Tatiana Maslany gets candid about the reactions toShe-Hulk: Attorney at Lawfollowing her introduction in theMarvel Cinematic Universe. While the MCU timeline has introduced multiple new heroes and villains throughoutThe Multiverse Saga, not every addition has had the easiest time with finding their place in the franchise. One of them was Jennifer Walters, as theShe-Hulk: Attorney at LawTV show was one of the heavily criticized series to come out during Phase 4.
During a recent appearance onColliderLadies Night, Maslany looked back at her time with the MCU after starring as the titular heroine inShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law. While she has yet to return to the franchise, Maslany opened up about the negative responses that the show was surrounded by,including online hatred towards the She-Hulk character, as she stated the following:
The script and my meeting with Jessica Gao before the audition was like, ‘She’s so funny. She’s so interesting. I’m so curious about her take on this character. I feel like she and I can build something really interesting, and we have a similar sense of humor.’ That just became more and more apparent as I was working on the project, that she was like the thing.
I also found interest in the idea of, and we sort of got into this in the series, inhabiting a body that makes people talk to you differently, respect you differently, treat you differently, objectify you. What does that do inside to how you feel about yourself? Where does that instill confidence? Where does that detract from how you know yourself to be when you are performing what people expect?
I don’t know because to this day, my comments on my Instagram back 40 weeks ago, they like to go in all over there. For me, what’s so exciting is that Jessica Gao knew that was going to happen. She wrote it into the show. There’s something in She-Hulk that is looking out, and she’s aware of the camera. She’s aware of somebody watching her. There’s something about the inherent quality to that character that is self-aware and that understands her place within the MCU or within a series or a TV show or a scene or whatever, just like Jennifer Walters is aware of her place within the legal system and how she’s struggling as a woman to be taken seriously or to be respected.
Again, there are so many more interesting things that I can look to than vitriolic fan response where people don’t like it or just want to be mean and use you as a dumping ground for their worst thoughts. But again, like you were saying, there are people who I meet at conventions who are like, ‘I love that show,’ or, ‘I’ve been reading She-Hulk since I was a kid, and the story of the show is exactly what she was like.’ You just remember that stuff and then you work through it. It’s a constant thing.
What Tatiana Maslany’s She-Hulk Comments Mean For The MCU Heroine
While there were definitely positive sides of the MCU audience who enjoyed Jennifer’s debut in the MCU, the result ofShe-Hulk: Attorney at Lawwas a combination of legitimate problems with and criticisms of the series, and factors that were out of their control. Outside some ofthe controversial CGI work, the Phase 4 series also suffered from sexist backlash, withShe-Hulkbeing review-bombedbefore it even debuted. Whenever any male-centered franchise introduces or puts a bigger focus on female characters, including She-Hulk, there is always a vocal group who feel those decisions are forced in favor of progressive agendas.
Whether it is characters like Captain Marvel, She-Hulk, or Shuri becoming the MCU’s new Black Panther, misogynists will slam films or TV shows with a female protagonist as “woke” from the studios. The superhero genre has, through the decades, been heavily male-dominated, while limiting female characters to damsels in distress or supporting players. In the case oftheShe-Hulk: Attorney at LawTV show, this was an instance where the series was prepared for toxic responses, which even became part of the later storylines in the show.
Our Take On Tatiana Maslany’s She-Hulk Comments
While it’s definitely disappointing thatShe-Hulk: Attorney at Lawhad to go through this treatment with certain fans,it’s still great to hear that Maslany was able to find positive aspects, too, in her MCU experience, especially with fans who did give her good responses. Whether or not the franchise has seen the last of She-Hulk remains to be seen, as Marvel Studios has not revealed any plans at this point. But hopefully, as The Multiverse Saga gets closer to its end, there will hopefully be at least one more appearance of Maslany afterShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
Cast
Tatiana Maslany stars as Jennifer Walters, AKA She-Hulk in Marvel’s Disney+ TV seriesShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law.She-Hulkis a half-hour comedy series that follows the story of Jennifer Walters, Bruce Banner/Hulk’s cousin. Jennifer is an attorney who must juggle her life alongside being a 6-foot-7-inch hulk. Unlike her cousin, Jennifer is capable of managing her transformation at will. With these newfound powers, Jennifer will head-up a new superhero division at an opposing law firm while trying to learn what it means to be a hero. Additional casting includes Mark Ruffalo, reprising his role as Bruce Banner/ The Hulk, with Tim Roth joining the cast as Emil Blonsky/Abomination, the villain who originally appeared inThe Incredible Hulkfilm.She-Hulk: Attorney at Lawis a part of the MCU’s Phase 4 and originally aired in August 2022.
