She-Hulk isn’t new. She’s been around since 1980, when Stan Lee and John Buscema created a female variant of The Hulk who was Bruce Banner’s cousin. I don’t know much about her, since I’m not a big comics person, but I do know Jennifer Walters was given Banner’s blood in a transfusion. Since then, her gimmick has been that she’s The Hulk, but shorter, less-aggressive and with her cognition fully-intact. Make of that what you will.
The issue at hand here is a post-credits scene from the Disney+ show, where She-Hulk and her best-friend are twerking in her office. It’s short, silly and gained plenty of ire. In particular, it’s received backlash from people who think it’s “disgusting” and “offensive”. It’s as if, in their eyes, Marvel has “lost the plot”. And that’s “bad”.
I shouldn’t even be writing this. Not only is there real criticism with The MCU in general, some of which I’ve covered, but Marvel characters dancing isn’t new. Star-Lord danced in front of Ronan the Accuser in Guardians of the Galaxy. Baron Zemo, rather awkwardly, danced in a club in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Even pre-MCU, Peter Parker danced in Spider-Man 3 during his symbiote phase. Dancing badly is an age-old phenomenon by now.
I’d ask the obvious “Why is She-Hulk twerking any different?”, but we know the answer. It’s why Captain Marvel being overpowered was a problem, why that moment in The Avengers: Endgame where the super-heroines helped Spider-Man was too, and why Ms. Marvel existing was most of all. It’s sexism. In other words, it’s okay for males to do this, but women? No!
I’m curious how small some peoples’ worlds are if this is a controversy. The MCU has real issues. Disney, the company that owns Marvel, has more. Like I said, I’ve covered some of those in the past. You’d think those issues would get traction, right? Nope! Instead, we’re discussing the “negative implications” of a female attorney shaking her booty. The world is so cruel…
It's annoying because She-Hulk, like her cousin, is comical. She even breaks the fourth-wall repeatedly, which, apparently, is a running joke in the show. Her twerking, therefore, isn’t such a stretch. Besides, isn’t dancing a pastime of youth? Or am I the oddball here?
I’m curious how small some peoples’ worlds are if this is a controversy. The MCU has real issues. Disney, the company that owns Marvel, has more. Like I said, I’ve covered some of those in the past. You’d think those issues would get traction, right? Nope! Instead, we’re discussing the “negative implications” of a female attorney shaking her booty. The world is so cruel…
It's annoying because She-Hulk, like her cousin, is comical. She even breaks the fourth-wall repeatedly, which, apparently, is a running joke in the show. Her twerking, therefore, isn’t such a stretch. Besides, isn’t dancing a pastime of youth? Or am I the oddball here?
Female characters in fiction are routinely subjected to a level of scrutiny that their male peers aren’t: Harley Quinn can’t be in a relationship with Poison Ivy because she’s subservient to The Joker, who’s abusive. Batgirl can’t be a relatable teenager because she plays second-fiddle to Batman. Even with Marvel, Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel can’t compete with Captain America and Spider-Man because “that’s man’s stuff”. In short, women can’t be human beings.
It’s this kind of thinking that trickles down to reality. We’re seeing that with Roe V Wade’s overturning in The US: regardless of your stance on abortion, not giving women the option to have them is creating unwanted stresses. Women deserve better, and fiction also plays a role in how society operates, even if minuscule. It also shines a mirror on societal standards and expectations. But I’ve covered that too…
Besides, She-Hulk twerking, what I’ve seen, is cute. She’s having fun, and isn’t that what matters? And yes, she does point out earlier that she hates being catcalled. But that has no correlation with her dancing, especially in private. I think that distinction’s important, as unnecessary as it is to point out.
It’s this kind of thinking that trickles down to reality. We’re seeing that with Roe V Wade’s overturning in The US: regardless of your stance on abortion, not giving women the option to have them is creating unwanted stresses. Women deserve better, and fiction also plays a role in how society operates, even if minuscule. It also shines a mirror on societal standards and expectations. But I’ve covered that too…
Besides, She-Hulk twerking, what I’ve seen, is cute. She’s having fun, and isn’t that what matters? And yes, she does point out earlier that she hates being catcalled. But that has no correlation with her dancing, especially in private. I think that distinction’s important, as unnecessary as it is to point out.
What’s the end-goal of this anyway? Is it to validate the frustrations of male nerds? Because it’s doing the opposite. Is it to make their voices heard? Because it’s doing that, but not how they want. Or is to quiet outsiders who are now interested in their hobby? Because that’s not working either.
I don’t think nerds realize how spoiled they’ve been recently. Their passions, once niche, are now taken seriously by everyone. With The MCU, I over-heard two women discussing The Avengers: Endgame on the bus a few years ago. Our interests are widespread now! Isn’t that what we wanted? Isn’t that good?
Because if so, that means we should embrace new fans, right? And that includes women, doesn’t it? And that includes women having fun too, right? So why is it offensive that She-Hulk twerks? Especially when Star-Lord and Zemo dancing were both seen as endearing? What’s with-oh right, sexism. Never mind!
I don’t think nerds realize how spoiled they’ve been recently. Their passions, once niche, are now taken seriously by everyone. With The MCU, I over-heard two women discussing The Avengers: Endgame on the bus a few years ago. Our interests are widespread now! Isn’t that what we wanted? Isn’t that good?
Because if so, that means we should embrace new fans, right? And that includes women, doesn’t it? And that includes women having fun too, right? So why is it offensive that She-Hulk twerks? Especially when Star-Lord and Zemo dancing were both seen as endearing? What’s with-oh right, sexism. Never mind!
I think critics of this moment need to grow up. If this moment bothers you, and it shouldn’t, so what? The show isn’t about She-Hulk twerking, right? There are other aspects that are more worthy of conversation, like if having a superhero law division is such a good idea. That’s what we should be discussing, not if a woman’s dancing “offends” you!
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