She-Hulk ending explained: Every reference from Daredevil to X-Men
The show ended on a fourth wall-obliterating high. **Warning: This article contains spoilers for all episodes of She-Hulk**
She-Hulk gives Deadpool a run for his money in the shocking finale of her Disney Plus series, which sees the fourth wall left in ruins as Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) takes control of her story.
In keeping with the character's portrayal in the comic books, Jen has had an awareness throughout the series that she is a character in a television show, often speaking directly to the viewer in humorous asides.
But the writers take things to an extreme in episode 9, which sees She-Hulk finally come face-to-face with her sinister stalkers, the Intelligencia, following last week's devastating cliffhanger.
The season finale of She-Hulk is an absolute treasure trove of Easter eggs and references, so scroll on for our detailed breakdown of the biggest moments. Be warned: spoilers from here!
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She-Hulk ending explained: Every reference in season finale
How does She-Hulk break into the Disney Plus home screen?
There comes a point in the She-Hulk finale where the storyline has devolved into pure chaos. Following the traumatic events of episode 8, Jen has taken refuge at the wellness retreat of Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth), but later finds her host giving a motivational speech to the very people who have been targeting her.
A mass brawl breaks out as Jen's date from hell Todd, also known as Hulk King, gains super-strength from Jen's stolen blood and rallies his Intelligencia army. Suddenly, Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) and villainous diva Titania (Jameela Jamil), guest stars from earlier in the series, appear from nowhere and join the fight.
At this stage, Jen points out – quite rightly – that this finale is an absolute mess, and the show's disparate plot threads have failed to come together in a cohesive way. Not content with this, she sets about having a word with the writers, taking us back to the Disney Plus home menu and marching into a different show: Marvel's behind-the-scenes docuseries Assembled.
This is taken straight from the comic books, where She-Hulk has ripped through pages in the past to discipline her writers when their stories get out of control. In an interview with RadioTimes.com, director Kat Coiro hinted that this mammoth twist was coming.
"One thing I always loved about the comics is that She-Hulk is very meta, and breaking the fourth wall is one element of that, and all I'll say is that we definitely honour the spirit of the comics in that way [in the finale]," she said.
She-Hulk's real-life showrunner Jessica Gao can be spotted in the scene where Jen addresses the writer's room.
Does Kevin Feige appear?
Jen proceeds to march through the Marvel Studios offices demanding to speak to someone named Kevin. Fans of the MCU will have assumed she is referring to producer Kevin Feige, the architect of the sprawling multimedia franchise, who could conceivably have agreed to a cameo appearance here.
Instead, we are introduced to an artificial intelligence named KEVIN (Knowledge Enhanced Visual Interconnectivity Nexus), who is revealed to be the one making all the decisions relating to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This could be interpreted as a gag about how algorithms have become influential in deciding which content gets made in the streaming era.
It could also be bracing viewers for the imminent arrival of MODOK; another super-intelligent being with a daft acronym for a name (Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing), who is due to appear in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Notably, KEVIN tells Jen she won't be able to access his secret headquarters again, stating that the "error on our platform has been fixed". This is likely to stop fans from saying, "Why doesn't She-Hulk just ask KEVIN to help?" every time the character is in a dangerous situation from this point onward.
X-Men named in MCU for first time
One of the questions that Jen puts to KEVIN is, "When are we getting the X-Men?" to which, the AI replies: "I cannot tell you that."
This marks the first time that the X-Men have been explicitly named in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Previously, we've seen a cameo from Professor X in Multiverse of Madness, and a major hint that Kamala Khan is a mutant in Ms Marvel, but the actual super-team themselves have yet to make their grand entrance.
In similarly vague terms to his cyborg counterpart, producer Kevin Feige has promised that the X-Men will join the MCU, but that they are some time away from getting their own movie. A rumour suggests that Marvel Studios cannot recast the roles until 2025 due to contractual obligations leftover from the days of the Fox film franchise, although this is unconfirmed.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever gets a nod
These days, we're never far off from our next Marvel Studios project, with 2022 having seen a near-constant flow of blockbuster movies and streaming shows from the pop culture juggernaut.
This gets acknowledged during Jen's meeting with KEVIN, as she is told to revert to human form as the visual effects department have moved on from Attorney at Law to the next project.
At this point, we hear a brief excerpt of the iconic Wakandan drums, as composed by Ludwig Göransson, reminding viewers that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will provide their next escape to the MCU next month.
Daredevil returns: Could She-Hulk be in Born Again?
Jen's last request to Kevin is that Daredevil returns for her finale, after sparks flew between herself and Matt Murdock during their first meeting, which ended with them spending the night together.
Sure enough, Daredevil pops up for a brief cameo at the end of the episode, where he attends a barbecue with Jen's family and is grilled (no pun intended) on whether he's a good fit for her.
Though Matt insists he's heading back to Hell's Kitchen soon, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law seems to have set him and Jen up as the MCU's next big romance, raising the question of whether this thread will be continued in Daredevil: Born Again.
We may know soon as the cast is currently being pulled together, with an eye towards filming in early 2023.
Earlier this month, Daredevil star Deborah Ann Woll said via Twitter that Marvel Studios haven't contacted her about the new show, which could be seen as further evidence that Matt's dalliance with Karen Page is officially over.
Introduction of Hulk's son Skaar
The final sting of the episode is the introduction of Hulk's son, Skaar. It's a big deal. So much so that we have a whole separate article on it! Find out more about Skaar here.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is available to stream on Disney Plus - sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
