She-Hulk: Who are Intelligencia in the MCU?
Marvel ComicsAfter their introduction earlier in She-Hulk, Intelligencia proves to be a major threat in Episode 8 – but who are they, and will they play a larger role in the MCU?
Episode 6 of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law saw Jen (Tatiana Maslany) go to a wedding. There, she met Josh (Trevor Salter), and the pair began dating thereafter.
While the episode featured a brief referenced to a website called Intelligencia, dismissed as an outlet for trolls, readers of the comics quickly recognized its baggage in the Marvel comics.
In Episode 8, just as things seem to be winding down, Intelligencia come to the fore with a nasty stunt and turn She-Hulk’s life upside down – so, let’s explain who they are, and why they’re important.
Spoilers for She-Hulk to follow…
What is Intelligencia in She-Hulk?
Intelligencia is first referenced when Nikki (Ginger Gonzaga) and Mallory (Renée Elise Goldsberry) sit down with Mr Immortal’s (David Pasquesi) former partners, who all want compensation for his suicidal escapes over the years.
Mallory asks how they became aware of his “pattern of behavior”, and one of them says it came from a video posted on Intelligencia, which Mallory describes as “the one for hateful man-babies.”
Mallory and Nikki visit the website, where they find a forum dedicated to She-Hulk trolling, full of memes, death threats and posts asking how to “swat” the hero. It’s clearly meant to be a spin on Reddit and 4Chan, making fun of incels and other misogynistic posts.
At the end of Episode 7, it’s revealed that Josh wasn’t actually romantically interested in Jen – he’s a member of Intelligencia who wanted to steal a sample of her blood and copy all of the information on her phone.
In Episode 8, Jen attends a legal gala as She-Hulk, and as she takes to the stage to give a speech, the screen is hacked by Intelligencia. The group puts all of Jen’s personal details on the screen, not to mention a recording of Josh and Jen having sex, causing She-Hulk to lose her temper and smash the screen.
Disney+In Episode 9, in the aftermath of her small rampage, Jen accidentally stumbles into an Intelligencia conference at Emil Blonsky’s retreat, led by the Hulk King himself: Todd Phelps (Jon Mass).
Together, they complain about “females”, criticize Jane Foster’s Mighty Thor, and watch Todd as he injects himself with Jen’s blood and becomes a Hulk – don’t worry, it doesn’t last long.
Intelligencia in the Marvel comics, explained
In the comics, Intelligencia isn’t just a website: it’s a group featuring the smartest, most sinister minds on the planet.
Intelligencia has always been led by M.O.D.O.K., a villain who’ll make his live-action debut in Ant-Man 3. It’s had several members over the years, including Doctor Doom, Egghead, Klaw, Mad Thinker, Awesome Android, and notably, The Leader, who’ll also return in Captain America 4 and may be at the center of She-Hulk’s mystery.
When they first assembled, they stole parts of the Library of Alexandria from Wakanda, Atlantis, and Olympia. They also played a key role in the Secret Wars event, causing the coming of the Beyonder and healing the Venom Symbiote afterwards.
The team was briefly disbanded, but they got back together to take down the Hulk, with their efforts teaching them how to create their own powerful being with gamma and cosmic radiation.
This led to General Ross becoming Red Hulk, but things didn’t go to plan. Amadeus changed M.O.D.O.K. back to his normal human form, and Red Hulk took away The Leader’s powers.
In 2017, the New Intelligencia debuted, made up of the Mad Thinker, Awesome Android, The Leader, M.O.D.O.K. Superior, and Mister Sinister.
Will Intelligencia play a role in the MCU?
When She-Hulk first used the Intelligencia name for a website, many suspected it was the show’s way of pulling a reference from the comics without any larger plans to use it.
Episode 8 seems to indicate that Intelligencia will become a major villainous threat in the MCU – however, with the reveal of Todd being the Hulk King, this doesn’t seem quite as likely.
However, with Tim Blake Nelson returning as The Leader for Captain America: New World Order and M.O.D.O.K. appearing in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, some form of big-screen, alternate Intelligencia team-up isn’t out of the question – especially with Avengers: Secret Wars on the horizon.
She-Hulk Episode 9 will be available to watch on Disney+ on October 13. You can sign up to Disney+ here.
