Marvel Studios has announced the casting of Tatiana Maslany as the title character inShe-Hulk,its forthcoming series for Disney+. Maslany previously won widespread critical acclaim, fan admiration, and a giant stack of awards for her star-making role inthe BBC America TV seriesOrphan Black,which ran from 2013 to 2017.
She-Hulkis currently slated to premiere on Disney’s streaming service at an unspecified point in 2022, and likeother Disney+ Marvel shows, is roughly planned as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s “Phase 4.” It was initially intended to have started production by now, but like so many other things this year, COVID-19 threw a wrench into the works.
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SinceOrphan Blackwrapped, Maslany has stayed busy, with roles in the Nicole Kidman noir filmDestroyerand a voice part in Guillermo del Toro’sTrollhunterson Netflix. She can currently be seen inPerry Masonon HBO.
Besides Maslany, the creative talent onShe-Hulkincludes Jessica Gao, a veteran TV writer who’s worked onSilicon Valley, Kung Fu Panda,andRobot Chicken,but may be best-known for writingthe infamous “Pickle Rick” episodeofRick and Morty. Kat Coiro, who has directed episodes ofDead to Me, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Brooklyn 99,andModern Family,is attached as executive producer, and will direct several episodes and the pilot.
She-Hulk wascreated in 1980 by Stan Leeand John Buscema, as a preemptive measure against the producers of theIncredible HulkTV show.The Six Million Dollar Manhad recently introduced the Bionic Woman, Jaime Sommers, as a distaff counterpart to Steve Austin, and Marvel was concerned thatThe Incredible Hulk’s producers might try to do the same thing. By creating a She-Hulk ahead of time, Marvel, rather than CBS, thus owned the rights. This ended up being the last character Lee would create for Marvel for the next 12 years, as he moved to California in 1981 to work on Marvel’s film and TV productions.
The new character made her debut inThe Savage She-Hulk#1, written by Lee and drawn by Buscema. She-Hulk was originally Jennifer Walters, a withdrawn and introverted attorney from California. Her father, a sheriff for the county of Los Angeles, had angered a local crime boss, who put out a hit on Jenny for revenge. Fortunately (?) for Jenny, her cousin Bruce Banner is visiting when she’s attacked, and Bruce is forced to donate blood to her to save her life. When more hitmen show up at her hospital room to finish the job, Jenny’s anger transforms her on the spot intothe super-strong She-Hulk.
Like a lot of Marvel characters, She-Hulk’s overall character has changed dramatically over the years. In her initial appearances, she really is just a female Hulk, albeit one who’s smaller and more articulate. Unlike Bruce, however, Jenny quickly gains full control over her transformation, and even grows to enjoy the benefits that it provides. Being made into a Hulk, it’s explained eventually, brings out a person’s buried personality traits. Bruce is a ball of repressed anger, sohis Hulk is pure uncontrolled rage; Jenny is strait-laced and shy, so as She-Hulk, she’s an extroverted party animal. (Come to think of it,Orphan Blackreally did prepare Maslany well for this role.)
While She-Hulk’s original solo book didn’t last long, she subsequently became a popular member of the Avengers, and later the Fantastic Four. The writer/artist onFantastic Fourduring her time on the team, John Byrne, created a second solo book for Jenny in 1989,Sensational She-Hulk,which ran for five years. The book, a cheerfully meta parody of itself, superheroes, and the comic book industry in general, was breaking the fourth wall for comic effect – at one point, Jenny rips the page she’s on so she can run across a two-page gatefold ad to safety – a full two years before Deadpool’s introduction. (And if shebeats him inMarvel vs. Capcom 3,she’s sure to mention that.)
Other details aboutShe-Hulk’s production, such as the possibility ofMark Ruffalo making an appearanceas Bruce Banner, or if it’ll be heavily meta like many of the character’s best-known comic runs, have yet to be established. It’s also unknown whether Maslany will play both Jennifer Walters and She-Hulk through the wonders of CGI, much as Ruffalo does inAvengers,or if a second, larger actress (what’s Cris Cyborg up to these days?) will be tapped to represent Jenny’s transformation.
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