She-Hulk is incredible. There, now that we got that out of the way, Marvel’s next Disney+ original series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is set to debut Thursday, August 18th. The series welcomes Jennifer Walters and her big, green alter ego to the MCU in a wildly fun and creative way that is going to have Marvel questioning what they expect next.
First and foremost, the thing to know before going into She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is that this series is a comedy. Yes, Marvel has been known to throw some jokes into their films and series and they get some pretty big laughs. That’s not what this is. This is a sitcom with a charming lead character who is thrust into a life-changing situation and now has to deal with her new normal. And to clarify, it’s really, really funny.
Tatiana Maslany is the perfect new addition to the MCU. She is the hilarious, reluctant, 30-something-year-old hero we need in a universe that is quickly filling up with brooding anti-heroes and gung ho teenagers. She is incredibly relatable to a large portion of the Marvel audience and instantly charming in this series. While she likely won’t be billed as Marvel’s next big star, she’s going to be the one fans are most excited to see in the big team up films.
Maslany works very well off of a great supporting cast, headlined by Mark Ruffalo, who of course reprises his role of Bruce Banner, Jennifer’s cousin. The interactions between Ruffalo and Maslany will make you believe they truly are cousins. Another standout is Ginger Gonzaga, who plays the lovable best friend, Nikki. The chemistry she and Maslany display is fantastic and makes for some laugh out loud moments.
And then there’s the cameos. Jennifer lets us know that this isn’t going to be one of those shows that just features a new Marvel cameo every week but can’t ignore the fact that Bruce is joined by Abomination and Wong in the early going. And they’re not even all the Marvel stuff that will get fans excited. So, despite the fact that this show is a comedy, there’s still plenty of Marvel fun that will have Twitter buzzing about a new theory every week.
And then there’s the way this show handles a female character being thrust, unwillingly, into the public eye. She-Hulk shines a spotlight on the way women are treated and what they deal with on a daily basis in a way that makes Jennifer even more likable and relatable for a major piece of the audience that will be watching. And yet, it manages to do so without ever losing the humor or diminishing the message.
Another aspect of this show worth noting is the lack of a true villain. This stems from the unique nature of the show (again, it’s a comedy) but it’s odd for fans to not know what big bad our new hero will be facing off against. Instead, what we get is a variety of characters who provide plenty of chaos for She-Hulk to deal with on a weekly basis. However, it’s still Marvel. There may be some surprises lurking in the shadows.
Overall, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is a wildly hilarious and fun comedy that still offers plenty of what makes Marvel Marvel. As a standalone show, it would unquestionably be a huge hit and one of the most popular new shows of the year. However, with so many fans coming into each and every Marvel project with a specific idea of exactly what they want to see, there’s no telling how some will react to such a unique new series. If you go into the series expecting maybe the funnest Marvel project to date and some cameos from fan-favorite characters, you will absolutely not be disappointed.
Marvel’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law debuts Thursday, August 18th on Disney+.