She-Hulk: Attorney at Law‘s second episode sees Jennifer Walters finding her footing at the law firms of GLKH. While most of the episode focuses on her new role in the superhuman law division, we do get an interesting moment with her cousin Bruce. As Jen weighs whether to take on the parole of Emil Blonsky, a.k.a. Abomination—who once tried to kill Hulk—she calls Bruce to ask if he’s okay with her helping out his old foe. Bruce is extremely chill about it and agrees it’s the right thing to do. But when she asks if she’ll see him soon, he tells her he doesn’t think so. Why? Well, he’s on a spaceship headed to the depths of the cosmos. But where is Hulk going? We have a theory! Let’s dig into the massive implications that the theory would have for Bruce, the Hulk, and the MCU.
Where Is Hulk Going in the Spaceship from She-Hulk Episode Two?
The answer to this question takes us back to She-Hulk‘s first episode and the shift in Jen’s origin. After the Sakaarian ship caused the crash that gave Jen her powers, she wondered why the circular space vehicle showed up at all. Bruce suggested that the aliens were “sending a message.” So when we see him zooming off to space in episode two it’s easy to make the connection between those moments. That means Bruce is heading to Sakaar! And an important update! Head writer Jessica Gao confirmed that this was his destination after the show aired in an interview with The Direct.
The big question now is what do the Sakaarans want? And what could be so important it would make Bruce jump in a spaceship and head back to the planet?
Why Would Bruce Banner Go Back to Sakaar?
MCU viewers first visited Sakaar in Thor: Ragnarok. Hulk landed on the warrior planet after he was shot into space at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron. There he became a famous contender in the Sakaaran fighting pits until Thor and Valkyrie rescued him. So why would he want to go back? We saw that Hulk had romantic companions, legions of fans, and a fancy bedroom lair on Sakaar. There’s a very good possibility that he might have sired a child on the planet. That would fit with how She-Hulk is introducing the wider Hulk family. Plus, it would align with the character’s comic book backstory while serving as a way to bring a cult Marvel character to the MCU. Giving Hulk a kid also makes sense given the MCU’s passion for parenthood.
Does the Hulk Have a Son in Marvel Comics?
Yes! And, drum roll please, he’s from Sakaar! The World War Hulk crossover, created by Greg Pak and John Romita Jr, introduced Skaar. Following the events of the fan favorite Planet Hulk, World War Hulk saw Hulk on a rampage for revenge. But more importantly for this theory, is that it gave birth to his hulking offspring.
It’s important to mention Planet Hulk in this context because Hulk’s recent MCU arc has taken heavily from it. The most prominent examples being Hulk’s non-consensual space journey and his arrival and experiences on Sakaar. So it makes a lot of sense that if he’s headed back to the planet it’s because, just like in the comics, he sired a son while he was there. We only learned about that during World War Hulk, though. In that story, we learn reveal Skaar’s mother is Caiera the Oldstrong, a Sakaaran native that Hulk met while he was fighting in the arena.
One of the most interesting and easy to translate things about Skaar, though, is his unusual entry into the world. Once Hulk left Sakaar, Skaar was born. But he’s no ordinary baby. Instead, he grew in a cocoon and when he’s born, he’s already as smart and big as a pre-teen. That means no Hulk baby raising stories here. Not only that but Skaar continues to grow at an exceedingly fast rate, becoming a teen within a year. That means if the MCU wanted Skaar to be older—maybe even a Young Avenger or an actual adult—it would be easy to narratively explain away. Hulk was on Sakaar before the Blip, meaning at least six years have passed since then. So there’s a good chance that if Hulk is going to see Skaar, he’ll find his son an adult already.
How Could the Hulk’s Son Play Into the Future of the MCU?
First and foremost Skaar’s introduction would align with the current MCU trend of giving the Avengers children. The newest addition to the heroes-with-kids team is Thor—post Thor: Love and Thunder—while Ant-Man, Hawkeye, Iron Man, and Wanda Maximoff all already had them. What that means for the future is mostly unknown, but we do know that Ant-Man’s daughter Cassie Lang will be taking on the hero mantle of Stinger in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Plus, both Wanda’s sons have been members of the Young Avengers in the comics, sometimes alongside Cassie in her Stature identity. There’s also a high likelihood that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever could introduce T’Challa’s son Azari. Basically, having a kid is now a normal part of being an adult Avenger in the MCU, so Skaar joining would put Hulk in that elite group.
As for the storyline, introducing Skaar would expand the Hulk family, possibly setting up famous arcs like World War Hulk, Incredible Hulks, and more. It would also introduce a new role for Bruce as a father figure to Skaar. He wanted so badly to train and mentor Jen in She-Hulk‘s first episode but she was too capable, so having Skaar around could give him that experience. But before that he’d likely have to deal with his son’s immense rage. In the comics, Skaar has been both an ally and antagonist, at points wanting to murder his father. Don’t expect it to be all happy families when the pair inevitably come face to face.
