While Deadpool may be headed to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the near future, Jennifer Walters and her tendency to break the fourth wall are coming to the MCU with the Disney+ original series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law on Thursday, Aug. 18. As the cast and crew would like to remind audiences, She-Hulk possessed that comedic sense of self-awareness long before Deadpool made it his defining feature.
In a press conference attended by CBR for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Hasan Mohammed from the Geek House Show asked the cast and crew of the Disney+ series about She-Hulk's ability to break the fourth wall and address the audience. Series director and executive producer Kat Coiro reiterated that the character broke the fourth wall in the comics long before Deadpool or the British television series Fleabag.
"If you know anything about She-Hulk the character, you would know that she [did that]," confirmed series creator, showrunner, and executive producer Jessica Gao. Series star Tatiana Maslany jokingly observed that "Deadpool copied She-Hulk," with the gamma-radiated superhero breaking the fourth wall long before the Merc with a Mouth.
During John Byrne's 1989 run on The Sensational She-Hulk, the character would regularly break the fourth wall and talk to the reader about the proceedings in the story. Trailers have confirmed this character trait is retained in Attorney at Law, with Maslany feeling this trope helps underscore who Jennifer Walters is as a character.
"I think that there's something about She-Hulk's awareness. Where she's able to go from being Jen to She-Hulk with a seamlessness. Her consciousness stays the same, and she's aware of the audience. That feels like it's her superpower engaged with the meta element of the [show]," Maslany elaborated, "It's like an extension of her superpower, she's like, 'I know I'm, talking to a camera. I know you guys are watching this.' And there's something about that super hyper-awareness that is [a part of] who she is."
Bringing her own unique perspective to the MCU, Jennifer Walters is prepared to share her innermost thoughts with the audience in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. And with plenty of guest stars and aspects of the MCU explored on the show, Jen is going to have plenty to talk about.
Created by Jessica Gao, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law premieres Aug. 18 on Disney+, with new episodes released every Thursday.