She-Hulk: Attorney at Law managed to muster criticism and outrage before its first episode had even been released, and now episode one is up, and the boycotters are out in force. Because those always work.
In what could go down into the annals of internet history for the most unhinged and bizarre rant over something inconsequential, a Facebook page dedicated to advocating awareness for domestic violence against men has posted a lengthy text wall blaming “feminism” in She-Hulk for their boycott.
She-Hulk’s first episode has a few passing sassy comments from Jennifer Walters explaining how she’s able to deal so well with the ‘hulkification’ which are almost entirely played for laughs. Because it is indeed a comedy series, and not a serious drama dealing with the perceived “wrongs” of feminism.
There’s a clear pattern emerging with each blockbuster series that has a confident female lead at the forefront. Men on the internet complain uncontrollably about apparent sexism, characters being Mary Sues, and eventually something about sinister cultural engineering. It happened with Ms. Marvel, it happened with Prey, and it happened with the Star Wars sequels.
Very little has changed in the nerd landscape when it comes to women: this same level of outrage wasn’t seen during male-led series like Moon Knight, Hawkeye, or Falcon and the Winter Soldier. There’s a depressing theme emerging, and it suggests that sections of the supposed Marvel fanbase and audience aren’t as egalitarian as they’d like to claim.
At least nobody is complaining about how goddamn horny the series is because that’s a universal common denominator.
She-Hulk is the first Marvel Cinematic Universe property to break the fourth wall, with Tatiana Maslany’s role beating fan-favorite Deadpool to the punch. Considering the high amount of cameos, who’s to say Deadpool won’t pop up?
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is currently streaming on Disney Plus.