She-Hulk: Attorney At Law is the most self-aware Marvel series. With hilarious quips and answers to the burning MCU questions, it is a must watch. This review is based solely off of the first four episodes of She-Hulk.
Marvel President Kevin Feige explained to fans that every Marvel Cinematic Show will be a different genre — at least to kick things off. This has been true so far, and She-Hulk: Attorney At Law embodies the comedy of a sitcom, something we haven’t truly seen in the MCU yet.
Jennifer Walters, played by Tatiana Maslany, describes the show herself as a lawyer show, which isn’t exactly wrong. But don’t go into it expecting series Law and Order vibes because that is not at all what you will get. It is more like Crazy Ex Girlfriend, Modern Family, and The Office — complete with perfectly times fourth wall breaking.
The best part about She-Hulk is how self aware it is. This series is unafraid to make fun of itself, and the MCU as a whole. It is painfully aware of its issues, and the questions that have been raised on social media by fans — and it does its best to answer those questions.
Just in the first four episodes alone, several burning MCU questions have been addressed and answered in ways that actually make sense. If Marvel continues this trend, the majority of MCU loopholes will be a thing of the past. Any time someone brings one up on twitter, they can be directed to the hilarious explanation that Marvel themselves gave.
Speaking of hilarious, that is the best way to describe this series. As someone who went into it with low expectations, this critic almost instantly became a big fan of the show. Right from the start it was clear this is a comedy, and Marvel is ready and willing to poke fun at themselves while exploring a new character to the MCU.
There are some eye-rolling moments, but not many, as most of the jokes land — especially for women in the their 30s who understand exactly what Jen is going through. Well, almost exactly. Not many people turn into a Hulk.
The beauty of this series is that is gives viewers a peek behind the curtain as it explores the mundane day-to-day life of superheroes. There are times when we see She-Hulk in action, but more often than not this show focuses on her dating life, her career path (the non-superhero one), and her relationships with her family and friends. For example, while having dinner at her parents house there is an almost painful conversation that most people will be able to relate to.
One of the best things about this show is the time we see spent with her best friend, Nikki Ramos (played Ginger Gonzaga). There aren’t enough series that portray a positive relationship between two women. Jen and Nikki are clearly the type of ride or die friends that would do anything for each other. Witnessing how Nikki is unafraid to challenge Jen and push her out of comfort zone, while at the same time practicing self care. They are squad goals, for sure.
As seen in the trailer for She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, there are going to be quite a bit of Marvel cameos. From Hulk to Abomination to Daredevil, this series is not playing around. While this might sound like it is purely there for fan service, trust us when we say this works — like REALLY works — with a show like this. Each time a popular character shows up, at least in the first four episodes, it makes sense.
There is a rhyme and reason to it, without question. And since they are there anyways, the series takes advantage of this time to respond to any burning MCU questions that might fans might be wondering about. Like how Abomination ended up in an underground fighting ring in Shang-Chi or why Hulk’s arm suddenly healed.
The breaking of the fourth wall is something that Jennifer Walters does in the comics, and did before Deadpool ever did for those who are wondering, so of course it needed to be a part of She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. The way it is done adds a new element to the MCU show than we have seen before. It channels comedic series like Modern Family and delivers a lot of the comedic relief.
The only real issue in the series is the CGI. It is far better than fans saw in the initial teaser trailer but it still is not perfect. However humans are hard — especially big giant green ones. She-Hulk, and Smart Hulk too, for that matter, look more animated than anything else. The end credit scene (they close out every episode so far) in episode two is the worst offense of this. The scene itself is funny, but the look of She-Hulk during it is quite jarring. Still, once you see past that, which is easier to do the longer it goes on, there isn’t any real flaw.
That being said there will be people who do not like this show. There will be men who aren’t comfortable with a strong female lead, especially one who has something to say about the way she is treated by some men. Certainly those who prefer a more serious Marvel Cinematic Universe will have something to add as well. There isn’t a whole ton of action in this show, at least not in what we have seen so far, but it is there, and it is pretty cool, but it’s not at the forefront. Not by any means.
Overall, She-Hulk: Attorney At Law is fun and quirky. It is a comedy series about a woman in her 30s who is extremely career driven and because of that her personal life has suffered. Suddenly she finds herself with the ability to transform into a Hulk and her life gets harder. Now she must navigate through it while doing the right thing, even though she doesn’t care to be a superhero at all.
It’s packed with cameos that aren’t afraid to address the things that haven’t made the most sense in the MCU. This series is self-aware, self-deprecating, and unlike anything fans have seen from Marvel before.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
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About She-Hulk
In Marvel Studios’ “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,” Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany)—an attorney specializing in superhuman-oriented legal cases—must navigate the complicated life of a single, 30-something who also happens to be a green 6-foot-7-inch superpowered hulk.
The nine-episode comedy series welcomes a host of MCU vets, including Mark Ruffalo as Smart Hulk, Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky/the Abomination, and Benedict Wong as Wong, as well as Jameela Jamil, Josh Segarra, Ginger Gonzaga, Jon Bass and Renée Elise Goldsberry.
The series is directed by Kat Coiro (Episodes 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9) and Anu Valia (Episodes 5, 6, 7) with Jessica Gao as head writer. Executive producers are Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Kat Coiro and Jessica Gao.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law streams exclusively on Disney+ beginning August 18, 2022.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.