She-hulk's future hangs in the balance after budget blowout
Brad Winderbaum, head of Marvel Television, is publicly voicing his desire for more She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, a sentiment that feels increasingly detached from the harsh realities facing the series. Despite what he deems a successful “general audience” reach, the show’s disastrous reception amongst core Marvel fans and its astronomical production costs have left its future shrouded in uncertainty.
The numbers don't lie: a tale of two audiences
Winderbaum’s comments, delivered on The Escape Pod podcast, suggest a perplexing disconnect. He insists She-Hulk resonated with a broad viewership, a claim somewhat undermined by the show's abysmal performance on Rotten Tomatoes. While critics gave it a respectable 80% approval rating, audiences delivered a scathing 32% score—the lowest of any Marvel series, even eclipsing the critically panned Secret Invasion and the swiftly cancelled Marvel’s Inhumans.
The sheer scale of the budget further complicates matters. At a reported $225 million overall, She-Hulk’s cost ballooned significantly, largely due to the extensive use of CGI to portray Tatiana Maslany's character. Consider this: Thunderbolts/The New Avengers, a full-length Marvel film, carried a $180 million price tag, while the critically acclaimed Agatha: All Along managed to deliver compelling television for a mere $40 million. The gulf is staggering.
A shift in strategy: marvel's cost-cutting measures
Marvel Studios' recent pivot towards more cost-effective television productions—rebranding its output under the Marvel Television banner—strongly suggests She-Hulk is an outlier. Shows like Daredevil: Born Again and the reportedly ultra-budget-friendly Wonder Man exemplify this new strategy, prioritizing long-term viability over splashy, expensive one-offs.
The question now becomes: does Tatiana Maslany’s Jennifer Walters belong on a streaming service struggling to justify such lavish spending, or is her potential better served on the big screen? A cameo in this year’s Avengers: Doomsday seems unlikely, but a more substantial role in next year’s Avengers: Secret Wars remains a possibility. However, given Marvel’s penchant for ruthless pruning—a tactic recently employed with Emilia Clarke’s Secret Invasion character—a complete erasure of the character isn’t out of the question.
“I’d love to have the opportunity to make more She-Hulk,” Winderbaum conceded, a sentiment delivered with a palpable lack of conviction. “Hopefully one day. Maybe.” He might be wishing for a comeback that simply won't materialize.