She-Hulk‘s run-up to the finale felt like an unwarranted head-on collision. The series defiantly claimed its happy-go-lucky status at Disney+ and went on to deliberately highlight societal injustices surpassing the line of control and crossing over into traumatic territories. The entire series which was leading up to this point now feels like the calm before the storm. And worst of all is the crowd’s reaction to Jennifer Walters losing control after her very public humiliation.
She-Hulk‘s Latest Episode Brings the Real Villains to Light
Marvel has never shied away from showing war and its ravages on the innocents caught in the crossfire. But She-Hulk waltzed down the path less traveled. The series challenged societal trends by operating within their constructs and with that, the show became somewhat of an educational experience. One could witness the character constantly being judged and criticized no matter what skin she wore. And Jennifer Walters learned to survive in that world while balancing coming into her new and fierce identity.
Perhaps if She-Hulk was a metaphor for women, it would be a clever representation of how even unbreakable skin is not enough defense against the world and its misguided sexism. While we have the origin era of Tony Stark on one hand — the genius playboy who was practically lauded and deified for being himself, Jennifer Walters may as well be non-existent despite doing double the work for half the recognition, in the wise words of Mallory Book. Respect is a far-fetched idea in a world that seeks to dominate the genderized identity of women, and the only way to skewer that last shred of self-control is by reinstating how the world views the body as separate from the person.
Jen Loses Control & The Crowd Finds a Reason To Be Angry
The very first issue that began the brutal online trolling session against She-Hulk was Jennifer Walter stating how women have to learn very quickly how to adapt under stress and anger because the world is constantly acting as a catalyst to our unraveling. Essentially, that was the reason why Bruce had to spend decades coming to terms with his duality but Jen could do it in a matter of seconds. So then, how the recent turn of events can make her go completely berserk is brought under scrutiny by the same public which acts as one of the components of that catalytic stress and anger.
The unraveling of Jennifer Walters reached its mercurial high when after being beaten down and morally and ethically defiled at every turn of her life, she is betrayed in the most humiliating manner, for simply existing. While the criminals hide behind their masked identities, distorted voices, and digital screens, the entire world gets to witness the public shaming of Jennifer Walters.
Her losing control was a re-enactment of her entire identity being at war with society. It was a defense against the barrage of mindless cruelty for which she was not only feared and criminalized but viewed as a threat and liable to be subdued and brought under control until she is all smiles again and suited to the temperament which panders to everybody else’s liking. It wasn’t until the break in the fourth wall when she looks towards the audience that her helplessness and defeat are felt seeping out of the fictional world and into reality.
She-Hulk: Attorney At Law is currently streaming on Disney+.
Source: Twitter
