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She-Hulk: Attorney At Law was an ambitious project by Marvel Studios that introduced Jennifer Walters, Bruce Banner's cousin, who, after an accident, gets Bruce's blood mixed up with her own and becomes She-Hulk.
It is a good origin for a character that is based on a slight sense of realism. However, the show quickly turns into a peddler of ideology and humor, both of which don't sit well with Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) fans.
Here are 10 ways in which She-Hulk falls under its own foundation with forced feminism. While feminism in its own right is completely plausible and is changing the paradigm as time moves on, the mini-series tried way too hard to make She-Hulk the poster child for it. As evidenced by the reception, the mini-series had a lot of things wrong with it.
Disclaimer: This article is based on the opinions of the author, which may vary from your own.
10 reasons why forced feminism caused She-Hulk's downfall
1) Bad blend of comedy and feminism
She-Hulk is definitely suffering from an identity crisis. While it has the burden of being a superhero show, it also has to deal with the legal drama aspect of things. If that is not enough, it has to be funny. As if it wasn't juggling all that, it had to provide sizable social commentary.
The mini-series is the first of its kind since most MCU content incorporates jokes but never lets that become the identity of what it is. She-Hulk has too much ambition, and somewhere in between, the feminist commentary becomes a vehicle for comedy. That's where the show shot itself in the foot.
2) Jennifer Walters is not the best feminist protagonist
Jennifer Walters cannot wait to start feminist commentary. Right from the get-go, when she comes to know that she will have to deal with becoming a Hulk-like entity for the foreseeable future, she tells The Hulk that she can handle it.
I'm great at controlling my anger. I do it all the time. When I'm catcalled in the street … When incompetent men explain my own area of expertise to me …
Not to undermine her comments, which are definitely accurate when it comes to what women deal with, she completely unloads it on the Hulk. Given how he's trying to teach her something he has unbelievably struggled with, she takes it for granted. She comes across as a narcissistic character.
The whole trajectory of the show proves that she does not, in fact, learn to master herself until the very end. Instead of redeeming herself, she argues for a happy ending instead of dealing with the situation.
3) Catharsis to no end
The MCU is based on fantasy, which is no surprise to anyone. However, the origins of almost all Marvel superheroes are based on fantasy-based externalities that change their lives for better or worse. Black Widow, Spider-Man, and Thor are perfect examples of this, and they stick to their values to struggle and transform.
In Walter's case, she is dealing with her problems in a quasi-realistic manner. However, her new powers do not bring immense challenges but opportunities. Her powers have become a means of catharsis for living in a patriarchal world, but they don't offer viewers a solution.
4) Male characters are largely stereotypical
For a show that wants to stick to the patriarchy, She-Hulk does not take up the challenge completely. We are shown almost no strong male characters. We see walking stereotypes: walking thugs, comical office acquaintances, and, worst of all, trolls. Quite frankly, these stereotypes are invisible at best and annoying at worst.
The best we get is Daredevil, who is a good guy, but even by his standards, he is significantly toned down.
5) Typically bad female characters
Walters hangs out with many female characters. Amelia, for instance, is extremely superficial. Titania is a superpowered villain, but she is a social-media influencer who would go to any lengths to...get views? Lulu is a friend who asks Walters to come to her wedding and be her bridesmaid but as herself. What does Walters do? She steals the limelight from her friend, who is perhaps handling the stress of the most important day of her life.
6) It tells but doesn't show
For a show that is hammering home the idea of feminism, She-Hulk: Attorney At Law is not even trying to address the worst aspects of a woman's perspective. From what we see, the women in the show are already doing pretty well for themselves. Do we see any depiction of disadvantaged women? We do not because the feminism of She-Hulk is a shallow one.
7) Not relatable enough to make an impact
As pointed out above, the show does not address the problems of real, disadvantaged women. Jen Walters is already a lawyer by the time we see her. Her job is challenging, however, a lucrative career path cannot be afforded by everyone.
The show is extremely selective about who it does and does not represent. That makes it feel incredibly unrelatable. Many fans especially criticized it because the writers admitted they wanted to stick it to those they knew would hate it. It stands as one of the most review-bombed shows in the MCU.
8) Anger management done wrong
She-Hulk's story, from what we see in episode 1, begins with a quest for mastery over her overpowered form. However, she quickly betrays this journey. There are many moments where She-Hulk loses control and lashes out. Destruction of property is pretty standard in MCU content, but it's usually done in response to prevent harm to others. But she lashes out often just because she can.
9) We don't know the point of She-Hulk
We've already established that She-Hulk is bad at controlling her anger and does not target the roots of patriarchy. We get to see a story that is entirely about her, which is symbolically tied to her countless 4th wall-breaking shots to address the viewer.
What is the point of her story? What are we supposed to learn from all the time we invested in learning about her? Since the show concluded, the answer is not to come in the foreseeable future.
10) It is not addressing the patriarchy systemically
This is perhaps the biggest letdown for all fans. She-Hulk is constantly fighting a war, but to no avail. Patriarchy is systemic, which means that the power centers around which most of the world revolves need to transform. But we see nothing that is directed towards these bigger forces. Instead, the story's main villain is an internet troll named Hulk-King, who wants her power for himself.
There is no critique of why the world is the way it is. There is no deconstruction of the current order through a grander lens. She-Hulk: Attorney At Law simply misses the big picture.
Final thoughts
She-Hulk is confusing, ridiculous, and at times even scary to witness. The world of the show is a very superficial place, where those who have something get to ask for more, and the have-nots find no representation or mention.
While the response from fans could have flown through with more grace, it all boils down to the show's failure to establish intent. The only redeeming quality of the show is Tatiana Maslany, who carries the show through her incredible acting. But that can only take it so far. Perhaps the character's future will address these problems and prevail in a much better light.
