Hulk has long been sidelined in the MCU as the green Avenger hasn’t starred in a solo appearance since 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, in which he was played by Edward Norton. Marc Ruffalo has covered Bruce Banner for eight live-action performances, but he’s yet to claim the solo spotlight. To a certain extent, that all changes this year with She-Hulk.
In the nine-episode legal Disney+ comedy, Tatiana Maslany stars as Jennifer Walters, Bruce Banner’s cousin, who gets her own gamma-green transformation after a blood transfusion. Marvel Studios has introduced many CGI characters over the years, but this will mark the first time a motion capture character has starred on Disney+.
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With VFX delays plaguing Hollywood productions and delays caused by the backlog caused by COVID-19, Marvel Studios couldn’t have picked a much worse time to make this move. The backlog is only just beginning to narrow, reports have revealed, the first full look at She-Hulk has just been released, and not everyone is happy.
She Hulk CGI is causing viral controversy
Marvel Studios’ debut trailer for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law drew controversy on social media due to debate over the quality of the CGI in the footage.
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Popular social media star supers shared his praise for most elements of the series, but noted this “The CGI doesn’t look good:”
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“‘She-Hulk Attorney At Law’ looks like LOTS of fun! Tatiana Maslany looks perfect for the role. subscription. Professor Hulk. The CGI doesn’t look great, but I still think this show is going to be an absolute smash!”
TikTok Creator Andrew’s visual compared the effects “a live-action video game cutscene:”
“Marvel is a multi-billion dollar franchise, I don’t care that She-Hulk is a TV show, it needs to look better, it looked like a video game cutscene set to live action. So many Netflix/Amazon shows MUCH better CGI and VFX. I see no excuse. Hope it improves tbh.”
writer Christopher Marc commented on the “unfinished and gummy” CGI that shatters all household excuses with the comparison to the Star Wars Disney+ series:
“She-Hulk as a show looks incredibly fun, but the actual CGI looks really unfinished and rubbery. I know it’s TV but the STAR WARS stuff pulls it off and they have the budget to adapt it.”
Twitter user @cgichipmunk drew particular attention to the fact that Hulk’s VFX appears to be far more complete than She-Hulk’s:
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“Why does Hulk’s CGI look perfect in this trailer but She-Hulk looks very bad? I’m fully aware that unfinished VFX are often seen in trailers, but man…all of their shots look crappy.”
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@ashCr__ defended the VFX artists behind She-Hulk and called out the complaints “ridiculous sophistry” since this is just a trailer and the first one at that:
“Where’s the respect for VFX artists? The vast majority of people have absolutely no idea how difficult a job is. Complaints about the CGI in a trailer are the most ridiculous quibbles I’ve seen from Marvel fans. #SheHulk.”
The Direct Russ Milheim once again celebrated She-Hulk’s fun potential, but still pointed it out to the team “Lots of work on her VFX:”
“We really hope that She-Hulk makes it through the landing. Could be a really fun and unique ride.
Matt Rombke – also from The Direct – responded with a more positive outlook on the VFX and shared his sentiment “If this is as bad as it gets, we’ll be fine:”
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“For stage one, I can get behind the VFX. If this is as bad as it’s getting, we’ll be fine.”
Can She-Hulk fix his CGI issues before release?
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There’s no denying that some of She-Hulk’s CGI isn’t quite up to scratch in the debut trailer. Marc Ruffalo’s Smart Hulk comes across as suitably polished in most scenes, while Tatiana Maslany’s She-Hulk stands out as somewhat unfinished in most of her clips.
Marvel Studios – much like most of the movie industry – has suffered a lot of trouble lately due to VFX delays. With only a select few VFX production houses being trusted by major Hollywood studios, the industry has faced a large backlog of captures due to COVID-19, which has caused many blockbusters to be delayed.
She-Hulk is a nine-episode series starring a fully CGI-created hero, making the project a massive undertaking from a post-production perspective. Although there are still three months before the comedy’s legal premiere begins on Disney+, there’s still plenty of time to refine these shots ahead of release.
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Some were quick to justify the quality with the caveat that She-Hulk is a streaming series, not a theatrical film. The Mandalorian alone should serve as proof that Disney is more than willing to shell out movie-level budgets for Disney+, although there’s no denying that this is Marvel Studios’ most ambitious project to date in terms of CGI.
Sonic the Hedgehog is a perfect example of a CGI character that looked miserable at first peak, but the studio was able to fix things in time for release. There’s no doubt that the next time you look at She-Hulk, things should look a lot more polished.
Disney unveiled the debut trailer during its 2022 Upfront event, which highlighted its upcoming television endeavors. The House of Mouse, of course, needed to bring something new out of the MCU – arguably its biggest brand – and She-Hulk was the obvious candidate, perhaps forcing an earlier trailer release than originally planned.
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She-Hulk: Attorney at Law launches August 17 on Disney+.