Golden Globe-nominated actress Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black) stars in the titular role as She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. The series follows the highly skilled legal eagle Jennifer Walters, cousin of Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), who specializes in cases involving superheroes when they need legal counsel.   

Maslany, along with many of the cast as well as executive producers, is in attendance at Comicon. Maslany is eager to talk about her new show. “It’s such a joy, and what’s so exciting about She-Hulk is that the show is very different. It’s got an irreverent humor. She-Hulk herself is trying not to be a superhero, which I think is a fun take.”

Based on the Marvel Comics series, She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters is a thirty-something single woman who acquired a milder version of The Hulk/Bruce Banner’s condition when she underwent an emergency blood transfusion from him, resulting in his gamma-radiated blood running through her veins. The injury occurred when she was shot by the underlings of a mob boss whom she was prosecuting.  After she recovers, she learns to navigate her increasingly complicated life while grappling with a serious identity crisis.

She-Hulk marks Marvel’s first true half-hour TV comedy. The nine-episode series was created by Jessica Gao (Rick and Morty, Silicon Valley, Robot Chicken), who enjoyed the humorous aspect of She-Hulk’s personality.  Gao said at Comicon, “I love that she’s funny. I love that she breaks the fourth wall. I love that she’s super-confident with a great attitude.”

The star-studded cast includes Jameela Jamil, as She-Hulk’s nemesis Titania, Josh Segarra as Pug, her fellow attorney, and Ginger Gonzaga as her best friend, Nikki Ramos. Mark Ruffalo reprises his role as The Hulk, while Tim Roth plays a surprise new client, Emil Blonsky/Abomination. 

Jamil says of playing Titania and what motivates the character, “I would say jealousy and a desperate need for attention, and [that character trait] I obviously have no experience with so I had to pull from somewhere, but on the other hand, she’s extremely annoying and I drew that from myself,” she laughs. 

Gonzaga, best known for her role in the Duplass brothers’ Togetherness, says of her character, “Nikki is the kind of ride or die friend for Jen. And I love seeing female friends who really, really love each other. And that’s kind of their love language. And Nikki likes to get into a lot of good trouble and encourage a lot of risk-taking for Jen.”

Maslany is an Emmy award-winning, Canadian-born actress who is generally associated with gritty and dark fare such as Eastern Promises (2007), Diary of the Dead (2007) and Destroyer (2018). She also appeared in the TV series Heartland (2008 to 2010), Being Erica (2009 – 2011) and Perry Mason (2020), and is primarily known for her award-winning role in Orphan Black (2013 – 2017).

Created by Stan Lee and John Buscema, the She-Hulk character was introduced in 1980 in “The Savage She-Hulk” comic series. The character went on to become a member of The Avengers, in 1982, and was featured in the Fantastic Four series. Additionally, the Sensational She-Hulk comic series ran from 1989 to 1994.

The CGI-heavy series relies on the humor of the characters and on She-Hulk’s relatability rather than on the special effects, a quality which sets the character apart from other superheroes and makes her unique.