The Disney+ series focuses on Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) after she is granted super powers through an accident involving her cousin, Bruce Banner aka The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). But being a six foot seven inch, super strong female lawyer is apparently harder than it looks. And not just in the story itself, but also in reality. The show has been targeted by toxic fans, from its CGI to the supposed woke narrative. What elements from the last episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law triggered the toxic reactions this time? Check out the details below.
Mary Sue
In the third episode titled “The People vs. Emil Blonsky”, one particular scene made a direct pun at the misogyny some fans have leveled at the show.
— She-Hulk (@SheHulkOfficial) September 2, 2022 The scene in question features a montage of males in the world of She-Hulk. These said males were reacting negatively, pointing out how She-Hulk is just a female copycat of The Hulk. The reactions range from emasculating the original male version to sexual innuendo on how attractive the title character is. This scene is a not-so-subtle jab at the fanboys who do the same in real life, posting on social media on how She-Hulk is a “Mary Sue”. However, the MCU show makes no excuses for its themes of female empowerment, which is entirely consistent with the character’s comic book origins. While She-Hulk began as simply a way to secure the trademark of a female version of the original male character (similar to how Spider-Woman was created), She-Hulk has since come into her own. The evolution particularly came during John Byrne’s take on the character in the Avengers, Fantastic Four, and her own comic book in the 1980s.
The Wrecking Crew
The episode also featured the first appearance of The Wrecking Crew. In the comic books, the group is comprised of super-strong mercenaries led by The Wrecker. Empowered by Loki’s Asgardian magic, the other members of The Wrecking Crew include Bulldozer, Piledriver, and Thunderball. On the other hand, the live action version of the group seems to be little more than thugs. The group is hired by an unnamed boss to steal Jennifer Walters’s DNA, which Bruce Banner says is even more valuable than his own gamma-irradiated blood. And unlike their comic book counterparts who look like bodybuilders with colorful costumes, the show’s versions are far more pedestrian with street clothes. Some comic book fans have pointed out that this is another indication of how males are being presented unfairly in the show. Whereas the comic book versions of the group were simple-minded but larger than life, the live action version are little more than ruffians. They do retain the Asgardian connection, as their enchanted weapons were apparently from construction workers in New Asgard. While the boss is never specifically mentioned, there is speculation that it may be Samuel Sterns aka The Leader. With Tim Ross reprising his role as Emil Blonsky/The Abomination from the 2008 film, it is possible that Tim Blake Nelson will be revealed in the role at a later episode.
Twerking with Megan Thee Stallion
Perhaps the part of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law episode 3 that drew the most biting and frequent negative reactions is the twerking scene. The episode had ended with a post-credit scene with guest star Megan Thee Stallion. The rap artist was presented as playing herself, whose appearance an Asgardian shapeshifter was apparently using to get favors. In the end, she winds up hiring She-Hulk to be her legal counsel and the two celebrate by twerking together. The scene was apparently added as co-star Jameela Jamil (who plays Titania) is a fan of Stallion. Some vocal fanboys have denounced this scene as inappropriate and further turns the Marvel Cinematic Universe into a parody of what it once was. Plus, a number of these reactions point out that they cannot take the show seriously after this twerking scene. But this self-awareness is entirely in line with She-Hulk’s comic book counterpart, particularly with breaking the fourth wall. Moreover, this is not the first time an MCU live action character has been shown as doing a self-mocking dance out of the blue. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) did a drunken dance in Iron Man 2 (2010) and Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) challenged Ronan (Lee Pace) to a dance-off in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), for example. Despite the toxic reactions to She-Hulk and the review bombing on IMDB, the show is enjoying a solid viewership. On its debut, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law already outperformed the previous numbers of the previous Disney+ MCU series Ms. Marvel.
— Samba TV (@samba_tv) August 24, 2022 New episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law air on Thursdays at the Disney+ streaming service.
