She-Hulk episode 7 continued to tease the emergence of a new Big Bad in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, who is intent on stealing a sample of blood from our titular superhero. After revealing that Jennifer Walters’ new love interest, Josh, was working on behalf of this mysterious figure, we saw him send a text to a contact on his phone called “HulkKing”. Could this villain be a version of Hulkling aka King Hulk?
Is HulkKing in She-Hulk episode 7 a version of Hulkling or King Hulk?
In Marvel Comics, a character called Dorrek VIII currently uses the alias King Hulk, after previously being known as Theodore “Teddy” Altman and Hulkling. He’s quite a complicated figure, with multiple versions of Teddy appearing across the multiverse, and is actually known to comic book fans as a superhero and member of the Young Avengers. As the lovechild of Kree warrior Mar-Vell, and Skrull princess Anelle, Teddy was born with powers inherited from both races, one of which is shape-shifting. We know that Skrulls are set to play a huge part in one of the next big Marvel series, Secret Invasion, so She-Hulk may be paving the way.
If the MCU is indeed bringing in a villainous version of Hulkling, then his origin story is likely to be extremely different from the one we know. His reasoning for stealing Jen’s blood is likely so that he can use it to gain Hulk-like powers, and the dislike his henchmen, the Wrecking Crew have for She-Hulk, is probably going to be something that has trickled down from his own disdain for her. The alias HulkKing was previously shown in episode 6 when a message popped up on the screen of a computer that read: “Is the next phase of the plan ready to go?” This shows that whoever is behind the moniker has a lot of power and influence over many people working on their behalf.
Whether the HulkKing being messaged by Josh in She-Hulk episode 7 turns out to be Hulkling or King Hulk remains to be seen, but all of the evidence is certainly pointing in that direction. With just two episodes to go in the Disney Plus series, we will surely be getting more answers to our burning questions as She-Hulk: Attorney at Law starts to wrap up.