She-Hulk’s Wolverine Easter egg points to Marvel’s X-Men future

Two episodes in, Marvel’s latest Disney Plus series, She-Hulk: An Attorney at LawIt is already showing to be an intersection of everything Marvel Cinematic Universe. As a lawyer for superheroes, Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) finds herself brushing against the turbulent lives of both heroes and villains, even when she — and the audience — are least expecting it. Sometimes, even doomscrolling in boredom, there is something to learn about the evolving MCU. Say for example, the eventual appearance one of most famous mutants.

[Ed. note: The rest of this piece contains mild spoilers for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law episode 2.]

And that’s exactly how Jennifer and Marvel fans wound up with a hint of X-Men in She-Hulk Episode 2. Episode 2. The story’s siderail may reveal some other updates from MCU. “Why there is a giant statue of a man sticking out of the ocean” is an obvious nod to the end of Eternals, when Sersi’s matter-changing abilities turned Earth’s incubated Celestial into a giant statue of a man sticking out of the ocean. “Man fights with metal claws in bar brawl” could only be one thing.

Image: Marvel Studios

Those familiar with Logan’s incarnations in the comics, animated series, and various Hugh Jackman-led X-Men films know (1) Wolverine has adamantium claws, (2) the man loves a bar, and (3) he can never say no to a fight. The 2000 actually has a lot more. X-Men film, which counts MCU mastermind Kevin Feige as an associate producer from back when he was Avi Arad’s mentee, introduces Wolverine in a rowdy cage match which eventually escalates to a bar brawl.

But is this a clever nod to a now pivotal film in the timeline of comic book movies or an actual admission that there’s some mutant activity afoot in the Marvel movie universe? This is what you need to consider She-Hulk Jessica Gao, creator of Jessica Gao, is another. Rick and Morty alum granted access to the reference-friendly trove of lore that is the MCU, there’s reason to think it’s just a joke for the #fans. But this isn’t the first time a Marvel series has teased the inclusion of X-Men in the lineup; Ms. Marvel’s finale post-credits scene revealed that on top of magic tech, Kamala Khan has mutant DNA. They then played the X-Men: The Animated SeriesTheme music.

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Image from the 20th Century

There are no plans at this time for a separate Wolverine or X-Men movie, or TV series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s already full schedule. However, D23 is on the horizon for September and rumors indicate that Marvel will make another announcement. Feige and his crew plan to create a scene. Secret Wars movie in three years — and can you do Secret Wars without ol’ Wolverine?

X-fans can rejoice in any case: X-Men ’97, a continuation of the ’90s animated series spearheaded by Marvel Studios, is slated for a Disney Plus premiere in fall 2023.