'She-Hulk' star Tatiana Maslany says Marvel series is 'antithesis of most superhero narratives'

Like an attorney in the middle of a heated courtroom argument, Marvel Studios' She-Hulk series coming to Disney+ — officially subtitled Attorney at Law — will yell "OBJECTION!" to classic superhero archetypes. Recently speaking with Empire for the magazine's August 2022 issue (now on sale), actress Tatiana Maslany described the overarching story of Jennifer Walters as "the antithesis of most superhero narratives ... She's not a trained fighter at all; she could just flick someone and they'd go flying."

When an accident forces Jennifer to receive a transfusion of gamma-infected blood from her cousin, scientist Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), the lawyer who specializes in superhuman affairs discovers the mean, green monster within herself. "There's this great element of denial in her that's relatable," Maslany teased. "For me, it's about rejecting what's happened for as long as I could, as that's what causes the fun tension between Jennifer and She-Hulk." 

In terms of getting to work with Ruffalo, she added: "We were so goofy, like two kids who had been handed shovels by our parents and told to go play in the sandbox." As a seasoned veteran of MCU motion-capture, Ruffalo not only helped Maslany get accustomed to the silly-looking outfit used to track an actor's physical movements, but also suggested how it could be channeled into the performance. "[We] talked about how [the process] separates us from the other superheroes, which works for our characters as they're outsiders," she explained.

Overseen by head writer and executive producer Jessica Gao (similar to Loki and Multiverse of Madness scribe, Michael Waldron, she's a veteran of Rick and Morty), the show features the return of Benedict Wong as Sorcerer Supreme Wong and Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky/the Abomination (both characters were last seen duking it out at an underground fighting ring in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings). MCU newcomers include: Jameela Jamil, Josh Segarra, Ginger Gonzaga, Jon Bass, and Renée Elise Goldsberry. Since Jennifer works in the world of law, we wouldn't be too surprised if Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock makes a brief appearance ahead of Echo (now in production).

"She's in a career that's male-dominated and incredibly vicious and hierarchical," Maslany said of her character. "When she's heading this superhuman firm, that's where we get some really fun characters that she's either defending or in opposition of. It's like this really absurd take on a legal show."

Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, and Kat Coiro serve as executive producers alongside Gao. Wendy Jacobson and Jennifer Booth are co-executive producers. Coiro shares directing duties with Anu Valia.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law premieres on Disney+ Wednesday, Aug. 17.

If you're suddenly in the mood for more sci-fi with a comedic flair, check out Resident Alien, now streaming on the SYFY app and Peacock.