Following yesterday’s announcement that Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany is She-Hulk for Disney+, Avengers: Endgame star Mark Ruffalo has now taken to social media to welcome the actress into the fold. From his message, you can clearly tell that Ruffalo is as excited for the series as the rest of us, with the actor pleased to welcome his on-screen cousin to the MCU gang.
“Welcome to the family, cuz! @tatianamaslany #SheHulk.”
Ruffalo joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe back in 2012’s The Avengers, taking over the role of Bruce Banner/Hulk from Edward Norton who left the franchise following The Incredible Hulk. Since then, Ruffalo has appeared across the MCU, starring in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. His natural likeability and comic timing have made his Bruce Banner an endearing, comforting presence amongst the comic book movie chaos, with the actor equally able to portray the torment necessary for the Jekyll-and-Hyde character.
While the Hulk/Banner relationship began as you would expect for his first few appearances, things had changed by the time Thor: Ragnarok rolled around, with Mark Ruffalo spending more time as the green behemoth and thus carving out a character completely unique to his human alter ego. Avengers: Endgame is when the situation really evolved though, with Banner and Hulk now sharing one body and becoming what has been dubbed Professor Hulk. Fans have since been wondering whether we will see this version of the character again, with many hoping that he will at least be given a cameo in the upcoming She-Hulk series.
Speaking of She-Hulk, Tatiana Maslany’s casting comes amid reports that the series will begin production early next year in Atlanta. The series recently brought director Kat Coiro on board to direct several episodes and serve as She-Hulk’s showrunner. Corio is known for directing episodes of such highly regarded shows as It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Shameless, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Modern Family, and Dead to Me.
Tatiana Maslany is now all set to lead the series as the titular Hulk family member. Known for roles in such big screen ventures as Stronger starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Destroyer starring Nicole Kidman, Maslany is best known for her exemplary work on the science fiction thriller series, Orphan Black. Starring as a streetwise hustler who is pulled into a conspiracy after witnessing the suicide of a girl who looks just like her, Orphan Black finds Maslany playing a multitude of characters, all of whom are uniquely different in appearance and demeanor.
She-Hulk will center on Jennifer Walters (Maslany), who is a lawyer and cousin of Bruce Banner. Jennifer inherits Banner’s Hulk powers after receiving a blood transfusion from him but, unlike Bruce, when she hulks out Jennifer can retain most of her personality, intelligence, and, crucially, emotional control.
She-Hulk is one of a few Marvel series set to premiere on Disney+, with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier due for release this fall, and WandaVision scheduled to debut in December 2020. The streaming service also has several series in development including Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel and Moon Knight, as well as an animated What If…? series which is currently in the works. This comes to us courtesy of Mark Ruffalo’s official Twitter account.
