She-Hulk: Attorney at Law has released its first episode and mostly quelled the storm of complaints about CGI and the rumors that production on the Marvel comedy series was “a mess.” However, there are still some fans who are familiar with She-Hulk’s comic book stories that have noted the changes made to the character and particularly how Jennifer Walters becomes She-Hulk in the first place. Now head writer Jessica Gao has addressed why Marvel felt it necessary to alter the way in which Jennifer gains her Hulk powers.
In the comic books, Jennifer Walters becomes She-Hulk after being shot in a mob hit and receiving a blood transfusion from her cousin, who happens to be Bruce Banner. The Hulk blood then mixes with her own, seeing her “Hulk out” in her own way. In the first episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Jennifer comes by her powers in a slightly different way. While out driving with Bruce, Jennifer is forced off the road by the sudden appearance of a spaceship and following the crash, is exposed to Bruce’s blood. The blood works its way into Jennifer’s system through her own cuts and scrapes, and this leads her to become She-Hulk. According to Gao, the change came about as someone at the top didn’t think the mob hit storyline worked with the comedy premise of the show. She told Inverse:
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“There were a couple of reasons for making the changes. The heads of Marvel specifically didn’t want to do a mob hit. I think it was because it didn’t feel like it vibed with the show.”
She-Hulk is a Solid Series Despite Being Review Bombed
Marvel Studios / Disney
While many people have stopped reading too much until online reviews, She-Hulk has taken quite a beating on several review sites. IMDb sees the movie rating as low as 5.4/10, while Rotten Tomatoes’ consensus is a solid 83% approval rate from critics, with audience scores coming in a little lower at 71%. Over on Google reviews, the series’ opening episode scrapes a 2.8 out of 5 and is a good read for comedy reviews describing the Emoji Movie and crossover scenes with Batman, none of which have any bearing on the series itself.
All in all, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is far from Marvel’s most serious offering, but coming after Thor: Love and Thunder’s at times over-the-top comedic approach, it feels more in line with the kind of one-liner Marvel humor that has served the franchise well this far. How the scores change as the series continues is something that we can only wait and see. For now, though, it seems that much of the initial noise about CGI issues have been mostly put to bed, and if you avoid the reviews that clearly just have an ax to grind with whichever show or movie takes their fancy, then it seems that She-Hulk is worth putting in the time for. The series premiere is available now on Disney+, and new episodes arrive each Friday.
