Is She-Hulk stronger than the Hulk in the MCU?

Cameron Frew
A still from She-Hulk

She-Hulk, Marvel’s newest Attorney at Law, has just made her MCU debut – but is she stronger than the Hulk? The answer is… complicated.

Back in 2012, naming the strongest Avenger was a straightforward choice of two: there’s Thor, the Asgardian God of Thunder; and Hulk, who punched the Chitauri mothership in the face and soared from building to building, smashing everything he could see.

In a post-Endgame world, there’s too many to consider: Scarlet Witch was moments away from killing Thanos before he rained fire; Captain America lifted Mjölnir; and Captain Marvel is so powerful she had to be introduced late in the franchise.

Hulk, meanwhile, has taken a backseat. However, he’s returned alongside his newly-green cousin on Disney+. But who’s stronger: She-Hulk or Hulk?

Spoilers for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episode 1 to follow…

Who is She-Hulk, and what are her powers?

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law has arrived on Disney+, with the first episode quickly explaining the super-powered origin of the titular hero.

Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) was in the car with her cousin, Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), when a spaceship flew in front of them and caused them to crash.

After pulling him out of the wreckage, Bruce’s gamma-infused blood dripped into one of Jennifer’s cuts, irreversibly giving her the powers of a Hulk. But, unlike Bruce, she can – pretty much – control her transformations, even using them to her advantage in her career as a lawyer.

Her powers are pretty much identical to the Hulk: she has super-strength, endurance, and agility; she can thunderclap, causing a shockwave capable of deafening people and causing other damage; and while she needs to deal with a “Hulk-sized hangover”, she can guzzle alcohol with “all buzz and no barf.”

For more on her powers in the MCU show compared to the comics, click here.

Is She-Hulk stronger than the Hulk?

While the full extent of her capabilities are still to be explored, She-Hulk may be stronger than the Hulk in the MCU going forward.

If we’re comparing She-Hulk to the 2008 Hulk and The Avengers, Bruce Banner’s “always angry” alter-ego comes out on top. But the Hulk has been taken down a few pegs ever since, whether it’s losing against Tony Stark’s Hulkbuster in Age of Ultron, failing to beat Thor in Ragnarok, or his near-death brawl with Thanos in Infinity War.

In Endgame, he became “Smart Hulk” after Bruce learned how to merge the Hulk with his human side, allowing him to tap into the same physical abilities without the untameable rage. While his intellect is undisputed, he’s far from being considered the strongest Avenger.

On the other hand, She-Hulk has a knack for her powers from the get-go. She won in a fight against Bruce, mastered the thunderclap on her first try, and teased him throughout their training montage by seemingly needing no help.

Following Ms. Marvel, there’s also the possibility of Jennifer being a mutant in the MCU, given her unusual ability to synthesize gamma. You can read more about that here.

Ahead of the show’s release, Ruffalo said “there’s not going to be another Avengers without her”, so perhaps She-Hulk will become the main Hulk hero of the MCU.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episode 1 is available to stream on Disney+ now. Check out our review here.

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About The Author

Cameron is Deputy TV and Movies Editor at Dexerto. He's an action movie aficionado, '80s obsessive, and Oscars enthusiast. He loves Invincible, but he's also a fan of The Boys, the MCU, The Chosen, and much more. You can contact him at cameron.frew@dexerto.com.