She-Hulk: Attorney at Law has been smashing through one headline after another as Jennifer Walter’s origin story gears up for an exciting release on Disney Plus. In addition to the thrilling storylines, the show has promised to deliver several cameos from other superheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Unfortunately, it turns out our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man won’t be among those happy bunch.
Unlike some of the Marvel shows on Disney Plus, She Hulk:Attorney at Law is not shying away from featuring cameos of other superheroes. When the first full length trailer of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law released, we saw not only the return of Tim Roth’s Abomination from The Incredible Hulk and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, but also the return of Charlie Cox’s Daredevil. In a subsequent television promo, we also saw the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth-616, Wong.
Yet, if you were to ask the writers of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law which superhero they most wanted on the show, they would have said Spider-Man. The character, after all, popped up several times in the She-Hulk comics.
So, why isn’t Spider-Man allowed to be in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law?
Well, for starters it wasn’t for lack of trying.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law series creator Jessica Gao told The Direct that Spider-Man’s absence, as well as that of other characters from the comic books, was due to a rights issue.
“There were a lot of characters from the comics– we wanted a lot of the comics for characters for fun situations where we could bring in like a character and think of like funny reasons why they would be in legal trouble. But there were a lot of characters that were from the comics that we couldn’t use either because of a rights issue, or there were a few times where it was because Marvel… all they would say is that they had other plans. And that’s all they would tell us. And then, we tried very, very hard to poke, and prod, and get a little bit more information. Of course, they wouldn’t tell us.”
Gao said that there were “so many Spider-Man fans” in the writing room, so his absence from the show wasn’t only a bummer for the fans, but also the creators as well.
Aside from legal hurdles, there is also the issue of plausibility; the last time fans saw Spider-Man, in No Way Home, all memory of Peter Parker as Spider-Man was wiped from the world’s mind. The weight of that developing story is a heavy responsibility for the Disney Plus show to bear, especially as we explore Jennifer Walters’ origin story for the first time.
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man is still dangling upside down in limbo as Marvel decides what to do with the character. As much as it’d be a joy to see him in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, we’re glad the character is getting the time and attention he deserves to have a proper storyline fleshed out, if or when the time comes.
You can catch all new episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law — sans Spider-Man — when it premieres on Disney Plus starting Aug. 18.
