Marvel has been quite the roller coaster (no Martin Scorsese Pun intended) in terms of quality. Some of the projects have been very good while some of them have felt paint by numbers and generic. I should probably preface the review by stating that I grew up with Marvel and I was fully on the MCU train until Endgame. I was one of those people who felt like Endgame was the perfect climax and it should have ended there. We have finally finished Phase 4 of the MCU and there were some pretty quality titles that came out of it. Eternals is the gold standard now for Marvel films as it was able to take the MCU formula and make it feel like a fresh art film (akin to 2001: A Space Odyssey) and that’s all thanks to Chloe Zhao. I don’t entirely hate the MCU, but i’m not a huge fan of the projects that feel like they lack artistic touch and they are just trying to be the same as before. My favourite recent projects have been the ones that tried new things and felt like they were experimenting. Wandavision and more specifically Loki are two of the most loved recent projects that have done that, but those aren’t my favourite of the phase.
She Hulk has been the ire of many Marvel purists for many easily to guess reasons. The show goes against the grain and does whatever the hell it feels like doing. It covers topics that many of these bros in the community couldn’t begin to relate to. It’s simply a show that decided to shift the focus of the content towards a democratic that is shockingly not a priority for many of the other projects, that demographic being women. The show told stories that dug deep on the way that women are treated in modern day, not just in real life but also in the nerd and geek communities like the Marvel fanbase while also taking a jab at some choices and patterns that the MCU has fell into that many have pointed out. The show has a very introspective gaze while also talking about some overarching concepts that need to be discussed in these mediums since blockbuster franchises have become the biggest selling format of entertainment. She Hulk is a bold show that pushes peoples buttons on purpose and I fucking love it.
The show follows Jen Walters as she tries to deal with her life after being accidentally turned into a hulk after a disastrous night. She spends the season juggling her job as a lawyer, her personal life while also keeping her hulk elements in check. The week by week plots are very similar to other court comedies like Ally Mcbeal. She will deal with a case or an incident every episode while also having some overarching concepts that play out throughout the entire season. These include such things as dating, going to social events, and dealing with her ever-changing moods. Those are the surface level concepts, and there are some more deeper elements that they play around with that are the ones that pissed off some people. The show discusses misogyny in a huge way and it’s examined inside and outside the fandom. There are specific plot points and scenes that are directly referencing things that would be found on social media. There is an episode that shows comments that social media is making about Jen’s new hulk form and they pulled it directly from Twitter. There’s also a Villain arc in the show that is a direct reference for the toxic male circles of fans found on reddit and twitter. The show is so expertly crafted that they expected everything that these people would say on social media and directly placed it into the show.
The performance from Tatiana Maslany is standout. This is her show and she ran with it. She is super likeable and it was very fun to follow her throughout this show as she deals with the problems that are thrown at her. She is one of the elements of the current MCU that would get me to come back and watch more. If she is in any more projects I will be watching them to support my girl. The inclusion of Daredevil was also a great touch as he added a fun element to the dynamic of the story. It’s so good to see him back and having so much fun. It was also pretty great to see Jen and Matt hook up. Sometimes these relationships feel forced in these projects, but the chemistry was definitely there. I was probably also happy for her as she dealt with shitty men throughout the show and Matt Murdoch was actually good to her. Just following Jen in general as she goes through these plot lines were so much fun to do for all nine episodes of the season. I guess I also found myself relating to Jen heavily throughout the show so that added to my general enjoyment. This is the type of show that I might have not fully understood or liked as a cis man, but as a trans woman there's a layer of respect that I have for its honesty. There's a lot in this show that I wouldn't have understood years ago that I do now, and it's beautifully executed by Tatiana Maslany.
The writing is pretty smart and it incorporates some strong forth wall breaking elements. As stated before, the topics covered in the show are honest and raw. They were smart to focus a female led show on very real female concepts. There are many monologues that Jen gives and pieces of the story that are important to send out to those women and girls who need to hear them. They discuss some deep and real topics that many would be hearing about for the first time since the MCU is a very family brand. Many young girls will learn through this show about how unfair the world can be, but that shouldn’t impede anyone from finding success and happiness. There’s an aura of knowledge and acceptance that is found in this show that I find super important and i’m happy that they decided to touch on these elements.
The show culminates in an episode that is probably my favourite episode of any of these MCU shows, the finale. The episode starts out with a title sequence that is a loving homage to the original Bill Bixby show, which shows how much the creators care about the source material. The episode sees Jen finally figure out what is going on and who is trying to ruin her life and it’s some reddit dudes. The part of this episode that stands out is when she breaks out of the show and discusses her feelings about the ending and how it doesn’t live up to her expectations. She has a great dialogue with a robot that is suppose to represent Kevin Feige which is a nice touch. The show has a fantastic ending where we see Jen take control of the show and tell the story that she wants to tell.
That element of the last episode I feel is super important to why I love the show but many others hated it. The message is a very feminist one that is telling women watching the show to take control of their stories and craft their own futures. It has a very huge “take the power back” message that has pissed off racist and sexist fans for a long time. Eternals and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had these same people angry because they both had this same message. The MCU spent almost the entire first three phases focusing on white cis men superheroes and that set a precedent that many fans who don’t fit into that catalog feel alienated about. She Hulk is one of a few projects in this new Phase 4 plan that is trying to restructure the concept and bring in different and unique voices that aren’t the ones that have had all the power previously and that pisses off some of these entitled fans. I haven’t been a fan of everything that Marvel has put out and more specifically, not every project in Phase 4 have worked for me, but the ones that have are the select projects that have tried something new and gave a voice to different communities. Wandavision, Ms Marvel and Loki all played around with female perspectives similar to She Hulk. Shang Chi and Eternals most notably played with different cultures and the films that are produced in those cultures. Shang Chi was very much a Chinese martial arts film while the big message in Eternals is that the bad guy is the straight white guy with the core team being diverse and ready to fight together. All of my favourite recent projects take a unique perspective and try some experimental things while also doling out some much needed social commentary. The close minded MCU fans are hating these projects, but I am finding much to appreciate about them, and that sentiment comes to a climax with She Hulk, a great show that is completely misunderstood and was the victim of unnecessary hate and anger.
This show is important even if those who the show wasn’t made for can’t recognize. This show was made for women and girls and if anyone outside of that bubble hates it for that reason, it’s quite unfortunate. She Hulk is one of the best projects of the MCU because it tells a story that is not commonly found in this continuity from a point of view that is also not prioritized. It’s honest, it’s funny and it’s endearing for those who truly understand the importance of the series. My love goes out to the cast and crew of this show because they took a huge risk (even though it really shouldn’t be a “huge risk) and it paid off!
The Rating:
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