In the first episode of “She-Hulk,” Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) and her cousin Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) – aka the Hulk – are on a road trip together. They’re having a good time enjoying the open road, but their spirited conversation is seriously interrupted when they’re attacked by an alien spaceship. As Jennifer helps her cousin escape the wreckage of his car, she’s exposed to his blood – giving her Hulk powers of her own.
Later in the episode, Jennifer asks Bruce who attacked them, and he tells her it was Sakaarans. They’re an alien species that’s shown up many times in the MCU before. Let’s break down just who they are – and what they might want with the Hulk.
Who Are the Sakaarans?
The Sakaarans, aka the Sakaarians (as Bruce refers to them in “She-Hulk”), are an alien species from the planet Sakaar. They’ve appeared in “Thor: The Dark World,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Thor: Ragnarok,” and “Avengers: Endgame.” While some Sakaarans still live on their home planet, many work as soldiers for hire, like in “The Dark World,” “GOTG,” and “Endgame.”
Their role in “Thor: Ragnarok” is the most helpful, though, in understanding their appearance in “She-Hulk.” Most of “Ragnarok” takes place on Sakaar, which is run by the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum). The planet is surrounded by wormholes that bring space junk to its surface. Most of the residents are Sakaarans, but there are also stray species from around the universe with nowhere else to go.
Hulk crash lands on Sakaar sometime after the end of “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” He gets forced into the Contest of Champions and emerges the winner. When Thor (Chris Hemsworth) ends up there, too, he faces off against the Hulk. Eventually, the duo escape, and in the process, they cause a revolution on Sakaar. During the “Ragnarok” end-credits scene, the Grandmaster faces the people and congratulates them. “Can’t have a revolution without somebody to overthrow!” he says before declaring the uprising a “tie.” What happened on Sakaar next is anyone’s guess.
It’s unclear what this group of Sakaarans want with the Hulk in this episode, but hopefully we’ll find out before “She-Hulk” is over. It could have some major implications for his future in the MCU.
