Top 10 Things You Missed in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episode 2

“She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” marks the third major appearance for Hulk nemesis Emil Blonsky, aka Abomination, from 2008’s “The Incredible Hulk.” Actor Tim Roth previously reprised his role in 2021’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” for a very brief fight club cameo. We see Abomination up against Wong in an enjoyable cage fight. When he returned to his cell via portal, we thought that the villain might’ve gotten special privileges. After all, Jen Walters did visit him in the same cell. But the series implies that Abomination’s trips were being kept from the public. It’ll be interesting to find out why exactly the Sorcerer Supreme was spiriting Amboniation away in other parts of this connected universe.

When Jennifer Walters is about to meet Emil Blonsky, she makes a reference to a decidedly non-MCU movie. As the guard walks her down the hallway of the facility, Jen cracks a joke about a line from “The Silence of the Lambs.” The dialogue was infamously said by Dr. Hannibal Lecter to FBI trainee Clarice Starling. While this reference is often made for prison scenes in other shows, it’s a deeper cut here. According to Hollywood rumors, Actor Tim Roth was nearly cast as the villain in 2001’s “Hannibal” film. But Anthony Hopkins reprised the role instead before going onto play Odin in the MCU. As an added bit of irony, Mads Mikkelsen ended up being the one to play Lecter and a Marvel villain.

Thanks to Jennifer’s extensive legal studies, she’s always ready to ask the most important questions. So, when her BFF/paralegal pal Nikki brings up the possibility of Jen becoming an Avenger, the very practical Ms. Walters immediately worries about the possibility of benefits. She-Hulk could’ve gotten real confirmation if she talked to Sam Wilson. As we learned in “The Falcon And The Winter Soldier,” it doesn’t exactly pay to be an Avenger. He couldn’t even get a bank loan. Both shows confirm that being a superhero isn’t very lucrative. But hey, maybe she could get her face on a lunchbox!

Head writer Jessica Gao has cited “Ally McBeal” as being a big inspiration on “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.” The legal comedy drama aired from the late 90s to the early aughts, starring Calista Flockhart as the titular lawyer. In the series, McBeal starts a new job at the firm Cage & Fish just like Jen has to do at GLK&H. When Jen sulks in the bar after being fired from the DA’s office, we can see the pilot episode of the series playing on the TV above her. And coincidentally, Robert Downey Jr. suited up on “Ally McBeal” long before he put on metal armor. We wonder if Tony ever wondered why his identical twin was on the legal show?

It turns out that superheroes have to deal with supervillains and the pain of sitting through awkward family dinners, too. Sometimes they’ll ask you to help out around the house by lifting refrigerators, a scene lifted straight out of a She-Hulk comic. At dinner, Jen’s bombarded with questions and unsolicited opinions. But her dad Morris is really focused on whether or not Hawkeye has to pick up his arrows. He clearly wasn’t in New York around Christmastime. If Morris was, he would’ve seen Clint Barton go to extreme lengths to recover his arrows so he could reuse them for a final showdown. Maybe Jen invites Hawkeye to the next family meal so Morris can learn what we know all too well.

Episode two sees Jen losing her job at the DA’s office. Why? Because…she saved the jury. During Dan Slott’s 2004 run of the “She-Hulk” comics, she’s fired for leaving court to help the Avengers save the world. In both cases, the firm of GLK&H argues that the jury was influenced by Jen’s heroics, resulting in a mistrial. But her impressive argument made her former legal rival Holden Holliway offer Jen a job at GLK&H while she’s drinking at the bar. This mirrors the events of “She-Hulk” #1. However, when she falls over after returning to her human form, it’s actually in front of Holliway and not her soon to be ex-boss. Either way, Jen’s career trajectory changes in a bar.

Since Jen Walters’ first client is Emil Blonsky, aka Abomination, we expected references to 2008’s “The Incredible Hulk” starring Edward Norton. The best nod comes when she calls her cousin Bruce to let him know she’ll be representing a villain who tried to slay him. Surprisingly, the rageful hero takes the news much better than she expected. The other major shock is Bruce’s cheeky line about how much the two of them have changed. Although Ruffalo didn’t break the fourth wall, he’s clearly acknowledging that he took over the role from Edward Norton. Bruce’s hilarious line is still somehow more subtle than the time Don Cheadle mentioned Rhodey’s recasting.

Jen has an awkward introduction to her new gig at GLK&H. Holliway asks her to Hulk out while at work, which is the opposite to what he tells the lawyer in the “She-Hulk” comics. As she makes her way through the building and addresses the audience, we see everyone gawk at the Jade Giantess. In a blink and you miss it moment, you can see an office with a shelf full of Marvel comics that includes Captain America. This is likely a nod to “She-Hulk” #2, when Jen meets Stu Cicero, the librarian of GLK&H’s vintage comics collection housed in the basement. It urns out comics are admissible in court. Talk about meta!

As we saw in the “She-Hulk,” premiere Jennifer Walters is really curious about Steve Rogers, The second episode doubles down on her interest in the Star Spangled Man with a Plan with a hilarious Easter Egg. When she gets a text about a family dinner, the lockscreen on her phone has a familiar image that focuses on a certain Captain America’s asset. The references to Steve’s buns of vibranium have been increasing more and more ever since Scott’s comments in Endgame. Whether Jen is just really patriotic or just likes the view, there’s no doubt who Jen’s favorite Avenger is.

During Jen’s job search her computer screen is a goldmine for MCU easter eggs. Like in episode one, we get a QR code, though this time it goes to a free copy of “She-Hulk” #1. There’s also an ad for the coveted Iron Man Three’s sneakers. And after waiting for almost a year, we finally get a reference to the giant Celestial that was left in the ocean during the events of “The Eternals.” However, the biggest easter egg was a headline that read: “Man fights with metal claws in bar brawl.” This is obviously a reference to the mutant Wolverine. Phase 4 has been full of X-Men teases. By the end of the show, we might just see a mutant in court.