She-Hulk Attorney at Law: Will the Emerald Goddess Return?

The Jade Giantess’ first season was released to mixed fanfare. Will she return for a 2nd round?

Since She-Hulk Attorney at Law has been out for more than a year now, I find myself wondering what’s next for the titular character. With the Disney+ series concluding its first season on October 13th, 2022, we fans have had time to digest the show’s storyline. Since then, there’s been no word on Jennifer Walters’ status. So the question remains on my mind, will She-Hulk eturn in the MCU?

She-Hulk broke the mold for MCU shows, which till now played like 6-hour movies. She-hulk Attorney at Law was the first MCU show to have an episodic format and structure, akin to a sitcom. But, with only 9 episodes it struggled to retain fans of both superheroes and sitcoms alike.

What She-Hulk Attorney at Law was about

She-Hulk has always been one of Marvel’s most interesting characters. An attorney without a double life, Jennifer Walters allowed Marvel comics to explore its legal side, with a dash of comedy and slice of life. The TV show followed the same aesthetic. As such, in she-hulk attorney at law, Jennifer Walters, a 30-something lawyer just wants to practice law anonymously. But being shot down by a spacecraft, resulting in Bruce bleeding over his cousin turns her into She-Hulk.

As She-Hulk, Jen would return to LA and practice law, wanting to put the whole situation behind her. But, a warning from her cousin about putting the genie back in the bottle and hidden forces wanting her blood for malevolent reasons are things she’s gonna have to deal with as a superhero. So, Jen comes back home and shenanigans ensue!

She-Hulk explores the legal side of the MCU and features obscure characters (Man-Bull anyone?) throughout its 9-episode season. The show was based on Dan Slott’s She-Hulk run from 2004, which Slot pitched as “Ally McBeal with Muscles” to Marvel at the time.

Why She-Hulk attorney at Law Received A Mixed Reception

When She-Hulk Attorney at Law was released to the public, it was subject to massive review-bombing. This isn’t new as several different MCU projects have faced this before. Furthermore, the show was already ostracized off the bat when its announcement drew out hateful and ignorant fans, claiming that She-Hulk was Marvel’s “pitiful” attempt at cashing in on an existing male hero, by merely creating a female knock-off.

All this, despite the character having existed in the comics since 1980.

Further critique was aimed at the CGI, which admittedly enough is spotty in many scenes but also fantastic in others. Many fans felt that the show didn’t really do much to advance the overall plot or set up anything of substance in the future. MCU fans are used to each addition be it show or movie to advance the overall plot or set things up. She-Hulk was by and large its own thing, and the small setups it did manage to feel haphazardly done.

The series also felt a bit unfocused at times, starting off as an episodic romp, and then switching gears attempting to build an overarching narrative. But that too felt quite lackluster in the end.

Fans in general felt like “nothing happens” throughout the whole show, which, while She-Hulk comics are much the same way, was understandable for those who aren’t familiar with the source material.

It’s important to note that none of this is the fault of the She-Hulk cast. They all did a great job in their respective roles. I say this because a lot of hate and vitriol was sent Tatiana Maslany’s way, which she did absolutely nothing to deserve. Maslany has always been kind, empathetic to and outspoken about the LGBT community and just an all around great person.

So, That Begs the Question, Will She-Hulk Return in the MCU?

As someone who liked the show and also thought there was some room for improvement, there is one thing on my mind, and that’s if she-hulk attorney at law concluded in 2022, will she-hulk return in the mcu?

Some fans were wondering “will she-hulk get a season 2?” and Tatiana Maslany confirmed their worst fears during an interview on Codenames LIVE! when she said

“I don’t think so. I think we blew our budget, and Disney was like, ‘No thanks,’”

So, She-Hulk will not in fact get a Season 2. But, it’s worth noting that there has been no official update from Marvel. None of the other MCU shows except for Loki have had second seasons yet either.

Jen Walters could still return to the MCU in other movies. Captain America: Brave New World features both Thunderbolt Ross (Red Hulk in the comics) and Samuel Sterns (The Leader) both of whom are gamma beings in the comic books. It’s highly possible that a certain Jade Giantess could show up there, too.

Additionally, the new Fantastic Four movie is coming up, and while it’s not likely She-Hulk will appear in this feature film, she could appear in sequels. Jen was, after all, a back-up member of the Fantastic Four in the comics.

Who’s to say? At this point, I hope we haven’t seen the last of Tatiana Maslany’s Emerald Empress yet.