Why The Therapy Group From 'She-Hulk' Is Important To The MCU

Marvel

Oct 17

She-Hulk’s seventh episode, “The Retreat”, gave audiences some quality time with an assortment of D-list baddies seeking personal growth under the guidance of the seemingly reformed Emil Blonsky, aka Abomination.

These deep cuts from the pages of Marvel Comics now have a canon presence in the MCU, but who exactly are the moderately villainous members of Jenifer Walters’ emotional support group, and what might their inclusion in this unique episode mean for the Marvel Cinematic Universe moving forward?

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Saracen

Making his first appearance in Blade: Vampire Hunter #1 in 1999, Saracen is one of The Ancient, a group of incredibly old vampires that includes Nosferatu. He hid for centuries underneath the Vatican before arising to summon a demonic entity from beneath the Colosseum. In contrast to his comics counterpart, the MCU’s Saracen’s status as a vampire is a little ambiguous. Blonsky says Saracen “thinks he’s a vampire,” and Saracen notably lets the remark slide.

Of course, if the writers decide that he is a genuine vampire, Saracen could make an appearance in the upcoming Blade reboot, or perhaps in another Special Presentation in the vein of the classic monster movie-inspired Werewolf By Night.

El Aguila

Spanish swordsman Alejandro Montoya has been around since 1979’s Power Man and Iron Fist #58. He is a mutant who can produce enormous amounts of bioelectricity and conduct it through his sword. Blonsky reminded him that he’d been warned about doing this in group before.

In the comics, he’s been both ally and antagonist to Luke Cage and Danny Rand. Alejandro has also had some dustups with Hawkeye but considering that that character’s Disney+ series already includes a moustached swordsman named … well, Swordsman, bringing El Aguila into Hawkeye’s world might create some understandable confusion for viewers.

Man-Bull

William Taurens has been in print for even longer than El Aguila, first appearing in Daredevil #78 all the way back in 1971. This baddie has a connection to another Emil, Mr. Kline, for whom he was engaged to kidnap random individuals as test subjects. When Daredevil interfered with the kidnappings, Mr. Kline forced William to undergo the procedure himself. This is possibly what the MCU Man-Bull alludes to when he introduces himself to Jennifer as “Man-Bull. Was a weird lab experiment. Don’t ask.”

Man-Bull’s future in the MCU could see him come in conflict with Daredevil in keeping with his comic roots. Another possibility involves Hercules, introduced in the Thor: Love and Thunder post-credits scene, played by Brett Goldstein. During Fear Itself, Man-Bull teamed up with Hercules to prevent the resurrection of Ares, God of war.

Porcupine

Alexander Gentry was a US Army weapons designer who first appeared in Tales to Astonish #48 (1963). He worked overtime to design a suit that would shoot quills for the government but then decided to use it for a life of crime, which immediately put him in conflict with Ant-Man, the Wasp, and Giant Man. While the She-Hulk version of Porcupine comes across as far less of a combat threat and more of a cosplayer for whom his suit is a security blanket, there could certainly be more to his abilities than the show has revealed.

If he appears again, Porcupine could potentially follow in his comics counterpart’s footsteps and join forces with the likes of Georges Batroc against Sam Wilson’s Captain America in New World Order.

The Wrecker — Image Source: CultureSlate

First appearing in 1967 in Thor #148, Dirk Garthwaite is the likeliest candidate for therapy, coming from an abusive situation at the hands of an alcoholic father who was falsely reported to have died when Dirk was 4 years old. As an adult, he turned to a life of crime and received magical powers at the hands of the Norn Queen, who mistook him for Loki in a moment of haste. Apparently, this version of the Wrecker is not inherently magical; rather, his power is located in his crowbar.

The Wrecking Crew took part in the original Secret Wars crossover event in the comics, which means there is a chance Dirk could appear again in some capacity at the end of the Multiverse Saga.

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