The Marvel Cinematic Universe has never been a stranger to comedy, which is probably why She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, the latest episodic series to come out of Marvel Studios, is finding itself slotting so effortlessly into the franchise. Indeed, for what new avenues the show is exploring as a half-hour, sitcom-esque romp in the life of lawyer/superhero Jennifer Walters, it doesn’t seem like a single note is out of place even in the scope of the canon.
You could attribute this to the many nudges, references, and setups we’ve gotten at the outset of She-Hulk‘s nine-episode plight, but regardless, it still manages to be a big, green breath of fresh air.
At this point, too, it’s pretty common knowledge that Marvel films and shows have a sizable amount of improv going on in front of the cameras, and She-Hulk is no exception. These liberties, however, are made all the more prominent thanks to the show’s comedy angle, particularly in the post-credits scenes, which don’t carry the same setup expectations as its more serious counterparts, allowing the actors to have even more fun with their characters.
Showrunner Jessica Gao was all too happy to point this out in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, also divulging how the nuances of working with Marvel often played into the space the actors had to improvise.
“So many of them came organically, and from watching the actors interact with each other. Part of comedy is allowing actors to play and leaving room for improvisation, which can be really hard when you’re dealing with such a technically heavy show, so any opportunity we saw to let people play and go off book, we would grab it. What’s cool about Marvel is there’s so much exploration and a lot of that happens on set and in post-[production]. It was a constantly evolving process.”
The first two episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law are currently streaming on Disney Plus. New episodes will release every Thursday until Oct. 13.