She-Hulk: Attorney At Law launched itself amid a tense withdrawal of the Marvel fandom from its core dedication toward the franchise’s extensive canon. The work that had been delivered up till now with a paced tone maintaining both quality and quantity had seen a shift after crossing over the finish line of its 10-year vision. The adrenaline high of completing a project on such a vast scale crashed when the franchise attempted to climb down with little doses of pheromone via comedy — it was too different, unfamiliar even, for the fandom’s liking.
Also read: Mister Immortal: Did She-Hulk Reveal MCU’s First-Ever Mainstream Mutant On a Total Fluke?
Now that the fame and reach of the studio allow it the opportunity to expand and experiment, it can do so without the risk of over-exerting itself with restraints defined by its audience’s palette.
She-Hulk Picks Up Pace Amid Backlash & Brutal Criticism
When She-Hulk began making the rounds amid Marvel’s high society, in the audience’s mind, it had to compete (in terms of quality) with the entirety of the MCU that came before it. So instead, the series did what the audience failed to expect. It didn’t try. She-Hulk was easy on the hyperactive brains of action-enthusiastic fans. It defined its own pace and explored its individualism without the added pressure of keeping up with high-profile espionage or screeching car chases across international borders.
Marvel survived the bleak early 2000s and its looming bankruptcy. The leaps of faith it took defied gravity. After wearing itself down to the bone for 14 long years, the foundational work of the franchise was finally done. The end product was something deemed worthy of the collective love and faith of billions across the planet. The Disney+ series attempted to hand over a gift-wrapped thank-you note to the Marvel fandom for those years.
The inherently laid-back nonchalance of She-Hulk was supposed to be a reprieve, not a punishment. It is the star-studded celebratory halftime show after the most intense first half of the Super Bowl match of the century.
Daredevil Resurrects and Seeks to Reaffirm Its Identity
She-Hulk has been a gala affair, a celebration of Marvel and its long, dense, and rich history of characters — crazy, supreme, evil, and sublime. Daredevil was one of the honoraries who was brought back by the female-driven show to be celebrated amidst the wave of a chaotic merger of the established past and the multiversal future of the mainstream universe. Amid all the parodies and spoofs trying to sardonically mock the social media culture or shine a light on toxic masculinity, there was a moment of truth.
Daredevil was not imposed upon the fans, or thrown into the mix to serve Marvel’s vanity. He was carefully placed like the intricate icing on the cake. It becomes a manifold comedy that when the series did bring back the character, it failed to satisfy the high expectations of the gawking crowd anticipating every morsel thrown their way. The endless trolling comes a full circle when Jessica Gao, staying true to the show’s unbreakable optimism trolls her gullible audience back.
The resurrection of Daredevil displays mutual respect of artistic integrity that sought to bring back one of the most beloved characters of Marvel Studios. His coming is a marker of the power that this franchise holds — like the hand that can give just as easily as it can take away.
For the moment, Marvel is in the mood for giving, and lavishly at that. It is up to the fans to respect this era of the extraordinary achievement of MCU’s 14-year history, enjoy the transitory reprieve of the easy-going, culturally conscious, and socially funny show, and step onto the next phase with a palatable taste for what’s to come instead of the lingering bitterness left in the wake of the endless bickering and unnecessary criticism of a singular MCU series.
She-Hulk: Attorney At Law is currently streaming on Disney+.
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