She-Hulk: Attorney at Law head writer and executive producer Jessica Gao explains why Marvel Studios’ latest series ignores Avengers: Endgame’s Blip. As the culmination of 21 films and the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first three phases, Endgame swiftly became one of the biggest blockbusters of all time. After Thanos’ snap eliminated half of all life in Avengers: Infinity War, Endgame saw the remaining Avengers travel through time and collect the Infinity Stones from the past. Before the film’s final battle, Smart Hulk used Tony Stark’s makeshift gauntlet to snap everyone back - a moment referred to in the MCU as “the Blip.”

Phase 4 has often dealt with the repercussions of Endgame. Not only the loss of heroes like Iron Man and Black Widow, but the resurgence of life after five years, with audiences left wondering which new characters survived the Mad Titan’s initial snap. While projects like WandaVision gave viewers a glimpse of how blipped individuals rematerialized, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier explored the impact of billions of people suddenly returning. Hawkeye even showed the Blip from the point of view of Yelena Belova as the world instantaneously aged around her. Coming off of Ms. Marvel, the MCU’s first half-hour legal comedy has chosen to put less emphasis on the Blip.

In a recent interview with Lifehacker, Gao comments on why She-Hulk decided not to focus on the impact of the events of Endgame. Regarding the Blip, she explains how it’s already been addressed by now, and the MCU’s inhabitants “have already moved on.” Read the full quote below:

Jessica Gao, head writer for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, revealed that Bruce Banner's physical appearance in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' post-credits scene was decided by the show.

Gao was asked in a new interview with THR if She-Hulk had been forced to start with a human Bruce Banner to keep continuity with the Shang-Chi post-credits scene, but she explained that it was the other way around. "No, he was in human form in the Shang-Chi tag because of our show, and the reason we had him in human form was because of the nature of the accident. We knew that we wanted him to bleed onto Jen, which is how she got his blood." Bruce Banner's fully human appearance at the end of Shang-Chi, despite being more recently seen as "Smart Hulk" in Avengers: Endgame, has been sparking fan discussion since the movie's release in 2021.

Gao went on to explain that the choice was made because the creative team had done their homework on the character. "Hulk would not bleed; you can’t pierce Hulk’s skin, certainly not through a dinky car accident," Gao explained. "So we needed to have him be in human form in order to have his Gamma-radiated blood get onto Jen and into her system, and we had to come up with a reason for why he was human."

In She-Hulk's comic book origin story, Jennifer Walters got her cousin's blood through an emergency transfusion after being caught in the crossfire of a mob hit on her father, a sheriff. Gao recently explained why this origin story was changed and simplified for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, saying that executives vetoed one aspect in particular. "The heads of Marvel specifically didn’t want to do a mob hit. I think it was because it didn't feel like it vibed with the show." Gao also said that the story needed to be simplified so they could get to the interesting parts, adding that "we really wanted to get going, we didn’t want to spend half an hour setting up why this happened."

The second episode of She-Hulk, "Superhuman Law," officially confirmed where the series stands in the MCU timeline relative to Shang-Chi, as the final moments of the episode featured a reporter talking about Abomination's escape from prison. A clip was shown of Emil Blonsky fighting in the underground club featured in The Legend of the Ten Rings, where the villain's match against Wong was briefly shown. Gao had previously stated that the events of She-Hulk are happening "not too far" after Shang-Chi, adding that Episode Two would make the timeline clearer.

The first two episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law are currently streaming on Disney+ with new episodes debuting every Thursday.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe might be setting up a true Planet Hulk movie after She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. Even though Marvel has seemingly started to move past the original Avengers, Mark Ruffalo's Hulk remains a prominent character in Phase 4. She-Hulk theoretically introduces his replacement with Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany), but the Disney+ show also is taking major steps to bring back the original Hulk. The latest teases could mean that the MCU is preparing for a Planet Hulk movie.

There has long been speculation that Marvel Studios was eying a Planet Hulk adaptation. Avengers: Age of Ultron's ending saw Hulk fly off in a quinjet, and it was theorized that a trip to space may have been in the cards. Kevin Feige went as far as changing the sequence to try and avoid the Planet Hulk speculation, but Thor: Ragnarok ultimately proved it was somewhat warranted. The MCU Phase 3 movie borrowed concepts from the Planet Hulk comic storyline by putting Hulk on Sakaar and in the middle of gladiator-style fights. Since Hulk was just a supporting character and Sakaar a secondary location in Thor: Ragnarok, the movie did not really have time to get into the real essence of the comic event.

The days of a Planet Hulk adaptation seemed to be in the past, especially as Smart Hulk's form continued to become the dominant version of the Jade Giant. She-Hulk's use of Hulk has notably teased quite a few potential storylines for the MCU. While speculation has mounted that a version of World War Hulk could be on the way, Marvel's Hulk plans might instead be focused on Planet Hulk instead. This especially seems to be the case after She-Hulk episode 2 confirms Hulk has left Earth behind, seemingly indicating that a proper Planet Hulk adaptation could be coming.

Where Is Hulk Going At The End Of She-Hulk Episode 2?

The very end of She-Hulk episode 2 shows Hulk is back in space and heading off on a new adventure. The revelation builds off She-Hulk episode 1's car crash caused by a Sakaaran spaceship. It seems that Hulk finally received the message and figured out how important it is, resulting in him hopping aboard for a trip. The most likely answer to where Hulk is going in She-Hulk episode 2's ending is Sakaar. The spaceship is from Sakaar and is responsible for delivering messages, but now it seems that it is transporting Hulk back to Grandmaster's planet. Sakaar is not only the location Hulk lived on for years between Avengers: Age of Ultron and Thor: Ragnarok, but it is also the central location of the Planet Hulk comics.

Planet Hulk Explained

The Marvel Comics event known as Planet Hulk is a 14-issue run from writer Greg Pak that began in 2006's Incredible Hulk #92. The event begins after a Gamma bomb causes Hulk to lose control and attack Las Vegas. Deemed too big of a threat to Earth, Marvel's Illuminati tricks him into a mission that ends with Hulk being sent through space to a new planet, Sakaar. Hulk is then forced to compete in gladiator battles for Sakaar's emperor, the Red King, and forms a rebellion with fellow fighters like Miek and Korg. He goes on to fight Silver Surfer and rises to power to be viewed as Sakaar's savior. The Planet Hulk comics story ultimately sees Hulk fall in love with the Red King's lieutenant, Caiera, and they team up to defeat Sakaar's ruler. Marvel later revealed that during this time on Sakaar he secretly fathered two children, Hulk's sons Skaar and Hiro-Kala. Tragedy strikes when the jet that brought Hulk to Sakaar explodes and kills Caiera. Hulk blames the Illuminati for her death and Sakaar's destruction, inspiring him to mount a revenge trip to Earth to fight the Illuminati in World War Hulk.

How The MCU Has Been Setting Up Planet Hulk

The MCU's Planet Hulk set up has been somewhat limited beyond what was presented in Thor: Ragnarok. There have even been quotes from Kevin Feige saying he is not especially interested in a Planet Hulk movie because it does not involve Bruce Banner, and the Marvel Studios president likes exploring his humanity more. However, that could be one reason for the MCU's recent Smart Hulk changes. She-Hulk healed Bruce Banner's arm so Smart Hulk could have his full strength again, which also allowed Marvel to bring back Hulk's fighting. It would be odd for Marvel to take these steps and then not unleash a full-strength Hulk. Doing so on Earth could be catastrophic, but that is why Sakaar and Planet Hulk could work.

It is quite possible that the MCU's Planet Hulk movie could be a combination of Planet Hulk and World War Hulk from the comics. A film following Hulk going to Sakaar to defeat an evil overlord could incorporate Planet Hulk's elements, but the revenge aspect brought from Hulk's previous time on the planet and the possible addition of Skaar can make it be a bit more like World War Hulk. She-Hulk: Attorney At Law sending Hulk back into space clearly sets up something, and it might just be Planet Hulk when everything is said and done.

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