Is She-Hulk too “Woke” for Feminism?

Mark+Ruffalo+as+Smart+Hulk+%2F+Bruce+Banner+and+Tatiana+Maslany+as+Jennifer+Jen+Walters%2FShe-Hulk+in+Marvel+Studios+She-Hulk%3A+Attorney+at+Law%2C+exclusively+on+Disney%2B.+%C2%A9+2022+MARVEL+Image+used+with+permission.

Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios

Mark Ruffalo as Smart Hulk / Bruce Banner and Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer “Jen” Walters/She-Hulk in Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, exclusively on Disney+. © 2022 MARVEL Image used with permission.

“She-Hulk” is the latest Marvel show to begin streaming on Disney+, being the lowest-reviewed MCU show by audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. The show has sparked controversy among Marvel fans in its attempt to inspire women, leaving some feeling it intentionally attempts to put down men in the process.

Has Marvel truly gone woke, or is this just an unwarranted outcry from the male fans that don’t like feminist narratives in their shows?

Sophomore Andrea Aguilar was unimpressed with the show because it was “trying to bring up women by bringing men down. While people might try to say I’m anti-feminist for saying that, feminism is trying to bring up women to be equal with everyone without putting down anyone else… it’s like sabotaging someone when they’re practicing so you’ll look better; it’s not a real win.”

While the show does appear to do as Aguilar suggests in not-so-subtle ways like having nearly every guy act like a stereotypical jerk, it doesn’t shy away from saying it straight up either.

Within the first episode, Jennifer Walters (She-Hulk) goes on a rant about how she already knows how to control her anger “infinitely more than” Bruce Banner because she’s a woman. Walters also suggests she’s had it worse than him because she is a woman, despite the fact the Hulk has been hunted down by the government and had his mother murdered by his father just for starters. While it’s not to diminish what Walters has to go through as a woman, it’s a stretch to suggest she has it much worse than he does.

“As a woman, I get what she’s saying,” Aguilar said, “but she definitely could’ve done it differently. Both men and women can go through all that and men go through problems too, not just women.”

The CGI is another thing fans have criticized, with director Kat Coiro suggesting that criticism of the CGI is actually sexist, saying she thinks the criticism “has to do with our culture’s belief in their ownership of women’s bodies.”

“I think that their CGI has been lacking overall after Endgame, but I think it’s even worse for She-Hulk,” Aguilar said.

Overall, Aguilar expressed her dislike for the show, and described it as “honestly just cringe-worthy and simply not good. I don’t think it’s bad, I just think there’s much improvement to be made.”

While the show is starting to wrap up, the controversy and online arguments regarding the show continue. Feminism is about raising women up to be equal to men, not flipping the switch and pushing down men in the process. While the show only has a few episodes remaining, controversy is expected to continue.