It Looks Like She-Hulk Is Paving The Way To Bring Back Another Major Hulk Villain
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is expanding rapidly, and Episode 6 of "She-Hulk" may have subtly planted the seeds for a certain Hulk villain's return.
Episode 6, titled "Just Jen," follows Jennifer Walters as she attends an old friend's wedding. She-Hulk arrives and is disappointed to learn that the bride wants her to be Jen the entire time. She has a good time at the wedding, even bonding with a friend of the bride, but unfortunately, Titania shows up and starts a fight. Titania makes Jen turn into She-Hulk, who ultimately defeats her. Meanwhile, Nikki and Mallory work together on a divorce case for Mr. Immortal, who's using his immortal abilities to fake his death and get out of marriage. Immortal's multiple spouses discovered his secret power through videos on a website called Intelligencia. Nikki and Mallory later use the website and find a thread of anonymous people posting death threats to She-Hulk.
The final scene of the episode shows mysterious figures in hazmat suits preparing for another attempt at stealing She-Hulk's blood. The reveal doesn't show any faces, but the people are in a pretty high-tech lab and have access to a small drill that should be able to pierce the hero's skin.
While only six episodes into its season, "She-Hulk" already has its fair share of Easter eggs, and the show clearly isn't afraid to introduce new characters to the MCU, most notably Megan Thee Stallion.
Episode 6's eerie closing scene may have teased the long-awaited return of an original MCU villain.
Is the Leader behind the organization trying to steal She-Hulk's blood?
"She-Hulk" Episode 6 closes out with a look at the mysterious organization that's trying to steal the titular heroine's blood. Earlier in the season, four men with Asgardian construction equipment — the MCU version of the Wrecking Crew — attack She-Hulk in an attempt to steal her blood. Their plan ultimately fails, but the crew mentions that an anonymous client hired them to do so. Episode 6 gives fans a better, unclear look at who that client is.
What if the anonymous client that owns this lab is none other than Samuel Sterns, aka the Leader?
While nothing inherently in the episode signals the Leader's return to the MCU, it could be the surprise of the season. Fans may not remember, but Samuel Sterns was one of the first few characters introduced in the MCU in "The Incredible Hulk." The last time we saw him, he injected Bruce Banner's blood into Emil Blonsky, turning him into the Abomination. Blonsky attacks Sterns, who gets a bit of Banner's blood in a cut on his forehead and starts to mutate.
Kevin Feige revealed at D23 that Tim Blake Nelson was returning to play the Leader in "Captain America: New World Order," but could Marvel Studios reintroduce him before then? It would make sense that he'd be the one after Jen's blood, given that the Hulk's blood gave him his powers. The lab at the end of "She-Hulk" slightly resembles Sterns' from "The Incredible Hulk," so maybe the character gets a short cameo in the show before showing off his full power against Captain America.