Why Is Hulk So Weak In She-Hulk?!

Warning! Spoiler ahead for She-Hulk: Attorney At Law.Hulk is noticeably weaker in Ms. Marvel, introducing a brand new character in the MCU in Jennifer Ann Walters. Despite not having any previous appearances in the franchise before her headlining project, She-Hulk is, however, ed by a string of familiar characters, including one of the original Avengers in Bruce Banner.

Mark Ruffalo returns to the MCU in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. The Disney+ project marks his second appearance in the Multiverse Saga, following Banner's cameo in Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings' post-credits scene. This time, however, Marvel Studios revealed more information about what the character has been up to since the end of the Infinity Saga. That includes a road trip with his cousin, Walters, leading to her becoming a Hulk following a car mishap.

The She-Hulk: Attorney At Law episode "A Normal Amount of Rage" primarily focuses on Banner teaching Walters the basics of being a Hulk. The pair stay in a facility in Mexico built by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) for his fellow Avenger. Still coming to with her new life, Walters butts heads with Banner, and, at one point, they find themselves going up against each other. During their fight, Hulk is clearly overpowered by his cousin, getting railroaded by a Jeep and thrown into a boulder. Even during their training montage, She-Hulk is noticeably more powerful than Banner despite being a new Hulk. Yet Banner's decreased capabilities may have something to do with the fact that he is consciously fighting. Since he doesn't really intend on hurting Jen, he is somehow pulling his punches. When he wanted to show off, however, he did, as evidenced by when he threw away a massive rock into the sky.

Hulk's Anger Makes Him More Powerful

When Hulk first debuted in Marvel Comics, his immense capability wasn't really dictated by his mood. Over time, however, that changed. In print, he noticeably got stronger as fights went on, and in Tales to Astonish #59, he finally explained that it was because his strength was connected to his range. This has been the case since then, and Marvel Studios adapted the concept in the MCU - hence the famous "I'm always angry" line from The Avengers after Captain America (Chris Evans) instructed the green-rage monster to smash. However, since Banner finally found a way to bring both of his personas together in the form of Smart Hulk, he now fights with his human alter-ego's consciousness intact. Unless Banner gets mad, this version of the Hulk can't tap into the same ruthlessness and power that he used when he was mindlessly fighting in the earlier days of the MCU.

There have been criticisms about how the MCU has nerfed the Hulk, especially since he became more humorous as a character in the process. However, this change in power levels can be traced back to being Smart Hulk since Avengers: Endgame, meaning Banner has had a better handle on his emotions for quite some time. While that's great for him on a personal level, the drawback is that he cannot reach his full physical capability as he no longer lets his anger fuel him. Otherwise, he may also just be intentionally holding back like in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law premiere.

She-Hulk: Attorney At Law releases new episodes every Thursday.