She-Hulk Writer Reveals Why Marvel Changed Jen's Comic-Accurate Origin Story
Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany) is now officially in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, after Marvel fans were treated to the first episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law last week. The live-action series has taken some unique steps to bring Jen's origin story to life, including tweaking the inciting incident that gives her superpowers in the first place. Instead of adapting the story from Savage She-Hulk #1, which sees her being shot in a mob hit from Nicholas Trask and needing to get a blood transfusion from her cousin, Bruce Banner / Hulk, the show decides to have Jen accidentally get exposed to Bruce's blood during a car accident. In a recent interview with Inverse, She-Hulk head writer Jessica Gao addressed why that change was made, and revealed that the higher-ups at Marvel did not think it "vibed with" the tone of the rest of the show.
"There were a couple of reasons for making the changes," Gao explained. "The heads of Marvel specifically didn't want to do a mob hit. I think it was because it didn't feel like it vibed with the show."
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law follows Jennifer Walters as she navigates the complicated life of a single, 30-something attorney who also happens to be a green 6-foot-7-inch superpowered hulk. The nine-episode series welcomes a host of MCU vets, including Mark Ruffalo as Hulk, Tim Roth as Abomination, Charlie Cox as Daredevil, and Benedict Wong as Wong. The cast also includes Ginger Gonzaga as Nikki Ramos, Josh Segarra as Augustus "Pug" Pugliese, Jon Bass as Todd, and Renée Elise Goldsberry as Mallory Book. Executive producers are Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Kat Coiro and Jessica Gao. Co-executive producers are Wendy Jacobson and Jennifer Booth.
"I'm really excited for Marvel to have a true half-hour comedy and really lean in to a comedy format," Gao explained in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "Everybody loves the big spectacle – all the action operating at a level that you don't see anywhere else – but what's special about TV is that you have the time and the space to really just live with a character and see everyday life. I want to know what's happening on a Tuesday when the world isn't in danger. What happens when a 6-foot-7 green woman has to buy a business suit for court?"
What did you think of the first episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law? What do you think of the change to her origin story? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
New episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law will debut Thursdays exclusively on Disney+. If you haven't checked out Disney+ yet and you want to give it a go, you can do that here.
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