She-Hulk: Attorney At Law has been a fun show and an exciting entry into the world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe because it has played with genre, poking fun at the toxicity that can exist in the Marvel fanbase, and brought back Daredevil. So really, you’d think it’d be a calm time online, right? (I’m kidding, it’s the MCU. Of course not.)
But what has been absolutely baffling about the reception of She-Hulk is that this show, which isn’t hurting anyone mind you, has been the subject of ridicule and rage week in and week out. There are those who don’t like it and have decided not to continue watching it and that’s fine! They don’t have to watch it if they do not want to this is not who I am talking about.
I’m talking about those who are logging into their YouTube channels and making hate videos about the show for clicks. Those who go on TikTok and make grand statements about how this show is the reason that the MCU is failing (it’s not) and that this is a horrible addition to the world and disrespects the characters that have come before it (it doesn’t).
I’ve seen arguments that having Jen Walters and Matt Murdock sleep together somehow besmirches the name of Tony Stark, known playboy. I’ve watched grown men put their faces on the internet screaming because they don’t like a show they deem “girly,” and to what end?
Why the anger?
Scrolling through any YouTube channel that preys off the rage clicks of angry men online is filled with images of Jennifer Walters as She-Hulk screaming with angry red letters across it about how She-Hulk: Attorney At Law is ruining Marvel. And why? I’m genuinely asking why these men (and some women) have taken to the internet to perpetuate hate and anger instead of just maybe not watching the show if they have that big of a problem with it?
As we gear up for the finale of She-Hulk, I’m flabbergasted by the amount of rage that seems to exist online about this series, and it has nothing to do with the show itself. It’s just about those who are angry and their perceived notions of what Marvel should be and how it should cater to them. That’s what it truly and honestly boils down to.
Most of the complaints out of Phase 4 that have come from a genuine place of criticism are not part of my confusion. I get that there are always real things to criticize emerging from multi-billion-dollar mega-studios. Genuine critics who have a bone to pick about some element or another are also not the ones who attack those who do enjoy the MCU and its properties. But then there are the complaints about Phase 4 that are purely based on the fact that it isn’t just the same characters we’ve seen for the past 10+ years. These people often don’t see themselves in the current heroes that are getting the spotlight and instead of finding new heroes to love, they want to complain and cry and attack those who are having a good time at the moment.
And this anger towards She-Hulk: Attorney At Law? That feels all but unprecedented, even after my long years of observing hate campaigns and trolls online, and it also doesn’t feel warranted.
She-Hulk is good, actually
You don’t have to love this series. I want that to be clear. But you also don’t have to be the person who uses their platform to spread hate to those who do like it and find themselves in it. It isn’t hurting anyone and it is just a fun show that gives us a new character to look forward to in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We get to see Jen and she’s talking to the camera and practicing law and having a fun time and it’s an easy show to watch each week and forget about your own personal problems. We can really never have enough of this kind of entertainment these days.
She-Hulk doesn’t act like it is reinventing the wheel and if that’s what those so angry they have to make 20 different video blogs about it despite the show being a 30 minute comedy each week, then maybe go outside and touch some grass? I’m going to sorely miss this show after the finale because I like getting to go into Jen’s universe and her drama for a little while. Maybe that’s because I relate to being a 30 year-old single woman trying to navigate in this world, so, yes, I see myself in many elements depicted. But She-Hulk: Attorney At Law doesn’t deserve the hate it gets online, especially the endless videos that seem to miss all the points that the series is trying to make.
With the way people have been acting, you’d think that the show murdered Matt Murdock or something, my lord.
(image: Marvel Entertainment)
