The She-Hulk is one of the most popular female characters in the Marvel Universe, but her history is frequently misunderstood. Jennifer Walters was the daughter of Morris Walters, sheriff of Los Angeles County. Her mother was killed when she was a teenager by gangster Nick Trask. Jennifer went to Harvard Law School where she graduated at the top of her class. Rejecting lucrative offers to join a law firm, she returned to L.A. to open her own practice. One of her earliest clients was Lou Monkton, a rival of Nick Trask who was charged with killing Trask's bodyguard. Her cousin Bruce Banner chose to visit her at this time, seeking legal advice for his fugitive status because of his Hulk alter ego. Before Jen could tell her cousin what he should do, Trask's henchmen shot her. Exerting enormous self-control, Bruce managed not to "hulk out" and gave Jennifer a life-saving blood transfusion. Bruce fled the city once he realized Jen was out of danger, so he didn't learn until later the result of his action. Trask sent three assassins to the hospital to finish off the job, but they were thwarted when Jennifer turned into a 6'7" green amazon whom the world would later know as the She-Hulk. In her new identity, the She-Hulk easily captured the would-be killers and made them confess that not only did Trask send them to kill her, but that Trask really killed his bodyguard and framed Monkton. Leaving them to the police, the She-Hulk ran away and changed back to Jen Walters unseen. Returning to the hospital, Jen is shaken, but resolves to use her new powers for good. "Whatever Jen Walters can't handle--the She-Hulk will do!"
This turned out to be harder than Jennifer expected. Jennifer's friend Jill drove off in Jen's car that had been sabotaged by Trask's men. Jen changed into the She-Hulk, but was unable to prevent Jill's death when the car plunged from the top of a freeway overpass. To make matters worse, the police assumed the She-Hulk had killed Jill, and thus she became a wanted fugitive. Jennifer was forced to keep her She-Hulk identity secret, which became increasingly difficult as her transformations became more uncontrollable. This turned out to be a side effect of a fatal blood disorder caused by the gamma radiation in her bloodsteam. Jennifer was cured by this disease by Dr. Michael Morbius (also known as the Living Vampire), and this cure enables Jennifer to control her transformations. After the She-Hulk was exonerated of Jill's murder, she didn't have to run from the police anymore or change back to Jen Walters--and by this time the She-Hulk was becoming more reluctant to become Jen. Eventually, Jennifer decided she was better suited to face her personal problems as the She-Hulk and decided to remain the She-Hulk permanently. After a few adventures on her own, the She-Hulk was invited by the Wasp to become a member of the Avengers.
After the She-Hulk became a bone fide professional superheroine with the Avengers, her personality changed for the better. She became more relaxed and had a better sense of humor than ever before. She started thinking of herself as "Jennifer" once more instead of "She-Hulk", and keeping her "secret identity" became less important to her. Eventually, she would abandon her secret identity altogether to resume practicing law--as the She-Hulk. What once seemed ridiculous became plausible and then natural as Jennifer proved she was as equally formidable in the courtroom as she was as an Avenger. After Ben Grimm left the Fantastic Four following the Secret Wars, Jennifer became his replacement for three years, becoming close friends with Susan when she first became pregnant with Valeria. This friendship is why Susan asks Jennifer to rejoin the FF in my future "Fem Four" stories. As a member of the Fem Four, I see her not only as a physical powerhouse, but someone who helps improve morale with a witty joke or a sarcastic remark. She's the person Val will frequently turn to if she doesn't want to ask her mother a question. She will also frequently remind Val not only to give her scientific explanations in plain English (In this regard, Val takes after her dad), but not to dumb them down too much. "I did go to Harvard, you know!" Anyway, I hope to incorporate these ideas in Fem Four stories eventually. In the meantime, enjoy the artwork!