Usually a new trailer or first look answers many fan questions about upcoming movies and TV shows, but the arrival of the first short teaser for Marvel’s highly anticipated She-Hulk series has only delivered a new series of questions, and they all revolve around Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk. While the footage released on Disney+ Day revealed our first look at Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer Walters, including a wonderful tease of her green-skinned alter-ego, it also revealed new footage of Mark Ruffalo, and there are a couple of points that have instantly been questioned by long-term MCU fans.

Ruffalo’s last main appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was in Avengers: Endgame, when as Smart Hulk, Bruce Banner seemed to have found a form that sat between the Hulk and his human form. By the end of the movie, he was also nursing a ruined hand thanks to performing the snap with the Nano Gauntlet, which restored the 50% of the universe that Thanos eradicated in Avengers: Infinity War. Unexpectedly, Ruffalo also made an appearance in the mid-credit scene of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings this year, turning up in holographic form to give an assessment on the power of the Ten Rings. What instantly became apparent was that this time, Ruffalo was back as Bruce Banner and not his Smart Hulk combination character, which in Endgame seemed to be a permanent change. He also still has his arm in a cling from his Endgame wounds.

Then we have the new She-Hulk footage, which sees Ruffalo appearing as both Banner and Smart Hulk. First, his Banner moment, which sees Tatiana Maslany uttering the classic Hulk line, “You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry”, looks for all intents and purposes to be a piece that will be part of the opening titles, or was simply created for teaser purposes and will not actually be part of the show, but Banner’s appearance in it is more than enough to suggest that he will feature in human form for at least part of the show.

In another scene, Smart Hulk is seen working in a lab, explaining to his subject the way fear and anger can trigger a transformation. While this would seem like it fits with the version of Hulk seen in Endgame, there is one big difference that has been instantly pointed out; his arm is no longer damaged. Like many of the series and movies in Marvel’s upcoming slate, there is a question of where She-Hulk sits in the Marvel timeline, and this brief scene hasn’t helped to clarify an answer. Obviously, five years have passed between the end of Infinity War, where Banner was unable to bring out Hulk, and his appearance as Smart Hulk in Endgame, so could that potentially mean that She-Hulk partly takes place somewhere in the middle of the movies? Or does it all take place post-blip and Hulk’s immortality has simply repaired the damage over time?

While these questions will all be answered when She-Hulk finally arrives next year, it does create a lot of intrigue around the setting and Banner’s various forms. There is a long space of time between Infinity War and Endgame that is mostly an unknown at the moment, and Marvel could well have a plan on how to bridge this gap. She-Hulk being set between two movies would fit and could even show Banner’s transformation into Smart Hulk as part of it. We will know more when we get a full trailer sometime in the next few months. The show will premiere in 2022 on Disney+.