She-Hulk and Hulk may both be Hulks, but they are vastly different characters with unique journeys as people and heroes. The Hulk is one of the original Avengers within the MCU and has always had a unique story. Bruce Banner’s struggle with his Hulk identity has been an integral part of his story with Banner attempting to destroy it even at the cost of his own life, trying to suppress or fight it, and the Hulk side fighting back by suppressing Bruce Banner for two years. This eventually culminated in Bruce and Hulk coexisting together in one body, more physically Hulk while more mentally Bruce Banner.
Jen Walters on the other hand is dealing with an entirely different internal conflict in She-Hulk Attorney At Law. The Illuminerdi had the opportunity to attend the She-Hulk Attorney At Law virtual press conference which included series stars Tatiana Maslany, who plays Jen Walters aka She-Hulk, Ginger Gonzaga, who plays Jen’s best friend Nikki, Executive Producer and Head Writer Jessica Gao, as well as Executive Producer and Director of episodes 1-4 and 8-9 Kat Coiro. During the press conference, Ginger Gonzaga talked about the different internal struggles that Hulk faces versus those of She-Hulk and how Tatiana brought those internal conflicts to life in Jen Walters.
EXPLORING THE DIFFERENT INTERNAL STRUGGLES THAT SHE-HULK AND HULK GRAPPLE WITH
“Our show is, I say its very hilariously human cause it’s so embarrassing to be a person. Because of that humanity and soul that [Tatiana] brings to it, it’s also what’s so fascinating to watch with the difference between The Hulk and She-Hulk. So, The Hulk’s initial struggle is he’s out of control when he’s The Hulk and it’s primitive. She is conscious in this other form and it’s uncomfortable.
So, you’re watching this super thing very aware of how she is in the world and how she’s being viewed when she’s special, and when she’s different, and when she has powers. So, it’s this other perfectly cerebral and complex and funny thing that Tatiana’s so gifted at that’s really cool to watch in comparison to The Hulk’s journey.
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Hulk has been defined by the struggle between two vastly different personalities, but Jen Walters doesn’t have this problem. Jen Walters and She-Hulk are in fact the same person in a way that Bruce and Hulk weren’t until they merged. Jen Walters doesn’t lose herself to a primal Hulk persona instead she is grappling with the perception that people have of her as well as her own perception of herself. Jen Walters must figure out how this new aspect of herself fits into her life.
Throughout the series Jen Walters is figuring out who she is now that the world sees her as She-Hulk and how it impacts every aspect of her life from her job to dating to being in the public eye and the superhero element of the world she lives in. Part of what is interesting is how these differences will influence her relationship with Bruce as he tries to help her not only find a new balance in life as a Hulk, but reach her full potential as well.
She-Hulk Attorney At Law offers a new kind of Hulk story while still leaning into some common elements including the world’s perception of Jen and the overall impact this new element has on her life. Given that this is a comedy where The Hulk’s story is very tragedy based it will be interesting to not only experience a new character’s journey, but how the new genre impacts it as well. This new series is primed to explore a Hulk in a whole new way and could lead to some truly compelling stories and arcs for not only Jen, but Bruce as well.
She-Hulk Attorney At Law premieres on Disney Plus on August 18 with subsequent episodes every Thursday. Are you looking forward to watching She-Hulk Attorney At Law? Are you excited to see Mark Ruffalo play Hulk again? What do you think about the different struggles that She-Hulk and Hulk experience? Leave your thoughts in the comments below or on our social media and check back with The Illuminerdi for more MCU and She-Hulk Attorney At Law.
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