She-Hulk: Attorney at Law arrived on Disney+ on August 18, 2022, with a premise that sounds like a joke and plays like one for most of its run. Jennifer Walters is a single attorney in her 30s who specializes in cases involving superhumans. She is also a green, 6-foot-7-inch hulk, a condition she picked up after accidentally getting cross-contaminated with her cousin Bruce Banner’s blood. Tatiana Maslany plays both versions of her. The show ran nine episodes, ending October 13, and it is the last television series of Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is the eighth MCU television series from Marvel Studios.
Trailer, via Marvel Entertainment.
Jessica Gao Builds a Lawyer Who Never Wanted Powers
The series refuses to treat the transformation as a gift. Maslany called Walters “the antithesis of most superhero narratives” because the character does not want her abilities. Gao, the head writer and creator, wanted someone with a “well-rounded life” who then has to deal with powers arriving uninvited, and the show explores her emotional and mental response.
Maslany said Walters has a “great element of denial in her that’s relatable,” and that she tried to reject the changes for as long as she could to create a “fun tension” between the two halves of the character.
The show is a comedy first. The genres listed are Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, and the ordering is honest.
Tatiana Maslany Carries Two Bodies and One Performance
Maslany was initially hesitant to join large-scale or franchise projects, preferring work “focused on character” that tended to “guarantee” collaboration. She auditioned after enjoying Gao’s script, and she was excited by the challenge she believed the role could bring.
Maslany was also inspired by the music of Sophie, which she described as a combination of “organic and electrical, industrial-type sounds that felt connected to She-Hulk.” She liked the duality of a “woman occupying two different bodies,” especially since modern culture is obsessed with a woman’s body. Maslany called the series’ commentary “very prescient” and “rife with interesting nuance.” She also used Elaine Benes from Seinfeld as a “touchstone.”
The casting process was messy in public. Deadline Hollywood reported in September 2020 that Maslany had the lead role. She denied it, calling the report “a press release that’s gotten out of hand” and “not actually a thing.” The Hollywood Reporter reaffirmed the casting in November 2020, and Kevin Feige officially confirmed it that December. Maslany later said she “flat-out lied” about the denial because she was unsure what she was allowed to say.
Nikki Ramos, Mallory Book and the Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway Crew
Walters works at the firm Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway.
- Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk
- Ginger Gonzaga as Nikki Ramos
- Jameela Jamil as Mary MacPherran / Titania
- Renée Elise Goldsberry as Mallory Book
- Josh Segarra as Augustus “Pug” Pugliese
Mark Ruffalo returns as Bruce Banner, a role he had played across the MCU films. He said in November 2019 that he planned to meet with Feige about appearing, and confirmed talks in March 2020. Feige confirmed Ruffalo’s involvement and the casting of Tim Roth in December 2020. Ruffalo was reported to have a “small role.”
Tim Roth returns as Emil Blonsky, the Abomination, from The Incredible Hulk. Marvel Studios approached Roth after he did vocal work for the Abomination in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Roth said the role appealed to the “anarchy” within himself and to having his career “being chaos.”
Maliah Arrayah and the Body Double Problem
The production had a physical problem to solve. Maliah Arrayah, who is 6-foot-5, served as the on-set reference and body double for She-Hulk. Director Kat Coiro and Maslany learned from Arrayah how she “moved through the world” at her height, and the struggles she faced. Arrayah wore a muscle suit on set. Devon Lewis was another stand-in, appearing as the Savage She-Hulk in the finale’s opening sequence.
Nine Episodes, One Season, and a Phase Four Sign-Off
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law was announced in August 2019. Gao was hired that November. Coiro joined to direct multiple episodes in September 2020, and Anu Valia was hired that December. Filming ran in Atlanta, Georgia, from April to August 2021. The show premiered August 18, 2022, and ran nine episodes through October 13. It is the last television series of Phase Four.
Mixed Reception to the Visual Effects
The series received generally positive reviews from critics, with particular praise for Maslany’s performance. Reception to the series’ visual effects was mixed. That is the fairest way to put it, and it is worth separating from the rest of the review.
the antithesis of most superhero narratives
That is Maslany on the character, and it is also the show’s thesis.
What the Record Actually Shows
Strip away the assessments and the case for the show rests on a handful of documented things. Maslany’s performance drew praise from critics. Gao built the character around a “well-rounded life” disrupted by powers, and the show follows that emotional and mental response. The casting of Maslany, Ruffalo and Roth was confirmed by Feige in December 2020 after a public back-and-forth that Maslany herself called a lie.
The visual effects drew mixed reception, and that is the whole of it. The show is a legal comedy that happens to have a hulk in it, and the premise — a woman in her 30s who did not ask for a second body — is the part that holds up on paper.
6.7/10 (Metacritic 67/100).
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