She-Hulk Episode 2 finally acknowledges the ending of Eternals
Well, at least someone is willing to address the dead Celestial in the ocean.
Across its first two episodes, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law has made it abundantly clear it isn’t afraid to poke fun at the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The series’ first installment opened and ended with jokes about Captain America’s virginity and, in its second episode, She-Hulk bravely dares to ask whether or not Hawkeye takes the time to retrieve all of his arrows after he fires them.
She-Hulk Episode 2 also features the long-awaited return of Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky/Abomination. His presence in the episode forces She-Hulk’s second installment to frequently reference 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, a movie that Marvel Studios has previously done its best to ignore.
However, as many fans have already pointed out as well, The Incredible Hulk isn’t the only MCU misfire that She-Hulk Episode 2 references.
Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer Walters in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episode 2.
Yes, Tiamut’s Still There — Episode 2 of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law opens with Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) unexpectedly finding herself forced back into the unemployment line. Understandably, the change in her employment status leads Jen to consider moving away to start a new life as a mascot in a Swiss village. (Honestly? Relatable.)
It’s during Jen’s internet exploration of Swiss life that She-Hulk Episode 2 packs in not only a surprise Wolverine reference but also a cheeky nod to the game-changing final act of last year’s Eternals. Both Easter eggs take the form of article headlines that can briefly be seen on Jen’s computer screen (see below).
One of the headlines, notably, references “a giant statue of a man sticking out of the ocean,” which is clearly a reference to Tiamut, the Celestial that gets turned to stone in Eternals.
Why is there a giant statue of a man sticking out of the ocean? Click here to find out!
No, We’re Not Going to Talk About It — Obviously, this Eternals Easter egg doesn’t carry the same weight or significance as She-Hulk Episode 2’s Wolverine reference. Nonetheless, the Disney+ series’ nod to Chloé Zhao’s divisive MCU epic is still notable because, well, it’s the first time that any of Marvel’s post-Eternals titles have actually acknowledged the events of that film.
This is a fact that has frustrated MCU fans to no end over the past year. Eternals does, after all, end with a giant Celestial being frozen in place during its emergence from the center of the Earth. Taking that into account, one could reasonably assume that the sudden appearance of a giant stone being in the middle of the Indian Ocean would, at the very least, cause some kind of global conversation.
Up until today, however, Marvel has avoided giving any indication that the citizens of the MCU had even taken note of Tiamut’s frozen corpse. She-Hulk Episode 2, thankfully, puts an end to that odd pattern.
Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) is quickly becoming one of the MCU’s most relatable heroes.
The Inverse Analysis — With an Eternals sequel rumored to be in development, there’s a real chance that Marvel may finally begin to unpack the ramifications of Eternals’ ending in coming years. To say that the studio hasn’t done that at all over the past year would be a massive understatement.
That’s why She-Hulk Episode 2’s Eternals Easter egg feels so noteworthy. Frankly, it’s just nice to know that the people within the MCU haven’t totally ignored Tiamut’s canceled emergence.
New episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law premiere Thursdays on Disney+.
This article was originally published on
