She-Hulk head writer Jessica Gao almost quit the show over a disagreement with Kevin Feige about the finale. During a stop on Comicbook.com’s Phase Zero, the executive producer revealed that she and the Marvel boss had an argument about putting a hat on K.E.V.I.N. in the last episode of the series. Fans obviously loved the little robot and the hat was a huge reason why. But, Feige wasn’t feeling it at all. Gao decided to take a stand over the small moment and joked she was ready to walk away. Her boss handled it with a touch of humor too and the creative team found a solution that worked for everyone.
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“The character comes into the real world, breaks into Marvel. You are a machine and the disbelief you can’t suspend is that there would be a baseball hat resting on top of this machine,” Gao remembered. “And he was like, yeah, I can’t. That doesn’t make any sense. I won’t do, you can’t do it. And I was so furious. I said, and this is in a meeting with 20 different people. And I said, Kevin, if you don’t let me put a hat on that machine, then I quit.”
“And then Kevin for a second, he goes, ‘Thank you very much Jessica. You’ve done a lot of great work for us. We’re sad to see you go.’ And then Sweet Jackson Z from Previz, ever the mediator and hard worker gently suggested what if they incorporate into the design of the machine something that would read as a baseball hat,” she continued. “And then Kevin was like, ‘Oh, I’m okay with that.’ If it’s part of the machine, of course then that makes all the sense! And so that was our compromise and I didn’t have to quit over a hat on our little robot.”
How Did She-Hulk Come Up With KEVIN?
“I went through so many versions of this finale and I don’t remember what kicked it off, but I remember pitching that She Hulk, because the show is so meta and it was always going to be about breaking the fourth wall and it was always so inspired by the burn run where she had opinions about her story where she wanted to actively yell at her creators and change things when she didn’t what was going on,” she revealed. “I think I pitched that she goes to the Marvel Studios, the Disney lot and to go speak to Kevin and I initially pitched that she goes through all the security and then goes into his office and we stunt cast it with a super handsome debonair like a George Clooney in a tuxedo and drinking a martini.”
Phase Zero Season 2 Episode 40 is available now on all major podcast platforms. Video of the live broadcast is available now on the Phase Zero YouTube channel, as well as a Friday night broadcast on Paramount+. Hit the links below to listen and/or watch now!
Were you a fan of K.E.V.I.N. and his little hat? Let us know down in the comments!