Phase 4 of the MCU hasn’t exactly won over many of Marvel’s detractors. In fact, it’s even managed to turn many fans of the franchise off thanks to an overpacked schedule, some shoddy writing, and cliche conclusions to what could have been interesting concepts. One of the largest culprits of this for certain viewers of Marvel content was She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, which was noted for being a bit messy, trying to fit three or four different concepts into one show rather than providing something streamlined but more substantial in terms of character and plot. Then there was the genuinely awful CGI, an overabundance of cameos, and the lazy and overplayed element of breaking the fourth wall, which was done in a way that was, frankly, clumsy at best.
Of course, many criticisms of the show weren’t really grounded in reality, but came from the usual terminally online hordes who think any story about a woman is an abomination. And, while some She-Hulk defenders were happy to take the #GirlBoss route and ignore the show’s many flaws purely because it centered on a woman, there’s no doubt the bulk of unfair and unsubstantiated opinions about the series came from those who were keen to kill it before it even hit the air. However, with a few months of retrospection, it seems fans are more willing to talk about the parts of the show that really flourished, without fear of getting all-caps replies about how they’re pushing a woke agenda. And, as it turns out, people really did love the show.
There was always plenty to like about She-Hulk, but the most impressive thing about it was definitely the performances, especially from lead actor Tatiana Maslany, who brought plenty of depth and charm to the role of Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk, even when the script wasn’t exactly popping. And, while many thought the cameos were stuffed in, they were all highly relevant to the plot, and gave us a some great moments (most notably Patty Guggenheim as Madisynn King, who audiences absolutely adored, and Megan Thee Stallion playing herself).
It was also hilarious to see the writers make fun of the inevitable bro-hate backlash the show would get, something written in well before online reactions came out, because these types of keyboard warriors are as predictable as She-Hulk getting angry. The actual storylines were also pretty engaging, and managed to maintain that Marvel irreverence without lowering the stakes too much. And, while plenty of people would have preferred there to be more of the attorney element (given the title of the show), the cases that Walters takes on led to some pretty interesting plot points.
Is She-Hulk an all time classic? Probably not. But is it worth a watch, and at least an interesting departure from much of what made Phase 4 so stale? Definitely, and for that reason alone, it never deserved the hate it got.