The television series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law promises to revolutionize the way fans view superheroes by adding a lead woman who is reluctant to embrace her new identity. The Marvel Cinematic Universe series features Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer Walters (She-Hulk) and Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner (Hulk). Ruffalo recently commented on the "tongue-in-cheek, self-referential" comedy the show will provide, changing the often high-drama superhero stories into something light-hearted for pure entertainment.
Another authentic element to Attorney at Law is the active choice to create She-Hulk with a smaller build. Director Kat Coiro has claimed the character design needed to fulfill the expectation she is "giant and green," but that the design also allowed for Walters to live a relatively normal human experience. In the show's trailers, the character has expressed wanting to move forward with her life and return to her career as a lawyer. She doesn't want the superhero label, but Banner reminds her that her size and power will still attract enemies whether she wants the attention or not.
As a lawyer, Walters has overcome many barriers in a male-dominated career. She's gone above and beyond to create the life she was living before cross-contamination with Banner's blood altered her life forever. Walters wants to continue living the life she's built for herself, and providing her with the smaller build could arguably help her achieve that goal. She can still easily enter buildings and sit in a chair at a nice restaurant. She can maintain a similar appearance to her human form without having changed too significantly into a different creature completely.
Another aspect to consider with these choices is the fact that expectations for men and women are highly different. For many women, the way they present themselves to the world is their armor, especially in a field like law. With the current character design, Walters can still maintain her usual attire choices but must simply buy in larger sizes. Managing two bodies would be difficult enough, and having one of them have completely different dimensions would prove extra difficult. This way, blending the lives of her two selves would be much smoother and provide more screen time for the other big issues she will face.
During San Diego Comic-Con 2022, Attorney at Law released footage of Hulk training She-Hulk, giving audiences a taste of the strength she will hold in the series. Even with the smaller physique, Walters could easily keep up with Banner, showing fluidity and power in her movements. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Cairo mentioned using women athletes as inspiration for She-Hulk's design, especially Olympic athletes. She-Hulk is strong and physically fit, which allows her to maintain physical power while also fitting into a dress for work or dinner.
There could be some fair arguments that She-Hulk could have been bulkier like her male counterparts, but the character design for Attorney at Law makes sense and fits the premise of the show. For Walters to continue dating, working as a lawyer and navigating life as an average person, then she would benefit from the body the creators provided for her. She will face much higher stakes at the end of the day, and the strength she holds will keep her safe against potential enemies.
There are many aspects of daily life where many women must remain hyper-aware of their surroundings, and She-Hulk's build will still significantly change the outcomes of those situations. Walters will still face discrimination for her size as a woman, but she can maintain a resemblance to average life, assimilating back into the world she's always known.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law premieres Aug. 18, 2022 on Disney+.