She-Hulk’s popularity has earned the character major appearances across different media. Her direct connection to Bruce Banner, The Incredible Hulk, helped make for prominent and entertaining narratives across multiple comic books has kept theMarvelhero in the mainstream. Withfirst looks atMoon-KnightandShe-Hulknow online following Disney+ Day, many fans will be able to see her character realized in live-action leading up to her show’s release in 2022. This should only add to the character’s popularity, as She-Hulk has been breaking the fourth wall and entertaining fans for decades.
This streak for the character has crossed into video games multiple times. While manyMarvelfans are used to characters like Spider-Man and The Avengers taking the spotlight in video games, there are plenty of titles that have also incorporated She-Hulk. When compared to other heroes that have made video game appearances, She-Hulk also stands out as she has consistently been a playable character rather than being relegated to cameo appearances.
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She-Hulk in Video Games
She-Hulk’s first appearance in video games came with theFantastic Fourgame in 1991. This title made She-Hulk playable and put her onto one of the most popular systems on the market, the PlayStation. While 1996’sMarvel Super Heroes: In War of the Gemsdidn’t allow fans to play as She-Hulk likeFantastic Fourdid,it gave her a cameo appearance through doppelgangers. Following these two titles, She-Hulk was absent from video games for over a decade.
This is likely due to the popularity other Marvel heroes saw at this time in movies and video games. TheX-Menfranchise was able to dominate the late 1990s and early 2000s with animated shows, live-action movies, and video games, and even nowMarvel’s Spider-Manshows how much staying power Peter Parker has after half a century. Toward the end of the decade, She-Hulk was able to return to video games as a mini-boss in 2009’sMarvel Ultimate Alliance 2,and as an exclusive playable character in the Nintendo DS version of that game. While the 90s and 2000s didn’t feature She-Hulk a lot, the 2010s kicked off a consistent trend of the character making video game appearances.
While there weren’t dedicated appearances to have She-Hulk go toe-to-toe withher classic villain Titania, she wasn’t limited to niche games. The character made appearances in some of the most memorable titles that Marvel fans have played in the last two decades, including theMarvel Ultimate Alliancefranchise as well asMarvel vs. Capcom. In total She-Hulk appeared in19 titles during the 2010s and was playable in 16 of them.
Possibly the most striking of these appearances isShe-Hulk’s unlockable skin inFortnite. The battle royale has quickly become one of the most popular video games around, and has had no problem using its success for huge collaborations. Hopefully, She-Hulk will be able to thrive both in and out of exclusive Marvel properties as her fanbase grows when theShe-Hulkshow releases. If that is the case, She-Hulk fans should be ready to see her appear in even more games in the 2020s, and possibly start making movie appearances in the MCU as well.
