She-Hulk Star Tatiana Maslany Was Initially Nervous About Joining Marvel

After Ms. Marvel and Thor: Love and Thunder made their MCU debuts, the next live-action project on the horizon is She-Hulk: Attorney at Law for Disney+. She-Hulk, which stars Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer Walters, has been described as a legal comedy in which an ordinary lawyer is tasked with defending superheroes in court while also dealing with her own smashing transformation.

Maslany, of course, will not be alone. Mark Ruffalo's Hulk, Tim Roth's Abomination, Jameela Jamil as the villainous Titania, and a number of rumoured cameos, including Daredevil, will join her.

However, in the run-up to its August 17 release, the conversation surrounding She-Hulk has been, to say the least, interesting. Aside from the backlash over She-CGI, Hulk's some were taken aback by the content and tone of the Disney+ show's trailer, implying that this MCU Disney+ series will be unlike any other.

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Surprisingly, She-irreverence, Hulk's and how it relates to the issues her character will face, is what drew the series' leading lady in and helped calm her nerves about joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Why Tatiana Maslany Was “Nervous” About the MCU

Tatiana Maslany, the star of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, revealed to SFX Magazine why she was nervous about joining the MCU and what convinced her to take the role. She-Hulk was Maslany's first MCU audition, and because it was held "over Zoom," she didn't know "who all was present:"

"This was the first real [one], and it was done over Zoom, so I don't even know who was there." But I was able to sit down and talk with Kevin [Feige] after I was cast."

Maslany explained that her reservations about joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe stemmed from her preference for "character over everything," and she "just didn't know how much of that would exist in bigger projects:"

“I’ve always sort of been nervous to step into a world like this because I prize character over everything, and I just didn’t know how much that would exist in bigger projects. But when I read the pilot, this was such an unexpected take on a superhero story. It’s so human. There’s really great explorations of the mundanity of life, in really great ways. And also, it’s speaking to something that I’m really interested in, which is when you suddenly start getting seen as something; then you’re seen as one thing, and you become commodified as that thing. What this show does, but in a funny and unexpected way, is deal with this idea.”

According to what the MCU faithful have seen so far of She-Hulk, Maslany will be playing two characters: Jennifer Walters and She-Hulk. And, like Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner, her character will have to deal with not only new abilities, but also a new persona and how the world reacts to it:

“How do you own the wholeness of what your body is when something has happened to you; or you are suddenly seen so differently; or there’s an expectation on you to behave a certain way because of how you look? There’s all these undertones that I find really compelling in the subtext of this sort of story. Also, what is the expectation on a female superhero versus a male superhero? It’s incredibly different.”

When asked if Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige did anything to address her concerns, the actress revealed that it was him who enlisted the help of Rick and Morty and Silicon Valley's "Jessica Gao to write the script:"

"He got Jessica Gao to write the script; her pitch was the one that drew him in." It's so irreverent, so risky, fun, and funny. That, I believe, was a significant indicator for me. But, when you talk to Kevin, he comes across as a big nerd. He enjoys movies, is intrigued by storytelling, and is eager to try new things."

Is She-Hulk a comedy, a parody, or both?

Joining the MCU is understandably intimidating given its prominence and extremely passionate fan base. Maslany, on the other hand, had nothing to worry about when it came to "character over everything" in "bigger projects."

Character has always been the primary focus of any MCU project, beginning with 2008's Iron Man, and is arguably even more so today, as most Marvel Studios' Disney+ series have been character studies.

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It's interesting to hear from Maslany about where She-humor Hulk's comes from and what purpose it serves in these statements. While fans will have to wait and see what this show has in store for them, it appears that the MCU's first legal comedy will also be a commentary on how the public tries to shape one's identity and, as the actress puts it, "what is the expectation on a female superhero versus a male superhero?"

She-Hulk will premiere on Disney+ on August 18.