We are about to end Marvel’s 4th Phase, which started two years ago. As I wrote before, this marathon, which focused on new heroes and the heroes who remained in the background for 15 years, gave us delightful characters. As much as I love Ms. Marvel, played by Iman Vellani, I can say that my new favorite character in Marvel is now She-Hulk. I will explain the reasons one by one. In my opinion, She-Hulk, criticized by men like crazy, is the most successful work after Eternals. But this series has a different structure from the others. It is based on a critique of populism rather than a character story like the others. And probably right about almost everything it criticizes.
Let’s briefly touch on the subject… Jennifer Walters, played by Tatiana Maslany, turns into She-Hulk as a result of an accident she makes on a trip with her cousin Hulk. Being a super powerful creature is the last thing she wants to be in her life because Jennifer intends to pursue a career in law. But she realizes that she can control the green monster she has become. For this reason, she thinks nothing will prevent her career, and she starts practicing as a lawyer again. But as Bruce Banner said, you can’t escape being the Hulk. Life puts her on a path where she can be both Jennifer and the Hulk simultaneously.
She-Hulk is a series that is based on criticism. The show does this by talking to the audience through Jennifer. Almost every episode of the 9-episode series is in communication with the audience. While trying to answer the questions that the audience wonders in each episode, on the one hand, it criticizes some worrying problems in Marvel. On the other hand, also criticizes the external criticisms that Marvel thinks are the problems. I loved the show’s stance on this and, most of all, its predictive ability. All the criticisms towards each published episode are answered in the next episode, revealing that the critical mass in social media is predictable. The series also receives the most significant criticism for its strong female theme.
As someone against most of the forcing projects called Woke, I can say that She-Hulk is built on excellent foundations. In particular, the show’s response to how Jennifer controlled the Hulk received a standing ovation from me. Denying the reality of the everyday problems women face daily, not accepting that many women live their lives on alert, can only be the product of a certain mind. I understand Jennifer’s anger about this and accept how correct the answer is.
The series builds its foundations on the solid woman theme and is aware that this choice will be criticized. Marvel predicted all the answers to She-Hulk and the messages they wanted to give, yet they did not hesitate to give their answers in each new episode. It made me laugh when the predictability of this critical mass was slammed in the face. It was the best critique of memorized ulterior motives in Marvel.
The series also criticizes itself. The fact that the company hired Jennifer as long as she’s only She-Hulk shows that she’s taken seriously not because of her “woman” identity but because she’s a Hulk. Again, being one of the “best female lawyers of the year” candidates is entirely due to her She-Hulk identity. Yes, the show embodies the strong woman theme, but openly admits that, in reality, Jennifer isn’t all that strong without her super-powered look. Likewise, they do not hesitate to say that some women are featured because of populism.
She-Hulk also criticizes her own way by answering some questions we are curious about. Questions such as whether Captain America is a virgin, whether superheroes receive a salary, and what Hawkeye does with his arrows are asked at small moments in the series. Marvel is aware of some bullshit in the universe it has created and has used She-Hulk to make fun of them all. Again, in the final episode, K.E.V.I.N. being shown as a robot made me laugh a lot. Being able to handle so many projects only requires being a machine. Another Marvel self-criticism was Jennifer mocking the ridiculous storyline and K.E.V.I.N admitting that She-Hulk’s CGI was expensive.
Finally, the show did a very successful job with the series of cameos. Names such as Wong, Madisynn King, Daredevil, Abomination, and Marvel writing team are well placed in the series. Considering that the show isn’t going in a straight line toward the crescendo, we can say that it does a great job with the characters coming and going. None of the grin at all. The purpose was for us to be guests in the daily life of a woman who accidentally became the Hulk. We didn’t watch a story of being a hero like in Ms. Marvel. On the contrary, the story of the daily life of the superhero I especially advocated was told.
Bottom line… She-Hulk is an experimental Marvel series. The series, in which we watch a woman who does not want to be a hero, struggles with the conditions that try to make her a hero by force, is a successful and enjoyable job that criticizes both the audience and the company that owns the series. But what makes the show the best for me is that I deliberately saved it for the end, Tatiana Maslany’s acting, and the character that was written for her. At the end of 9 episodes, I conclude that Tatiana Maslany is the new Robert Downey Jr. The most enjoyable and personal character in the new Avengers team belongs to her. Her ultra-ordinary citizen identity, combined with her ultra-exceptional superpower, makes for a fun-to-watch mess. And I want to see this mess more often.
Cast & Crew
creator: Jessica Gao
starring: Tatiana Maslany, Ginger Gonzaga, Tim Roth, Mark Ruffalo,
Benedict Wong
USA | 2022 | 9 EPISODES |