A She-Hulk episode 2 has arrived on Disney+, and fans may be wondering why Jennifer Walters agreed to represent Emil Blonsky/Abomination in his parole case. At face value, this is a confusing choice given the events of prior Marvel Cinematic Universe installments, but the writers do an excellent job of justifying this decision. Here is why Jennifer agreed to represent Emil.
Why did Jennifer agree to represent Emil in She-Hulk episode 2?
First, we must begin with some backstories of the characters. Jennifer Walters is Bruce Banner’s cousin. In The Incredible Hulk (2008), Emil Blonsky leads a special forces team to take down Bruce Banner/Hulk. In the final act of the film, Emil gets injected with Banner’s blood and transforms into the Abomination, a monster who battles Hulk through the streets of Harlem. Hulk wins the battle, and Emil is arrested.
So why does Jennifer agree to represent the man who tried to kill her cousin? At first, she refuses to, citing a familial conflict of interest, but her boss hands her a conflict waiver that Emil signed. Jennifer learns that taking on the case is the only way that she will be able to keep her new job at GLK&H. This is what leads her to agree to listen to Emil’s plea.
Upon hearing his explanation for his actions, which is that he was under direct orders from the government and his rampage in Harlem was caused only by the serum he was injected with, Jennifer begins to understand his side of the story. She calls Bruce, wanting to make sure he was okay with her defending the man who tried to kill him years ago. Bruce states that he has already worked things out with Emil, putting their past behind them.
This is why Jennifer ultimately decides to take on the case: to keep her new job while retaining the support of her cousin. It’s an example of the show’s writing which shows how Jennifer would realistically struggle with the decision to represent Emil. Now that she has made the decision, we must wait for the next episode to see how she will go about earning him his freedom.
