It’s the clip from She-Hulk: Attorney at Law heard round the world. And for critics of the “M-She-U,” it represents everything wrong with Marvel.
Most of the superheroes remaining in the Marvel Cinematic Universe from the beginning should be in therapy for post traumatic stress disorder. In the case of Bruce Banner, also known as The Hulk, the character has attempted suicide, been sent to an alien planet, had a good friend recently die saving the world, watched another friend age to end of life status, and spend fifteen years attempting to overcome a one-of-a-kind multiple personality disorder. In any morally well-aligned narrative, such a character would be lauded for their ability to persevere over incredible hurdles for the sake of his or her own development and protection of others. Yet in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as it is constructed today, such a character is treated with great disrespect only because of his sex.
You see, no matter how much a male character has sacrificed in a story, a woman’s everyday life is harder. Infinitely harder.
*Ahem* 🗣 Say it louder for the people in the back 🗣 #SheHulk #TatianaMaslany pic.twitter.com/EWd57xbehr
— IMDb (@IMDb) August 18, 2022
There is no better epitome for what has happened to Marvel. For all the things that Bruce Banner has been through as a character, he still deserves to be treated as “less than” by a woman who seems to lead a very cushy life. That would seem to be the world view of the writers and it is that world view that is likely to drive away viewers.
No, the first episode is unlikely to bomb. The second episode also may do well if viewers want to bottleneck around the bizarre thing that Marvel is doing. But past that point, it does seem to me that this show is destined to do more damage, and lose more viewers, than anything else we’ve seen so far.
I saw 2 mins of #SheHulk #SheHulkAttorneyAtLaw and it’s all I needed to further confirm the abject financial failure of MCU Phase 4. Marvel is rapidly approaching “dead asset” status in the Disney operating income hierarchy. No surprise
— Valliant Renegade (@ValliantRenegad) August 19, 2022
Our own review of the first episode found that it employed misandry as a norm (that is, sexism against men). It’s hard not to agree. What was once correctly portrayed as profound sacrifice and virtue in Marvel has been flipped on its head. Steve Rogers’ desire to love a singular woman and stay true to her even if he was in another time and without her… that incredible self-sacrifice is now the butt of a joke. It’s something to mock Captain American over. Bruce Banner’s decade-plus of work to overcome the incredible power of the Hulk: let’s just bypass that in a few minutes because Jen is better in every single way. It’s not presented as an individual v individual different… it’s the battle of the sexes.
To see just how far the franchise has fallen, watch the seriousness and gravitas on display in a comic book movie down below:
Now compare that to where we are today with the Hulk being punched in the face by a woman who thinks hitting men is okay.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQqYx8_UCsE
See the difference? See why the ratings are down, the box office attendance is dropping and people are walking away?
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