The hiring is the first creative development on the series since it was announced by Marvel head Kevin Feige at Disney’s D23 Fan Expo. The move comes as Moon Knight, a fellow show announced at the expo along with Ms. Marvel, also finds its authorial voice.
The last major character to be co-created by Stan Lee, She-Hulk is Jennifer Walters, an attorney and cousin of Bruce Banner, aka The Hulk. An emergency blood transfusion from her cousin gave Walters her powers but unlike Banner/Hulk, She-Hulk was able to keep her intelligence and personality when she Hulked out.
The character’s first comic series and her initial appearances as an eventual member of the Fantastic Four in the 1980s played her heroism fairly straight but a relaunch by writer-artist John Byrne in 1989 saw the character veer into meta comedy. In the 2000s, her series have kept the comedy vibe, playing on the conflict of having a tall, muscular green-skinned lady act as a lawyer for all types. Think a superheroic Ally McBeal.
Gao’s hiring points to how Marvel may be approaching the series. The scribe, repped by 3 Arts Entertainment, has numerous animation credits such as Nickelodeon’s The Mighty B! as well as her work on Rick and Morty. She won an Emmy for penning the episode “Pickle Rick.” She also wrote episodes of HBO’s Silicon Valley and wrote and exec produced a comedy pilot for ABC titled Lazy Rich Asians, which shot this year.
Marvel had no comment.
