SPOILER WARNING: This story contains details from the She Hulk: Attorney At Law Season 1 finale on Disney+.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law concluded its first season this week with an episode that could serve as the series finale should Marvel decide not to proceed with its first true half-hour TV comedy. But why not? We need to see what develops between She-Hulk and Daredevil!
Here, Executive Producer Jessica Gao talks about the meta ending with a robotic version of her boss Kevin Feige and why she decided against a traditional Marvel ending for her leading man Tatiana Maslany.
DEADLINE The season finale followed She-Hulk as she entered the writer’s room of… She-Hulk. Were you actually in that scene?
JESSICA GAO: I was in the background. I was pulled kicking and screaming into this cameo because I originally didn’t plan on being in it. So we cast an actor to play the author Jessica. But the night before, we realized we needed some additional background. And because it was during the peak of Covid there would not have been enough time to test a background person to have them shoot the next day. So I entered.
DEADLINE: Is this an ending you had in mind from the start? To get real meta with Marvel boss Kevin Feige?
GAO: Oh no. Not at all. It’s been such a long journey to get to this point. I must have written about 20 versions of a finale, because when we got to the finale, I mistakenly thought, “I need to have my fun. We have to do something different. I have to do the Marvel ending.” Marvel does things a certain way, you know, they follow certain beats, and that’s where I have to start lining up and doing that. I really thought so. Nobody told me that, that’s just what I thought. So I tried to accommodate that and did so many different versions of a typical Marvel ending and none of them felt right. It was Kevin, the human Kevin, who said, “There’s no need for this. Why try to force this if it’s not what it’s supposed to be? This isn’t a Marvel movie, so why are you trying to finish a Marvel movie when it’s not? This show was completely different from the start. This show was completely different than anything we’ve ever done.” It was so liberating that he not only gave me permission but encouraged me, really pushed me to keep doing something different. That’s why it’s so great to work with Kevin as a person, because he’s open to things like that.
DEADLINE: What would make up the typical Marvel ending?
GAO: A revelation of a big bad villain; the conspiracy comes to light; and then a huge, action-packed villain fight where the hero defeats the villain.
DEADLINE: The whole thing with robot Kevin was pretty funny, but… it’s all rooted in reality, isn’t it? Kevin has to sign off on every last detail, right?
GAO: Absolutely. Kevin signs every word.
RELATED: ‘She-Hulk: Attorney At Law’ Review: Verdict Is a Laugh-Out-Loud TKO for Tatiana Maslany’s Marvel Comedy
DEADLINE: You had robot say Kevin in the final, “We’ve historically been light in that department,” which is a reference to the lack of romance in the Marvel-verse. When you first launched She-Hulk, did you know you wanted to keep her busy in the love department?
GAO: Oh definitely. This should be a well rounded portrait of a woman’s life and that would include a love life and a sex life. We knew we wanted to show all of this because this is a single woman in her 30’s. We really wanted to show the fullness of her experiences as a young woman.
DEADLINE: In the comics, She-Hulk has many lovers like Starfox and Wyatt Wingfoot. Why Daredevil?
GAO: How could we not? She-Hulk and Daredevil are friends in the comics. And how do I express that? He sleeps around a lot. The moment we heard we could use Daredevil, we thought, well, of course they have to hook up. He’s the perfect partner for them. This is someone who understands her in a unique way, and he’s hot and incredibly charming. This is the rare person who understands exactly what situation they are in, how to be a lawyer during the day and a superhero outside of work. And thankfully, Charlie Cox and Tatiana had such incredible chemistry, too.
DEADLINE: So I assume this relationship could thrive as we see a second season?
GAO: Yes. If these two very busy people with busy lives want to make it work, I’m sure they could find a way to make it work.
DEADLINE: You’ve broken the fourth wall quite a few times this season. What did you learn from this experience and will you make adjustments in season two if there are any?
GAO: I love breaking the fourth wall. I always have so much fun. As a viewer, I wanted to put so much more of that into it. The first scripts were so full of fourth wall breaks that it was probably too much. I was given notes several times to withdraw breaking the fourth wall, which I greatly disliked. But I think it taught me that I have to find a better balance. If there are too many, then there is not enough space for the story and for everything to unfold on its own.
DEADLINE: I loved how we started seeing Jennifer being a little insecure that She-Hulk was getting much better positive attention. Is this something you will farm in the future?
GAO: The entire first season is really her origin story. In the pilot it’s her physical origins, but throughout the season arc it’s really about her becoming She-Hulk emotionally and mentally. She accepts who she is, how she hopes it will fit into her life, and how she allows Jen and She-Hulk to coexist in a way that she can accept. By the end of the season, she’s reaching the point where she’s fully accepted She-Hulk and she knows how to match her with Jennifer Walters now. So as she moves forward she will be so much more confident. She really dealt with the growing pains of becoming that other being. And now she moves forward and is allowed to spread her wings.
DEADLINE: This finale could also serve as the series finale. did you play it like that
GAO: Always. I’ve been writing for television for a very long time and you can never guarantee getting another season, especially for a first season show. So for a writer working on a season one show, it’s wise to tell a satisfying and complete story so that when it ends that way, you feel like you’ve at least told a complete story, but still the door left open for you you know, six seasons and one movie.