Warning: This article contains minor spoilers for She-Hulk: episode 2! Turn back now if you have not seen the latest installment in the MCU show.
Surprise! She-Hulk has confirmed Wolverine exists in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as fans spot a blink-and-you'll-miss-it X-Men reference in episode 2.
After transforming into her green alter ego and saving a courtroom of people from villainous influencer Titania (Jameela Jamil) at the end of episode 1, the latest installment – titled 'Superhuman Law' – sees Jen (Tatiana Maslany) fired from her firm. After a series of failed interviews leave her disillusioned, she gets online and winds up reading a listicle of '10 Offbeat Jobs for a Fresh Start'.
When the camera cuts to her laptop screen, you can see links to related articles on the right; one of which is to a story about a man with metal claws getting into a bar brawl. Sound familiar?
WOLVERINE REFERENCE AND FINALLY SOME ETERNALS ACKNOWLEDGMENT #SheHulk pic.twitter.com/3pC5DFYsAIAugust 25, 2022
This isn't the first time mutants have been mentioned in the MCU in recent weeks. Ms. Marvel recently saw Avengers superfan Kamala Khan learn that she has powers due to a mutation in her genes. But it's fun that canon X-Men characters are now being introduced into the franchise beyond an alternate version of Professor X, especially ahead of the studio's planned Fantastic Four movie.
Viewers also noticed that the webpage Jen was perusing featured a nod to a major talking point from Eternals, too. The Chloé Zhao movie ends with the titular group stopping the birth of Celestial Tiamut, which would destroy Earth. In doing so, they put the huge entity to sleep in the ocean, leaving part of it visible – and ever since it was released in November 2021, fans have been baffled as to how no other Marvel titles have mentioned "the giant statue of a man" in the midst of a watery slumber. Well, now She-Hulk has done just that.
"One thing I love about Marvel is that everyone involved really listens to the fans, and takes in their wishes and desires. I think it's what makes the MCU so strong," She-Hulk director Kat Coiro told Total Film not so long ago. "The writers definitely had their fingers on the pulse about what people were talking about online, and we were able to address all that because the show has that fourth wall-breaking element. The show is very meta and conscious of what's going out into the world regarding the MCU, so [it's all] a direct reflection of the writers' involvement with the internet."
Also starring Josh Segarra, Ginger Gonzaga, Benedict Wong, Tim Roth, and Mark Ruffalo, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law continues on Thursday, September 1. While we wait for the next episode to land on Disney Plus, check out our breakdown of the Marvel timeline to get you up to speed on the MCU.
