Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) is a great attorney who just wants to do her job, win her cases, live her life, and pay off her enormous student loans. But when an accident turns her into She-Hulk, a green superpowered being, Jennifer’s life is turned upside down, though not always in a bad way.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episodes 1-4
Kat Coiro (director), Jessica Gao (head writer), Anu Valia (director)
Tatiana Maslany, Ginger Gonzaga, Jameela Jamil, Josh Segarra, Mark Ruffalo (cast)
August 18, 2022
Every new female character since Black Widow’s ignominious introduction in Iron Man 2 has been an exciting addition in the vast tapestry of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It took 20 films for a woman to lead an MCU film—Captain Marvel—but the Disney+ shows seem to be trying to make up for this. We’ve had WandaVision, What If’s Captain Carter, Hawkeye with Kate Bishop, Moon Knight’s Layla El-Faouly, and Ms. Marvel. And I am delighted that we have yet another new female superhero in our midst—She-Hulk!
I have read some Avengers comics with She-Hulk but not very many of her solo titles. That will be changing soon. If the comics are anything like the show, I can imagine myself being very entertained!
Let’s get the bothersome part out of the way—there’s been a lot of talk about She-Hulk’s CGI. It didn’t look great in the trailers, and it’s only marginally better in the actual show. Tatiana Maslany manages to shine through the uncanny valley-ness of it all, but it is noticeable. Especially because the Smart-Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) design is so much more natural. There’s a shine and polish to She-Hulk’s skin and hair that don’t match the dimpled skin and dry hair of Smart-Hulk—almost like She-Hulk wasn’t allowed to have any blemishes. It’s an odd choice and can take you out of the viewing experience if you think about it too much.
But you don’t have to worry about being distracted by dodgy CGI because She-Hulk: Attorney at Law has too many enjoyable moments that will keep you engaged. Jennifer has cases to close, clients to save, and dates to go on. Plus, she’s navigating her new life as an attorney-at-law who can turn into a 6-foot-7-inch Hulk whenever she wants to. It’s a lot for her but for us viewers, every minute is riveting. She-Hulk is part courtroom drama, part superhero story, part fantasy, part romance, with a big dose of comedy. It’s Ally McBeal meets Daredevil with an endearing protagonist and without the needless gore. Can you tell I liked Maslany’s Jennifer Walters? Because I did. A lot.
Maslany looks like she’s having the time of her life playing this role and that joy is infectious. Even when Jennifer/She-Hulk ends up in sticky, frustrating, or dangerous situations, Maslany lets her character live in the moment and enjoy herself. I found myself laughing with Jennifer as much as I was laughing at the events around her. And the fourth wall breaks are a great addition that give the show its unique tone. When Jennifer talks to the camera, aka us, it feels natural and genuine, like she has something important to tell only us. Having just watched Netflix’s Persuasion, where the fourth wall breaks made me want to shut the TV off, I found She-Hulk’s execution of the technique fluid and well-timed. Jennifer doesn’t tell the audience the obvious—she only relates to us what we need to know.
That’s not to say that there aren’t moments in She-Hulk that many women won’t recognise and be infuriated with. I say “women” because there don’t appear to be any non-binary, genderqueer, or trans characters in the show so far. It’s hinted that one of the secondary characters is queer, but that’s it so far. Do better, Marvel.
Like Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel before her, Jennifer and her She-Hulk persona face unfair misogyny from work, the media, potential boyfriends, and family. Some of it is so ridiculous that you have to laugh, as Jennifer does, but some bits hit hard because they’re so annoyingly familiar.
That familiarity won’t transfer to certain segments of the audience. I suspect dudebros will be up in arms after the first episode, with accusations of She-Hulk being a Mary Sue to appear soon after (if certain responses to Prey, where the female protagonist was the furthest thing from a Mary Sue as possible, are anything to go by). She-Hulk leans into the fact that Jennifer has to navigate this world, and her male-dominated profession, as a woman. And that gives her skills that impact her control over her She-Hulk persona. It’s also what makes her reluctant to be a female superhero. She’s a normal person living a normal life—the complications of being a superhero don’t appeal to her. Plus, as an attorney, she’s already dedicated to helping people—superpowers aren’t adding anything to her repertoire.
As the show goes on, I imagine we’ll see Jennifer become more accepting of She-Hulk and see the strengths (not just the physical ones) of her big, green persona. But the animosity that Bruce Banner and Hulk had isn’t replicated in his cousin, which makes the dynamic between attorney and hulk that much more interesting.
Speaking of Hulk, post-Endgame questions about Banner get answered in She-Hulk, and we get a rough idea of the timeline for some of the more recent films and shows. But this show is a vehicle for Jennifer and She-Hulk, not Banner. Yes, Smart-Hulk gets some lovely moments here, and the show is well aware of his long history in the MCU, but it also knows when to give the floor back to the star of the show.
There are other cameos, which I don’t want to spoil. She-Hulk acknowledges how excited fans get at the prospect of cameos from known characters in the MCU, while firmly reminding viewers that this is the She-Hulk story. It also makes me feel like the MCU may have bigger plans for She-Hulk beyond this show. By dint of her new powers and her need to help people, Jennifer has already stepped into this larger universe, whether she expected to or not, so it’ll be interesting to see what the MCU plans for her future.
Honestly, janky CGI aside, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is incredibly fun to watch. Much of it is thanks to Maslany’s effortless charm, which radiates off the screen. Her Jennifer is relatable, and her She-Hulk is just extraordinary enough for us to root for her. The courtroom moments have surprises while balancing the fantastical superhero elements with believable legal scenarios. Some cameos help cement Jennifer as part of the larger MCU without detracting from her story. We can expect that there’s going to be much more that Jennifer/She-Hulk will have to contend with over the nine episodes of the series—but nothing that she can’t handle with a legal file and a sharp suit.
