Marvel: How this major character could still appear in She-Hulk

She-Hulk could be comic-accurate but there has yet to be any mention of Nicholas Trask. Could he appear in the Disney Plus series?

Before Disney Investor Day 2020, there weren’t many details available in regards to She-Hulk. Even with Tatiana Maslany cast in the lead role (and the confusing reports about whether she would actually play the role or not), there just wasn’t much to go on because of how secretive Marvel Studios has been with the Disney Plus series.

However, it seems that one thing we can rely on the upcoming show for is its loyalty to the comics as it was promised the series would provide viewers with a comic-accurate origin story for “Shulkie”. And yet that raises some questions because there has been no mention of the titular character’s first nemesis, Nicholas Trask.

On that note, let’s discuss who She-Hulk’s first real nemesis actually is, whether or not he will be included in the series, what part Nicholas Trask could play within the series and if he could potentially make an impact in the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Who is Nicholas Trask?

Created by Stan Lee, David Anthony Kraft and Mike Vosburg, Nicholas “Nick” Trask is a ruthless crime boss based in Los Angeles, California. He not only crossed paths with Jennifer’s father, Sheriff Morris Walters, but he was primarily responsible for the death of her mother Elaine (née Banner) Walters.

One day whilst on the run from the police, Jennifer’s cousin, Bruce Banner, confided in her law office about how The Hulk came to be, how his brutish alter-ego has been causing problems in his life and the fact that he is a fugitive. Jennifer later discussed Trask with Bruce on the way back to her house, mentioning that she was working on a case to put him in prison for framing small-time criminal Lou Monkton. However, Trask sent hired guns to take out Jennifer at her residence and she was wounded as a result.

Bruce fought off the gunmen with a water hose and concluded that he had to give Jennifer an emergency blood transfusion. He then admitted her to a local hospital where she could recover.

When Trask’s gunmen later returned to finish the job, the adrenaline and anger she felt, combined with gamma-irradiated blood, altered her body chemistry, transforming her into the She-Hulk, allowing her to trap the thugs with her newfound strength and size.

Not only was Trask responsible for the creation of She-Hulk but he was one of her earliest enemies. Despite the fact that he is a normal human with no special abilities, the mastermind has used his resources to not only kill one of Jennifer’s best friends but he manipulated scenarios where her alter-ego was framed for a murder she did not commit, pitted her (as the She-Hulk) against her father and stole Roxxon’s oil reserves.

His last confrontation with her resulted in a mechanical snake he piloted malfunctioning and digging deep into earth’s core, presumably taking him to his death.

Will Nicholas Trask play a part in Marvel’s She-Hulk?

There has yet to be any confirmation as to whether Trask will be involved in She-Hulk or not. At this point it’s looking unlikely as production has begun and none of the previously-released character descriptions teased his involvement. Then again, perhaps Marvel Studios are keeping things under wraps and the character is saved for a courtroom-driven subplot.

Perhaps the crime boss who was presumably responsible for the death of Jennifer’s mother’s was indeed Trask but he managed to pin it on someone else or used a pseudonym or disguise to conceal himself. That way Jennifer, in her most personal case as a lawyer, would have to prove that Trask is behind these crimes – something which could provide heavy drama in at least one of the ten episodes (unless of course it plays out over all 10).

The problem here is that this would reduce a character as potentially rich as Trask to little more than a plot device to drive the series forward, robbing him of the chance to become a huge on-screen threat like other crime lords or gangsters like Cottonmouth, The Kingpin or Diamondback.

Is Tim Roth’s Abomination the main villain of She-Hulk?

What if Trask really isn’t involved in She-Hulk. What if, instead of Trask being the cause of the creation of She-Hulk, it is actually Emil Blonsky a.k.a. the Abomination who causes her transformation?