Jen that one loss of control can be catastrophic, and has even compiled a thick binder recording his experiences with the Hulk persona to show Jen his entire process for maintaining control. This is the exact opposite of Banner's iconic Avengers line, implying that the She-Hulk Smart Hulk approach is potentially the wrong direction for Bruce Banner's MCU character arc. Banner looking into dialectical behavioral therapy and mindfulness approaches for managing rage and preventing himself from Hulking out is promising - but it also seems to be a full rejection of what makes Hulk potentially the most powerful Avenger.

Why She-Hulk Doesn't Have To Control Herself Like Hulk

She-Hulk never really had Banner's problem of having "someone else behind the wheel," and apart from her genetics, this is also likely because she gained her powers through a smaller dose of gamma radiation. Though She-Hulk is not as strong as Hulk - at least for now - not having to face off against her Hulk self allows She-Hulk to be much more physically and mentally dexterous than Hulk was when Banner first transformed. The show's portrayal of She-Hulk is actually quite faithful to She-Hulk's Marvel Comics origin.

While She-Hulk's MCU story arc seems to be off to a good start, there is still the matter of Hulk rejecting the Avengers line that made his character. She-Hulk's Smart Hulk no longer relying on anger, and instead rejecting it, is in many regards a highly suspect premise. Smart Hulk still treats Hulk like he's just a manifestation of rage and not a real person, which Hulk has already disproved in Thor: Ragnarok where he actually thrived without Banner. On the other hand, if this led to Hulk fighting Smart Hulk for control, maybe there's some truth to the theory about how She-Hulk: Attorney At Law sets up World War Hulk in the MCU.

New episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law release Thursdays on Disney+.