Avengers #20 recently released and to say that this She-Hulk-focused issue is insulting
to fans of the character would be an understatement. She-Hulk, once a fun, quirky, fourth-wall-breaking
lawyer, has recently become an ugly muscle-bound brute with limited intelligence, like a certain
other green goliath produced by Marvel Comics.
Naturally, longtime fans were not happy about this. So, when previews came out for this
issue, depicting Jen in some kind of mental courtroom, confronted by her previous incarnation
about how her current form is an abomination that "murdered She-Hulk", fans grew hopeful
that this indicated some self-awareness on Marvel's part, and that they'd be undoing
their awful mishandling of this once beloved character, even if only to re-establish her
before they announce her movie at Comic Con. However, the comic actually went in the exact
opposite direction.
After spending the issue beating up literal trolls, Jen goes on a tirade about hating
people finding her attractive, about villains who copped a feel, and about how she's happier
being ugly than when she was desirable. All of this, intentionally or not, comes off as
an attack on the old fans about as transparent as Randy Pitchford's personal attack on David
Eddings in the new Borderlands DLC.
And it's not just Jen. This is a recurring problem Marvel's had in recent years: taking
some of their most popular ladies and deciding that it's not enough for them to have been
successful and popular for decades as they are; they need to be some kind of feminist
icon now. So, they give them a Roman Reigns level push and uproot their very cores to
fit their current values, which inevitably backfires and alienates fans of the characters,
all in the name of earning brownie points with people who probably don't even buy the
fucking books. Carol Danvers is the go-to example, but Jennifer Walters is no less a
victim of this horrendous, ironically regressive mindset the people in charge are exhibiting.
Marvel has chosen to engage in this bizarre culture war where attractive women are seen
as an undesirable, or even unacceptable, thing. If a woman is not fat, ugly, or overtly masculine,
then she's clearly some sort of misogynistic sex object that should not be allowed to exist.
Women can't be sexy and confident. They have to be ugly, masculine and despise being a
woman with a passion, because a woman's true worth can only be found by stripping away
her femininity and turning her into a man with boobs.
Here's the thing: when you make a spin-off character, they need to have something that
makes them stand out from the original - something deeper than a superficial change in gender
or design. Supergirl can't be just Superman as a teenage girl. Miles Morales can't just
be Peter Parker but younger and a minority. Carol Danvers can't just be Mar-Vell but as
an arsehole. Initially, She-Hulk was basically just a more slender female version of the
Hulk, yes. But that was why the shift from Savage to Sensational was so important. It
allowed Jen to be her own kind of Hulk - one who isn't nearly as strong as her cousin,
but one who retains her full intellect and strength at the same time, and who can often
freely transform between the two forms.
I'm sure part of it was to appeal to the male creators and readers, but regardless of the
reason for her being taken in this direction, the end result is that Jen was able to get
out from her cousin's shadow and be her own character - a beautiful, intelligent, witty
amazonian powerhouse who could live a mostly normal life and even hold down a day job,
in spite of her gamma green complexion. But now, while she seems to retain more of her
intelligence than Bruce does, Jen now has her own rage issues and her new roided out
physique is just Hulk with boobs. As a form she enters when pushing herself beyond her
limits, this would be fine. But making this her default Hulk form just takes away everything
that makes Jen stand out from Bruce, other than her gender.
What sounds more interesting to you: Hulk, but an intelligent, charming lawyer, making
fourth-wall-breaking quips and actually having fun as a Hulk, at the small cost of not being
quite as strong; or exactly Hulk, but a girl? I know which one I prefer. How about you?