Thanks to “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,” we now know two things for sure: Captain America fuuuuuu–s, and She-Hulk smashes (Matt Murdock). And while Kevin Feige may have been ready and willing to reveal the first of those things, She-Hulk’s sex life was a bit more taboo for Marvel. But, according to the women involved, it was always going to be spotlighted, one way or another.
Marvel fans have long mourned the fact that, despite having an entire universe full of adults, the MCU rarely, if ever, shows those adults having sexual relations. Many were excited for the possibility of that changing with last year’s “Eternals.” But, when Cersei and Ikaris’ moment arrived, it was very PG and very short-lived.
Now, we have “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,” streaming in its entirety on Disney+. And in this series, Jennifer Walters not only has a sex life, but has an active sex life. And for series star Tatiana Maslany, it was one of the most exciting things about the character.
“I love it. I mean, Jessica Gao and I and Ginger [Gonzaga], we all talk about how horny this show is,” Maslany told TheWrap. “That’s like what we love the most about it, it’s kind of got a gleeful horniness. You know, which just doesn’t feel like a sort of reverent superhero thing. And it really, it’s like, I don’t know. It’s like, giddy, it’s feminine, it’s about desire. It’s about whatever!”
According to head writer and executive producer Jessica Gao, Jen’s sex life was imperative to exploring the “total breadth” of the character. As director Kat Coiro remembers it, there were quite a few conversations with those higher up on how exactly it’d be portrayed. And within those conversations, there was definitely some nervousness from Marvel — even more than they were about the idea of making themselves the butt of the finale’s joke.
“It was definitely a part of our conversations, because you can’t make a story about a woman in her 30s navigating modern life and not address sex,” Coiro told TheWrap. “And I do think that the media is strangely more prude when it comes to the female point of view in regards to sex. And, you know, we’ve got Iron Man doing a lot of things, but then there were all these conversations and there was a lot more fear around her sex life than there was about making fun of Marvel. But we just kept saying, this is her story, and this is her truth, and we’ll handle it in a way that’s light.”
In the end, the pieces snapped together when the “She-Hulk” team learned they would be allowed to include Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock, a.k.a. Daredevil, in the show.
“You know, we wanted to show her dating and then when we were told that we could use Daredevil, immediately we were like, oh, they have to we have to get them — like, you get those two people together, they’re definitely doing it,” Gao told TheWrap with a laugh. “And it was just such a wonderful bonus that they had this incredible, explosive chemistry. Like when you watch that bar scene with them, you’re like, ‘Oh my God. These people need to get a room.’ And then they do!”
Indeed, by the end of Daredevil’s first appearance in episode 8, he and Jen fall into bed together happily. And crafting that particular scene was important to Coiro, who made an effort to bring together old and new.
“I never wanted to go too far with the sex, but I also don’t want sex to be taboo, even for young people. And so it was always finding that balance,” Coiro said. “And I think the tongue-in-cheek element is really important. Like, when Jen and Daredevil [get together], I like ending it on that little pan over their costumes. That was kind of an homage to the 2000s rom coms tropes, but also with something totally new because it was batons and helmets, instead of clothing. And it is, it’s very suggestive, but it’s also, you know, accessible for all ages, which I like.”
The next morning, viewers learn from Jen that their encounter came to “a very satisfying conclusion,” and in the finale, she jokes even further about her desire for Daredevil. After breaking the fourth wall literally and making her way to Marvel studios to complain about the finale’s ending to K.E.V.I.N., Jen also requests to see Daredevil one more time in the finale. Because, “a woman has needs.”
When K.E.V.I.N. scolds her for breaking out of her show and ruining the ending he crafted for her, she doesn’t have any remorse — but she does have one more sex joke. She explains that smashing is just what Hulks do; Bruce Banner smashes buildings, and “I smash fourth walls and bad endings. And sometimes Matt Murdock.”
The joke quickly became a favorite of fans, and was one Tatiana Maslany enjoyed just as much.
“In that moment, Jen is owning so many parts of her story and owning this throughline of her story,” Maslany said. “So there’s something about her just like, so confident with all of it, which is really great.”
You can watch the women of “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” discuss the sexuality of the show in the video above.