She-Hulk: Attorney at Law head writer, Jessica Gao, recently revealed that the show's jokes could not be too mean about the MCU. The legal action-comedy stars Orphan Black's Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer Walters, a defense attorney who has been hired to represent super-humans in a court of law. As a result of a car accident, Walters' blood is accidentally contaminated with Bruce Banner's (Mark Ruffalo). This inadvertently causes her to transform into a towering green muscular version of herself that has inherited the Hulk's powers.

Billed as a comedy first and foremost, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is crammed with jokes. Many of these are aimed at the unique situation that Walters finds herself in, but some poke fun at the MCU itself. Episode 1's running joke centered on Captain America's suspected virginity while episode 2 broke the fourth wall with a reference to the fact that the Hulk actor had changed following the character's introduction in The Incredible Hulk. However, it seems, that some early jokes were just too mean to tell.

Related: Eternals’ Massive Celestial Plot Hole Finally Addressed By Marvel

In a recent interview with IGN, Gao revealed that Marvel Studios restricted her and her team of writers regarding jokes aimed at the MCU. When asked if there were any jokes where Marvel requested to be toned down, the showrunner shared that the only jokes they were not allowed to tell were the ones that were too harsh to the Marvel franchise. Read what Gao said below.

"Yeah, I mean, most of the time, the only jokes that they really forced us to pull back on were when we were being a little too mean when we were poking fun at Marvel things."

Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer Walters drinking with Mark Ruffalo as Smart Hulk in She-Hulk

Marvel Studios likely placed restrictions on She-Hulk: Attorney at Law's MCU jokes to protect the integrity of the MCU franchise. The company probably understands that there are perceived negative aspects of the franchise, to include plot holes and inconsistencies, and would rather not have its own people tear down what Marvel Studios took over a decade to build. Although, the studio has allowed Gao and her team to take jabs at the franchise in the series, Marvel would rather the jokes to be relatively light in order to guard its property.

Although, Marvel Studios has restricted She-Hulk: Attorney at Law from going too hard on the massive superhero franchise, Gao recently stated that she was surprised at the relative freedom she was given when writing the series. Instead of asking for permission, she thought it was better to include what she wanted with the hope that she would be turned down. For example, the topic of Captain America's sex life was not only approved but added upon by Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige himself who detailed when Steve Rogers lost his virginity. With reins placed on She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, audiences can still expect some light ribbing at the expense of the MCU as the series goes forward.

Source: IGN

Key Release Dates