She-Hulk Was Canceled Twice Before Marvel’s Disney+ Series

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has turned plenty of less famous Marvel characters into big-screen icons. From Rocket Raccoon and Scarlet Witch to the Falcon, the Eternals, and even Hawkeye. That trend has continued in the franchise’s Disney+ era, with spin-off shows focusing on lesser-known heroes like Moon Knight and She-Hulk. In the latter case, however, previous attempts had been made to adapt the green-skinned heroine for the screen. All ended in roadblocks before Tatiana Maslany finally brought the role to life.

The character of She-Hulk, aka Jennifer Walters, wasn’t created until 1979, midway through the famous “Incredible Hulk” TV series starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno. Following that show’s conclusion in 1982, a series of TV movies were made to continue the story. The third of those, 1990’s “The Death of the Incredible Hulk,” nearly included a live-action version of She-Hulk, but those plans never came to fruition.

With those original TV plans scrapped, a new idea emerged that would put She-Hulk in the starring role of her own ’90s series on ABC. While some reports claim that this project went as far as filming a full pilot, it also never made it to air. Fans of the character were forced to wait decades for her to finally get her own show, though there was one more attempt at a ’90s live-action adaptation, this time for the big screen.

With two different attempts at a TV adaptation down the drain, the next plan to capitalize on She-Hulk’s popularity was a full-blown film. The comic book movie industry hadn’t yet picked up full steam, but there was building momentum thanks to the live-action “Batman” movies and other similar projects. Hollywood icon Brigitte Nielsen was cast in the role of Jennifer Walters, and she even posed for some promotional photos in what would have been her full costume and makeup had the project moved forward. Her look was a bit more ’80s hair metal band than true green superhero, but that was part and parcel of the ’90s era of comic book movies.

In the end, none of these projects made it to the public, and with Disney cancelling the MCU “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” series after just one season, it’s unclear when we might see Jennifer Walters in live action again. According to various sources, including Tatiana Maslany herself, Disney blanched at the final budget for the show and decided not to double down on another batch of episodes. That same reasoning has been the death of a few Star Wars shows on Disney+ recently, including “The Acolyte.”

Given Marvel’s penchant for bringing back old characters in cameo roles, there should be plenty of opportunities for Maslany to return to the role, but that’s not a guarantee. She-Hulk’s irreverent style and comedy was a breath of fresh air for a stale MCU at the time, and it’s a shame to see the character once again swept back to her comic book pages.