This week, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law 1×05 dives straight into the heart of the Titania vs Jen Walters case. What’s exciting is we get official debuts of key Marvel Comics’ She-Hulk characters. Both Titania and Mallory Book give Jen a hard time this week, but it’s worth it. As She-Hulk: Attorney at Law continues, there’s more nuance to it each week. I only hope people can get past the “oh my god, she’s a woman” part to see what the show is really trying to do. Let’s get into it.
‘SHE-HULK’ BY TITANIA
Titania swears she has the right to the name “She-Hulk” to use for her influencer beauty line. She’s famous, has the clout, and knows when to use it. This has to be the most interesting adaptation of Titania. For someone who can solve problems with her fists, this Titania knows how to get the upper hand with her looks. As an influencer, she knows how to market. If she can use her latest adversary to make some money, so be it, that’s what she’s going to do. As it is the Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn’t had an influencer as their main villain. Unless you count Kingpin’s influence in Hawkeye and Daredevil as similar to Titania. But, the villain in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law has never just been Titania.
As we’ve seen in prior episodes, the world built around superheroes and superpeople is the villain. Now influencers can steal superhero names for their own gain. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law 1×05 sets a new precedent for the law in the MCU. Can Sam Wilson legally take the name Captain America after it’s been associated with Steve Rogers? Could the Avengers fight for a union that ensures they’re paid for their work? For anyone who wishes for a fistfight on She-Hulk, it’s probably coming, but less likely. The villain here is everyday people and She-Hulk fights with the law. It’s right there in the title.
THE DRIP BROKER
If you didn’t love Pug before, then you better put some respect into his name. This is the man we have to thank for She-Hulk’s new costume. After wading through “Avongers” merch, Nikki and Pug are able to get a hold of the secretive designer who makes costumes for superheroes. In true Edna Mode style, Luke, the designer rejects Jen before he sees her extenuating circumstance. I’ve always wondered where these heroes get their costumes from and here we finally have an answer. Now I wonder if Bruce went to Luke for his Smart Hulk clothes. With the superhero world expanding, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law continues to show how everyday regular people interact with the super world. There isn’t a super person who can just form clothes (excluding Wanda) so it makes sense that someone went to capitalize on it.
The best part of this episode was seeing Nikki and Pug be idiots and do it for Jen. Despite how frustrating it is to suddenly be a superhero, at least she has a posse, which is something Matt Murdock (wink) definitely will understand. As She-Hulk: Attorney at Law 1×05 continues to build on Marvel’s outer universe, it could show that there are everyday people who side with superhumans and others that look to exploit them. With the attack on Jen in 1×03, it’s clear that people see an advantage in using superheroes for their own gain. For them, it’s not about keeping the world safe, it’s about taking some of that power for themselves, whether it’s money or the power itself. It’ll be interesting to see how all of this outer world buildup comes to a climax in the coming episodes.
WINNING STRATEGY
Mallory Book is in the house! Everyone make some noise for Renee Elise Goldsberry! This adaptation of Mallory Book has been able to capture Book’s sense of power against her humanness. To elaborate, I mean she’s able to make boundaries between her and Jen as the client/lawyer relationship, remain professional, and still make digs at her. It’s both funny and powerful at the same time. This is a woman you don’t want to mess with, but also she’s a cool person. I’m sure The Nerdy Blogger (our resident She-Hulk Superfan) has a lot more to say about Mallory’s official debut in the series. But this week’s case, even if it didn’t come with the antics of the Rina case, was my favorite so far. It just highlights why She-Hulk: Attorney at Law was the show Marvel needed in their roster.
The discussion between Mallory and Jen at the bar is so important. Despite what haters may say this week, it’s true, that a man most likely won’t have to prove his value. With She-Hulk: Attorney at Law 1×05, the show continues to be unapologetic about pointing out what’s uncomfortable. Everyone that was put on the stand thought they had an upper hand against She-Hulk/Jen, as if she wasn’t enough. If only people wouldn’t shut their ears and close their eyes, they would see the nuance She-Hulk brings to Marvel. It’s laughable that Jen uses her dates to win the case, but their statements have more impact than the verdict. Women have to take three more steps than men to get deemed worthy enough. That’s why people say to have the confidence of a straight, white man. If they can get in the door, why can’t you?
Pre Credit Thought
How does Matt Murdock possibly have connections to Luke? He says his client list is exclusive. How will the MCU possibly sell off the fact that Daredevil has a reputation if he hasn’t officially been mentioned? (And wow, no after-credit scenes!)
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law premieres new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.
