Unless you have lived under a rock, you have probably noticed that Hollywood has been bitten by the superhero bug. For nearly the last decade, Marvel has become the kings of the superhero entertainment world thanks to its Netflix shows and their critically-acclaimed Marvel Cinematic Universe, with no signs of slowing down anytime soon. While DC has had (and still having) its own massive success in the animated department and their own comics, all while attempting to make their OWN cinematic universe (and depending on who you ask, it’s either going decent, very well, or a complete disaster), Marvel has stood the test of time (to my honest surprise) and will bring everything together that they have worked on for nearly a decade into Avengers: Infinity War, coming out in May 2018, with a film to follow that the following year. No doubt this will be a daunting task to bring everyone together, but if their success is any indication, it would be wise not to bet against Marvel Studios. In addition to the big boys, the ladies have been getting some love from Marvel as well, with Black Widow, Gamora, The Wasp, and Scarlett Witch being part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Captain Marvel will be joining them in the very near future (she will be the first female in the MCU to get her own solo movie). Jessica Jones and Elektra have made their presence known in the Marvel Extended Universe on Netflix, and do I even need to bring up Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D on ABC?! It’s a safe bet that more ladies will be joining them shortly, but there seems to be one sorta big name that has yet to be brought up…She-Hulk.
She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters) is the cousin of The Hulk (Bruce Banner). She’s insanely strong, but unlike her cousin, she has better control over her power and emotions. Due to the blood transfusion she had with her cousin, her green complexion is permanent, so she can’t change her appearance unlike her cousin. When she’s not kicking butt on the streets either on her own, with her cousin, or as an honorary member of the Fantastic Four, she is taking down people as her real-life persona Jennifer Walters, a lawyer...who's green. You would think someone would freak out about that, but really…would YOU question a green woman would can bench press a building…and consider that a warm-up?! Yeah...I didn’t think so.
With all of this being said, I personally think She-Hulk would be a great female superhero to introduce in 2017. Rumor has it that Marvel and Netflix are working on a She-Hulk series, which done right could end up being successful. Now the question is…who could play as She-Hulk? While Hollywood has picked some beautiful and talented women to play female superheroes, they (to some people including yours truly) seem to not represent the comic book physiques of the women they are portraying, which is the opposite of their male counterparts (as a whole, mind you. Not all the guys are big either, but it’s a noticeable amount). What makes She-Hulk so awesome is that she’s not only muscular, but she happens to be extremely beautiful as well. If you happen to be part of the bodybuilding industry, I’m pretty sure you can send me a laundry list of women that would fit the bill of She-Hulk based off looks alone, but to me, there’s one woman who has all the tools needed (look, talent, mainstream appeal and following) to pull the role off, and that person is none other than...Jen Widerstrom.
Jen Widerstrom is one of the trainers on NBC’s The Biggest Loser. Before that, she was one of the Gladiators on the American Gladiators reboot on NBC, under the name Phoenix, who ended up being one of the most popular Gladiators on the show. When it comes to fitness, you name it, she’s done it: yoga, fitness competitions, Crossfit, Spartan Races, powerlifting, etc. Jen is stronger than the average woman, and she happened to be one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood as well. Of course beautiful women are not hard to find in the shining lights of Tinseltown, but in their world, it’s hard to find a beautiful woman with muscles to boot. Jen's also not a dummy either, as she hones her craft as a personal trainer by studying every fitness technique and regimen out there to be the best she can be, which is no different than what Jennifer Walters does while being a criminal defense attorney. Their personalities mirror each other as well; they are funny, quirky, and sassy, but when they need to get down to business...they get down to business!
Several months ago, before any rumor of a She-Hulk involvement was ever thought about, I took Instagram to mention that either Jen or former WWE Superstar Eve Torres-Grace would be great as She-Hulk, and Jen replied back to me,
"Ahhhh thank you!!! I do love the color green!"
For proof, you can check out my original Instagram post here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BEZZoG1vW45/
The fact that Jen (who is constantly busy) took the time to come to my Instagram and leave a message like that really got me to go deeper and explain why Jen would be perfect for the role.
So there you have it. If the rumors of a She-Hulk Netflix series are indeed true, then the ball is in the court of Marvel to do this justice. Thus far, they haven't let many people down, and I highly doubt they will do it anytime soon. But if they want to send a message of the type of woman they want to represent She-Hulk, they will hopefully pick someone like Jen Widerstrom to send said message. Marvel...She-Hulk is right there in your doorstep. All you have to do is make that call.