She-Hulk: who is Marvel Comics character played by Tatiana Maslany in Disney+ series – and when is it out?

Marvel’s latest Disney+ series stars Tatiana Maslany as She-Hulk – while not quite the most obscure character they’ve ever committed to screen, she’s also not quite permeated pop culture on the level of Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, or her cousin the Hulk either.

With that in mind, you might be wondering… who actually is She-Hulk? What’s the fictional history of the character, and what’s the real-world publication history of the character? What’s her origin story and who are her big villains? Does she have a side kick?

Here’s everything you need to know about She-Hulk ahead of the character’s Disney+ debut.

Who is She-Hulk?

She-Hulk is the superpowered alter-ego of Jennifer Walters, an attorney living in New York City. Walters is Bruce Banner’s cousin – and, much like him, turns into a big green monster whenever she’s angry or stressed.

Or, sort of, anyway. Walters has a little bit more control over her powers (and her temper) than her cousin, and her transformation is a little less dramatic; rather than becoming a full hulk, she just becomes a couple of feet taller, a bit more muscular, and considerably greener. It’s a little easier to manage, as lifestyles go, though obviously still presents its own problems.

In both her human and superhuman guises, Jennifer Walters works in the Superhuman Law division of the New York legal firm Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway.

What is She-Hulk’s origin story?

Bruce Banner (who is, lest we forget, Jennifer Walters’ cousin – her mother and his father were siblings) got his Hulk powers by experimenting with Gamma radiation. Not long after his first transformation, Bruce went to see Jennifer to tell her what had happened and ask her advice – but arrived shortly after she’d been caught in a car crash.

With her life hanging in the balance, Bruce agrees to donate blood to Jennifer – but a transfusion of his Hulk blood ended up causing Jennifer to develop similar powers too, albeit to a slightly lesser extent.

There’s been some suggestion that the Disney+ series might change aspects of this backstory – perhaps seeing both Bruce and Jennifer caught in the car crash together – but the basic building blocks are likely to remain intact.

Who is She-Hulk’s arch-nemesis? Does she have a sidekick?

One of She-Hulk’s recurring enemies is Titania, a rival of Jennifer’s first introduced in a 1984 crossover comic. Not unlike She-Hulk, Titania’s powers result in a physical transformation, taking her from small and frail to someone bigger and stronger.

Titania gets her powers after making a deal with the villainous Doctor Doom – while Titania is appearing in the upcoming Disney+ show, Doctor Doom likely won’t, so her origin story is likely to be a little different onscreen. Jameela Jamil is set to play Titania in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, and The Good Place star has described her character as like a villainous, annoying influencer.

She-Hulk doesn’t really have a sidekick, but she’s close friends with a number of different superheroes – one of particular note being Daredevil, another superhero lawyer, who’s set to appear in the upcoming Disney+ series.

What’s the real-world publication history of the character?

Jennifer Walters first appeared in 1980, in the comic book The Savage She-Hulk (she was, interestingly, the last character created by Stan Lee during his first stint at Marvel). The character was created as a bit of intellectual property wrangling: at the time, there was quite a popular Hulk television series, and Marvel was concerned that the series might introduce a She-Hulk, much like how The Six Million Dollar Man had spun-off into The Bionic Woman.

If The Incredible Hulk (1977) had introduced a female equivalent to the Hulk, the producers of that show would’ve owned the character – creating a version in the comic books was an attempt to pre-empt that, and ensure that any variation on the idea would be one Marvel owned (and could make money from).

The character has recurred ever since, at times joining both the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. In the late 1980s, writer John Byrne introduced the idea that She-Hulk is aware she’s a fictional character in a comic book, and the character has become known for breaking the fourth wall ever since. (In the television series, that’s going to be expressed in the form of Fleabag-esque asides to the audience.)

Have they ever tried to make a She-Hulk television show or film before?

A few television projects petered out in early development in the 1980s (the character never did appear on The Incredible Hulk, in the end) before a solo movie entered production in 1990. Larry Cohen (Perfect Strangers, A Return to Salem’s Lot) was attached to write and direct, but ultimately the film never progressed past a few early publicity photos of star Brigitte Nielsen (Red Sonja, Rocky IV).

The upcoming She-Hulk: Attorney at Law series entered development in August 2019, with filming delayed until April 2021 due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law begins on Disney+ on Thursday 18 August.