She-Hulk on Disney+: 8 Facts You Should Know Before Watching The Series UPDATED

ComicsTVComedy

May 20

Don’t Know Much About the Green Giantess? Let’s Bring You up to Speed.

The first trailer has posted for the MCU series starring gamma-irradiated She-Hulk: Attorney at Law for Disney’s streaming service Disney+. Scroll down to watch the trailer, and then scroll further down for info about the character’s origins, background from the comics, and what to expect.

She-Hulk has been around more than 40 years—her first appearance is cover-dated February 1980, which means it was on newsstands in late 1979—but she’s not as well-known as the Hulk. Once you get to know her, you’ll realize she is a very cool character of her own, and if they do right by her in the series, it can be a lot of fun.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, an Original series from Marvel Studios, starts streaming August 17 on Disney+.

Some of this article was originally published when the show was announced in 2020.

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All About She-Hulk

Developed by Jessica Gao, Disney+’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law stars Tatiana Maslany, Mark Ruffalo, Tim Roth, Jameela Jamil, Ginger Gonzaga, and Renée Elise Goldsberry. The show has been scheduled to go live August 17. As we wait for the show, here are eight facts about the She-Hulk to help you get to know her better.

01 She-Hulk Was Created By Marvel Before Universal Could Claim Her

She-Hulk was created in 1980 by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema. She-Hulk was one of the last characters that Stan Lee created or co-created for Marvel, where he had co-created so many others—including Spider-Man, the Hulk, the Avengers, the X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, Doctor Strange, Daredevil, the Fantastic Four, and a whole bunch more.

The reason they created She-Hulk was essentially because of the television show The Bionic Woman. See, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, The Incredible Hulk TV series was a big success right after a successful run from The Six Million Dollar Man—and both shows were made by the same producers at Universal. Well, those producers and that studio had created a female-led spin-off of The Six Million Dollar Man titled The Bionic Woman. Afraid that Universal might try the same stunt for a Hulk spin-off, Marvel wanted to stake their claim first. Mostly because if Universal made the spin-off, they would share ownership rights (if not own the character altogether).

Consequently, Marvel Comics created their own female counterpart to the Hulk in the comic book The Savage She-Hulk #1, which had a cover date of February 1980.

02 She-Hulk Is The Hulk’s Cousin

In her origin story—courtesy Savage She-Hulk #1—we meet Jennifer Walters, the meek, petite daughter of a Los Angeles County sheriff. Jen is the also the cousin of Bruce Banner, whose house Jen would visit as a child. To help her cousin escape from his father’s abuse, they’d spend hours in a public library.

03 She-Hulk Got Her Powers From A Blood Transfusion

When a crime boss who’d crossed paths with her father shoots Jennifer, her life is saved by a blood transfusion from her cousin Bruce Banner—who also happens to be The Hulk. When the mobsters try a second time to kill Jen, she discovers that thanks to her now gamma-irradiated blood, she can transform into the She-Hulk.

04 She-Hulk Is Not (Always) So Savage

In her early appearances, She-Hulk is a rage monster like her cousin. However, one thing that differentiates her is that she was eventually able to maintain her personality even after she hulked-out. Because she felt more confidence in her She-Hulk form, there was even a point where she loved being She-Hulk more than regular Jennifer Walters. Over tiem, she came to appreciate each of her dual personas.

05 She-Hulk Is A Lawyer

Jennifer Walters has a degree in law—and since she retains her personality as She-Hulk, that means She-Hulk is a lawyer. She once worked for the law firm Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg, and Holliway, named after comic legends Martin Goodman (Marvel’s first publisher), Stan Lee (whose original last name was Lieber), and Jack Kirby (who was born Jacob Kurtzberg). In case you don’t already know, Stan Lee and JAck Kirby are two of the most important creators in the history of Marvel—they co-created the Hulk, the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and more. The fourth name refers to Holden Holliway, the character who hired her to work at the firm. Later, Jen opened her own law firm. Over the years, Jen has worked on legal cases that could only happen in the Marvel universe, with clients including Spider-Man, Captain America, Howard the Duck, and Morbius The Living Vampire. Speaking of whom, there was a Morbius movie. We talked about it here: Morbius: 13 Connections to Marvel Comics

06 She-Hulk Is a Team Player

Over the years, She-Hulk has been a recurring member of the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and the A-Force. Back in the 1980s, she became a recurring member of the Avengers—and has fought alongside them several times in the decades since. Also around that time, Fantastic Four member Ben Grimm AKA The Thing left the team and She-Hulk was his replacement for several issues. In fact, this is when John Byrne first wrote and drew her character—and later went to create a standalone graphic novel starring her, and then her comic book series Sensational She-Hulk. In more recent years, Jen was the leader of an all-female spin-off of the Avengers, titled A-Force. That group included as members Captain Marvel, Dazzler, Medusa, and others.

07 She-Hulk Knows You’re There in the Audience

At various times over the years—depending on the particular comic you’re reading—She-Hulk has the uncanny ability to break the fourth wall. She knows she’s in a comic book. This facet was especially present during her comic book series Sensational She-Hulk, which was written and drawn for many issues by John Byrne. While other Marvel characters have followed suit in the years since, She-Hulk did it first, even before Deadpool. I remember one particular moment where she’s trapped in a room and she rips through the wall, which is actually the comics page—and when you turn the page there are these advertisements and she and her companions are racing across the ad to escape to the next page.

08 Disney+ Is Not The First Time Marvel Tried To Bring She-Hulk To Life

Despite appearances in cartoons—including 1996’s The Incredible Hulk, 2003’s Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes, and 2013’s Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.—She-Hulk has never appeared in live-action. Back in 1989, there was talk of her appearing in a TV movie with Lou Ferrigno’s Hulk, but it never happened. Marvel Comics, at that time nowhere near as successful with live action as they are today, tried to convince studios of the character’s viability with photos of actress Brigitte Nielson made up as She-Hulk. But they couldn’t pique any interest from investors, so nothing came of it.

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT SHE-HULK ON DISNEY+

Marvel’s Kevin Feige promises that She-Hulk and the series characters have the potential to make it to the big screen in future Marvel movies. Will she get to serve as legal counsel for any of the movie characters? Will she get to share the screen with the Avengers or even the Fantastic Four? All that remains to be seen.

At a December 2020 Disney Investor Day presentation, Feige announced that She-Hulk will be a half-hour legal comedy starring Tatiana Maslany and directed by Kat Coiro and Anu Valia. The MCU’s Mark Ruffalo will appear as Bruce Banner and Tim Roth will return as the villain Abomination.

We’re excited about the possibilities of the Disney+ series. And we look forward to how the MCU will introduce She-Hulk to the public at large.

She-Hulk Might Break The Fourth Wall

The 10-episode miniseries, scheduled to hit Disney’s streaming service in 2022, will be a “half-hour legal comedy” that will follow the legal career of Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany). Executive producer Kevin Feige said John Byrne’s more comedic take on the character will be a major influence—which, according to The Direct, means the series will routinely break the fourth wall, as seen in the comic book during Byrne’s run.

Jessica Gao is an American television writer and producer. She is best known for her work in the third season of Rick and Morty, writing the episode "Pickle Rick". Gao has also written for numerous shows, including Silicon Valley, Robot Chicken, The Mighty B!, Back at the Barnyard, Star Wars: Detours, and Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness.

Tatiana Maslany stars as Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk. A lawyer who specializes in cases involving superhumans, she can become a large, powerful, green-hued version of herself, similar to how her cousin, Bruce Banner, becomes the Hulk. Tatiana Maslany is a Canadian actress best known for playing multiple characters in the science fiction thriller television series Orphan Black (2013–2017), which won her a Primetime Emmy Award (2016), a TCA Award (2013), two Critics' Choice Awards (2013 and 2014), and five Canadian Screen Awards (2014–18). Maslany is the first Canadian to win an Emmy in a major dramatic category for acting in a Canadian series.

Mark Ruffalo appears as Bruce Banner / Hulk, an Avenger and genius scientist who gained superhuman strength and durability after experimenting with gamma radiation. Mark Ruffalo's film work includes the drama You Can Count On Me (2000), the romantic comedies 13 Going on 30 (2004) and Just like Heaven (2005), and the thrillers Zodiac (2007) and Shutter Island (2010). In 2019, Ruffalo starred in and co-produced Dark Waters. He has played Bruce Banner / Hulk in several Marvel films, including The Avengers (2012), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019).

Tim Roth appears as Emil Blonsky / Abomination, the Russian counterpart to the Hulk. An English actor and director, Tim Roth has performed in several productions, gaining attention for his performances in The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989), Vincent & Theo (1990) and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990).

Ginger Gonzaga is cast in She-Hulk as the best friend of Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk. A comedian and actress, Ginger Gonzaga hosted Hulu's comedic daily pop culture recap show The Morning After. She was a regular on ABC's Mixology, and has appeared in numerous other television shows, including Space Force, Togetherness, I'm Dying Up Here, Wrecked, Kidding, Room 104, and Paul Rudd’s Living with Yourself.

Renée Elise Goldsberry is cast as a character named Amelia. Renée Elise Goldsberry is an actress, singer and songwriter, known for originating the role of Angelica Schuyler in the Broadway musical Hamilton, for which she won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She has portrayed many roles on television, including Geneva Pine on The Good Wife, and Evangeline Williamson on One Life to Live, for which she received two Daytime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

Jameela Jamil has been cast in the role of the villain Titania. According to Variety, the British actress who starred in The Good Place will play Titania. The character, created in 1984 by Marvel Comics’ former editor-in-chief Jim Shooter and artist Mike Zeck was a scrawny woman transformed by Doctor Doom into a tall, muscular, powerful woman with super strength. She later became a frequent rival of She-Hulk's.