Porcupine? She-Hulk's 5 strange new Marvel characters, explained
Heroes — and villains — lend each other a helping hand.
In television, therapy scenes are always a great way to dig into the roots of a character’s problems. The Sopranos built an entire show from the premise of showing Tony Soprano’s sessions with his therapist, and She-Hulk’s fellow fourth-wall-breaking series Fleabag used a counseling session to conquer issues the protagonist was avoiding. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is just the latest to use this concept.
But unlike those shows, Jennifer Walters participated in group therapy alongside several villains. Here’s what you need to know about her new superpowered friends and their superpowered issues.
5. Man-Bull
William Taurens, aka Man-Bull, as seen in Howard the Duck Vol 5 #3, published in 2015.
As Man-Bull says in She-Hulk, he’s the result of a lab experiment. In the Daredevil comics, William Taurens is ordered to kidnap people for a sinister medical test. After Matt Murdock stops the scheme, Taurens’ boss punishes him by making him the test subject, transforming Taurens into Man-Bull. Over the course of the comics he’s infused with the Man-Bull serum multiple times, eventually becoming so powerful he believed himself to be the Minotaur of Greek myth.
4. El Aguila
El Aguila featured on the cover of Power Man and Iron Fist #58, published in 1979.
El Aguila was insistent in therapy that he’s not a matador, and his comics persona — essentially a Zorro knockoff — reflects that. Born Alejandro Montoya in Spain, he fought Power Man and the Iron Fist in a 1980 comic. Just like we see in She-Hulk, he’s a mutant with the power to generate and discharge powerful electric shocks with his own body. This is especially interesting because mutants are slowly creeping into the MCU, making El Aguila another electrified drop in the bucket.
3. Porcupine
Porcupine on the cover of Tales to Astonish #48, published in 1963.
Yes, Porcupine looked like that in the comics. Essentially, he’s the Iron Man of this rag-tag group. Instead of getting his powers through a mutation or lab experiment, Alexander Gentry made a suit with the power to shoot quills. As an animal-based villain, he naturally fought Ant-Man. Porcupine was eventually slain by Captain America, who had his suit displayed in the Avengers Mansion with the label “Battle Armor of the Porcupine — Honored Foe of the Avengers.”
2. Saracen
Saracen the ancient vampire in Blade: Vampire Hunter #1, published in 1999.
Saracen is an especially exciting addition to the group. You probably thought of Blade when he was introduced to Jen as a possible vampire and, sure enough, he first appeared in a 1999 Blade comic as an ancient vampire who lived under the Vatican. He was part of a league of vampires known as the Ancient, a group that also contained Nosferatu himself. Is this a hint that Saracen isn’t actually deluded, and may appear in the upcoming Blade movie?
1. Wrecker
Wrecker gains power in Thor #148, published in 1967.
Wrecker received a “previously on” treatment in She-Hulk, so you know his role in the show. However, he has an illustrious comic book history as part of the Wrecking Crew, a quartet of villains who have fought basically everyone but hold a special animus towards Thor. The first Wrecker, and leader of the group, was Dirk Garthwaite, who wielded an enchanted crowbar. In the comics, he was given his power after a case of mistaken identity: Asgardian queen Karnilla gave him power instead of Loki. Maybe this will come into play in Loki Season 2... or maybe this was just a fun reference.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is now streaming on Disney+.
