She-Hulk beats Deadpool at breaking the fourth wall
Marvel/Disney+Deadpool is known for his wisecracks to the camera, but you may be surprised to find that She-Hulk has beaten him by breaking the MCU’s fourth wall.
The MCU has introduced a new Marvel Comics hero in their newest Disney+ show, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and it is full of fourth-wall breaking.
She-Hulk follows Jenn Walters (Tatiana Maslany), a lawyer who also happens to be a Hulk, as she attempts to survive the courtroom, her dating life, and those who keep trying to attack her. One thing that sets She-Hulk apart is that she talks to the audience rather frequently, giving exposition and making jokes about the events of the episode.
Now, obviously, we’ve seen a fourth-wall-breaking Marvel superhero on the screen before. Deadpool first appeared in cinemas in 2016, and with him came a bunch of wise-cracking meta jokes. However, there’s a way in which She-Hulk has him beat.
She-Hulk is the first MCU hero to break the fourth wall, not Deadpool
As can be seen in the She-Hulk trailers, the titular green gal loves to make jokes to the camera. This was actually a product of the comics, as within those pages Jenn Walters would consistently make meta references and argue with the edition’s writer and artists.
Deadpool is obviously known for having this trait, and it was arguably the best part of his film series, which began in 2016 and starred Ryan Reynolds as the titular “Merc with a mouth.”
Because of how iconic Deadpool is, fans may think of him as the trailblazer when it comes to breaking the fourth wall.
However, since Deadpool has yet to join the MCU – which is still in the cards after 20th Century Fox merged with Disney – that means that She-Hulk is officially the first MCU hero to break the fourth wall on screen.
This seems fitting, as She-Hulk had jumped on the meta train long before Deadpool did in the comics as well.
She-Hulk star Tatiana Maslany talks breaking the fourth wall before Deadpool
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, She-Hulk actress Tatiana Maslany discussed how she was proud of the fact that she is officially the first superhero to break the fourth wall in the MCU, and that she has a leg up on Ryan Reynolds.
“Yeah, that was all I needed. That’s the reason I took this part. I just wanted to beat [Deadpool],” Maslany joked.
But the fact that Deadpool will be joining the MCU alongside She-Hulk will no doubt make for some interesting possibilities, such as a fourth wall breaking duel between the pair.
“That would be so great. We’re both trying to fight for fourth wall supremacy and who owns the fourth wall more. I think he’d win, but I’d take him up,” Maslany stated.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episode 2 will premiere on Disney+ on August 25.