Warning! Spoilers ahead for She-Hulk: Attorney At Law episode 1.
The events of Avengers: Endgame. Marvel Studios return to Disney+ with its eighth show on the platform which introduces Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer Ann Walters, the newest MCU hero in She-Hulk. Because of their familial ties, She-Hulk: Attorney At Law episode 1 also featured Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), marking the Hulk's second appearance in the Multiverse Saga after making a cameo in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
As Marvel Studios established the Avengers: Infinity War. A big part of Banner's story was Tony Stark as the pair was able to spend time together after the Blip.
Since Banner often mentioned Iron Man, the She-Hulk: Attorney At Law episode 1 also subtly resolved an Avengers: Endgame mystery regarding the character. When Earth's Mightiest Heroes reconvened five years after Avengers: Infinity War, MCU hero Bruce Banner surprisingly debuted Smart Hulk. Interestingly, despite Iron Man's penchant for nicknames, he never gave the conscious green-rage monster a moniker the same way he called Fat Thor (Chris Hemsworth) Lebowski, suggesting he wasn't surprised to see Smart Hulk or caught off guard by his new form. Because Stark and Banner apparently spent a lot of time together on the heels of the Blip, it's possible that Avengers: Endgame isn't the first time that Iron Man saw Smart Hulk. There's even a change he even had a hand in Banner's efforts to bring his two personas together - after all, they had worked before, and it would be something to keep their minds off of their stinging loss to Thanos.
So, Who Gave Bruce Banner The Smart Hulk Nickname?
In the She-Hulk premiere, Smart Hulk told Walters that superheroes don't get to choose their names, which sheds some light on the Smart Hulk being an appropriate nickname for the current iteration of the green-rage monster.
The She-Hulk: Attorney At Law explanation didn't lay out exactly how Banner's two personas were combined before Avengers: Endgame. It's curious if Marvel Studios are ever planning on delving more extensively as to how it was done. Even if Iron Man didn't have a hand in creating Smart Hulk or the Smart Hulk name, it's still something that the franchise should fully tackle moving forward. Since the chances of Downey returning as the beloved hero are very slim to none, Hulk continuing to share his and Iron Man's adventures during the Avengers' downtime after the Blip serves to flesh out a time that otherwise would ultimately remain a myster.
She-Hulk: Attorney At Law airs new episodes every Thursday on Disney+.
