SHE-HULK

 

SHE-HULK

Real Name: Jennifer Susan Walters

First Appearance: Savage She-Hulk (Vol. 1) #1, February 1980

Powers: Jennifer Walters was originally a baseline human who received a transfusion of gamma-irradiated blood from her cousin, Bruce Banner (aka the Incredible Hulk). This gave her the power to mentally trigger a transformation into a gamma mutated form: Taller, more muscular and well-developed, and possessing superhuman Class 100 strength, endurance, durability, recuperation, and a high tolerance for disease, poison, and the effects of radiation. Unlike her cousin, Jen was capable of transforming back and forth at will, with no change in personality. There is a theory that the secondary form created through gamma mutation is governed by the psychology of the subject. Jennifer Walters' She-Hulk form is a result of her desire to be confident, assertive, and powerful. During her time with the Fantastic Four, however, She-Hulk received a dose of gamma radiation that froze her permanently in her gamma form. This was later explained as a psychological event, with Jen subconsciously blocking her own ability to turn back to normal since she truly preferred being She-Hulk.

After that point, She-Hulk was briefly reverted into a smaller, weaker, gray form and a stronger, more massive and aggressive "Savage She-Hulk". Both of these occasions were extremely temporary, resulting from some outside force affecting her, and apparently the changes manifested from Jen's knowledge of her cousin's transformations.

Some time back, Jen's gamma powers were upset by prolonged exposure to the Zero radiation powering a fellow Avenger named Jack of Hearts. This led to a brief change of status where she transformed from Jennifer Walters to a "Savage She-Hulk" in times of fear. Though she soon stabilized back to a normal She-Hulk mind and body, she retained the ability to transform back to Jen Walters. At this point, fearing for her safety in this weakened state, Jen had the Scarlet Witch cast a hex spell over her which prevented anyone from recognizing Jen Walters as the She-Hulk if they meant to do harm to her alter-ego, thus protecting Jen from her enemies when in human form. Further, it seems her "She-Hulk" strength level was now relative to that of Jennifer Walters, an exponential increase in the physical power she possessed as a normal woman. After a period of three months training herself vigorously as Jen, she gained a tremendous increase in her She-Hulk strength, greatly exceeding Class 100 strength levels. With the help of Reed Richards, she began employing John Jameson's old Jupiter Suit to inhibit her strength down to manageable levels. After a major fight with Titania, the Jupiter Suit was destroyed and Jen could no longer change into She-Hulk. Apparently, this is another psychological situation, with Jen having become far more comfortable in her normal form thanks to her time spent at GLK & H practicing law as Jen Walters and not "She-Hulk".

Doc Samson helped construct a bracelet device called a "gamma-changer" which could artificially trigger her transformations for her, but it required time to build a sufficient gamma charge between uses, limiting the amount of changes she could make. Eventually, a consultation with Doc Samson and Dr. Strange led to a fuller understanding of Jen's psychological inhibitions relating to her powers. By removing Wanda's hex spell over Jen, Dr. Strange fully restored her ability to transform between Jen and She-Hulk. However, it remains unclear whether She-Hulk's strength level has diminished back to its classic level or not. She also learned the body-mind transference technique from the extraterrestrial race known as the Ovoids, but she rarely employs this ability.

Jennifer Walters is a practicing attorney who holds a Juris Doctor degree from UCLA. She has extensive knowledge of the American legal system.