In the run-up to its release later this month, much has been made of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law being a wacky comedy, with the trailers emphasizing Jennifer Walters’ knack for quippy banter and fourth-wall breaking antics (your job’s been filled, Deadpool). But while the show is being categorized as a legal-flavored sitcom, She-Hulk has more on its mind than just yucks, as star Tatiana Maslany has promised in a new interview.
While speaking to USA TODAY, who also just unveiled our first clip from the series, Maslany teased how She-Hulk will examine societal views on the female form, and the various thorny issues that entails. The Orphan Black actress made clear that this will lead to a lot of “interesting nuance” in the depiction of her titular character. As Maslany said:
“There’s something about the duality of a woman occupying two different bodies. Culturally, we’re so obsessed with women’s bodies in terms of control, projection, ownership, aesthetic, all of this stuff. Exploring that feels very prescient, and (it’s) very rife with interesting nuance.”
To recap, Maslany is playing Jennifer Walters, the lawyer cousin of Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo, in a key supporting role), who ends up as a Jade Giant herself thanks to accidental exposure to Bruce’s blood. The trailers have made clear that Jen will become something of a celebrity thanks to her new look, a development that she seems both to struggle with — as it interferes with her day-job — but also kind of embraces.
Going by the star’s comments, though, the series will also dig a little deeper than that into how the world is reacting to Jen’s She-Hulk form and no doubt how the heroine herself feels about that, too. It’s possible the character of Titania, as played by The Good Place‘s Jameela Jamil, will also tie into these themes. The super-strong supervillain from the comics has been reimagined as a vain influencer for the MCU.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law makes its case on Disney Plus come Aug. 17.
