It was recently announced that Marvel has cast Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany to play the title role in Disney+’s She-Hulk series. In the months since the series was announced, fans have been offering up their own choices for who should play Bruce Banner’s similarly powered cousin. Some fan castings seemed like great ideas, but Maslany will surely do a terrific job with the role.
The MCU’s casting team has yet to make a wrong move, recruiting the perfect actor for each role (from Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man to Brie Larson as Captain Marvel), so fans have faith in Maslany’s casting. Plenty of other actors could’ve done a fine job, too.
Tatiana Maslany Was The Best Thing About Orphan Black
Tatiana Maslany’s most famous previous work is starring in the Canadian sci-fi thriller series Orphan Black. The show was acclaimed by critics throughout its entire run, and Maslany’s performance was always lauded as the best part of the show.
Required to play various clones of the same character, Maslany really got to show off the range of her talent on the show. It wouldn’t have worked nearly as well without her contributions.
Alternative: Alison Brie
One of the most popular fan castings for She-Hulk was Alison Brie. She has the bubbly charisma to play Jen Walters, while her wrestling scenes in Netflix’s G.L.O.W. proved her ability to play physically demanding roles.
Plus, the surprising and heartbreaking cancelation of G.L.O.W. would have freed up the room to play a series lead in Brie’s schedule.
Tatiana Maslany Has Massive Emotional Range
It takes a lot of emotional range to play a Marvel superhero. The MCU’s detractors would scoff at that statement, but an actor does need to work overtime to convince an audience that they’re a superhero and that the CGI spectacle around them represents a real threat.
Throughout her whole career, but particularly in her star-making turn in Orphan Black, Maslany has consistently proven her ability to tap into a broad spectrum of human emotion.
Alternative: Aisha Tyler
Unlike her cousin Bruce, Jen loves her Hulk powers and, depending on the point in her character’s timeline, she spends more time as She-Hulk than she does in her normal human form. The She-Hulk character will almost certainly be computer-generated, but it wouldn’t hurt to have an actor who towers over their co-stars.
At six feet tall, Aisha Tyler fits the bill. And it’s not just her physicality. From her dramatic turn in Criminal Minds to her comedic turn in Archer, Tyler has proven she could play Jen Walters with ease.
Tatiana Maslany Recently Starred In A Show About Lawyers
It’s appropriate that Maslany has been cast as Jen Walters, because Jen is a lawyer and Maslany’s most recent project was all about lawyers. HBO’s Perry Mason rebooted the iconic legal drama with an origin story that took the defense attorney back to his days as a private investigator.
Maslany didn’t play a lawyer on the show – she played a preacher named Sister Alice McKeegan – but she must’ve picked up a lot of the jargon and the energy of the actors portraying lawyers.
Alternative: Stephanie Beatriz
Another popular fan casting for the role of Jen Walters was Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Stephanie Beatriz, who has been doing a great job of playing a kick-ass crimefighter on that show.
Like Jen Walters, Rosa Diaz doesn’t take any crap from anyone. In fact, she’s the one who doles out the crap on other people. She could’ve made an awesome She-Hulk.
Tatiana Maslany Has Untapped Comedic Chops
Maslany has rarely been cast in comedic projects, with casting producers often utilizing her dramatic toolkit, but she proved in her short run as one of Tom’s love interests on Parks and Recreation that she has untapped comic talents.
The MCU’s projects have all had a great sense of humor. All the Marvel actors are required to have some comedic abilities to deliver the one-liners – and based on Jen Walters’ personality, the She-Hulk series will be no different – and Maslany will get a chance to spread her comedy wings like never before.
Alternative: Aubrey Plaza
Anyone playing Jen Walters would need a fiery wit, a palpable lovability, and a sharp sense of humor. Parks and Rec’s Aubrey Plaza has all these things in spades.
Plaza has also shown off a dark side with roles in Legion and the surprisingly decent Child’s Play reboot, which the She-Hulk series could’ve explored further.
Tatiana Maslany Can Play Anyone
Whenever Maslany had to play a different character in Orphan Black, she created a whole new personality for them. She’d come up with a new voice for them, a new way for them to walk, new body language – she’d completely reinvent herself.
Maslany’s acting in Orphan Black was some of the best on television. She was more than deserving of her Emmy win and, frankly, deserved more than one award for her work on the show. There’s no doubt that she can play a fantastic incarnation of Jen Walters that’s emotionally engaging and true to the source material.
Alternative: Charlize Theron
Jen Walters pursues simultaneous careers as a superhero and a lawyer, so an actor playing her would need to be able to capture both sides: the professional and the ass-kicker.
Charlize Theron’s recent action-oriented roles in movies like Mad Max: Fury Road and Atomic Blonde have proven her to be more than capable of playing a superhero, while her ability to play a level-headed professional has been seen in films like Bombshell and Long Shot.