She Hulk Controversy: When Confronted with Disputed CGI, She-Director Hulk Defends Thanos!

The second live-action Disney+ series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, following Ms. Marvel, is She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. The Tatiana Maslany-led series’ marketing has ramped up recently, largely because of its impending August debut. However, the program’s heavily criticized CGI is one of the most popular topics of conversation on the internet.

Fans publicly criticized the show’s CGI upon the release of the She-Hulk teaser, with some saying that it is “unfinished” and “doesn’t look fantastic.” She-CGI Hulk’s problem was brought up by several VFX professionals, who blamed YouTube’s compression and called creating a fully CGI character “one of the most challenging things ever.”

The series’ Titania, played by Jameela Jamil, responded to the criticisms made of her appearance. In a recent interview, the program’s director responded to the criticism.

She-Hulk Director Responds to CGI Backlash

Through Gamesradar, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’s director, Kat Coiro, spoke with SFX Magazine about the controversy surrounding the show’s use of CGI. Prior to production, the crew spent months perfecting the design of the main character, which was then modified in post-production, according to Coiro:

It really comes down to looking at the design and asking, “Are these facial expressions and emotions subtleties being captured? At this point, simple fine-tuning enters the picture.

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Coiro acknowledged the criticism, but added that they had expected it and that the reactions were because “she is so unlike anything we’ve seen,” like Thanos or the Hulk:

“I think a lot of the emotions come from how different she is from anything we’ve ever seen. The Hulk and Thanos are completely dissimilar in their grotesqueness, roughness, and weight. And since we’ve never seen her before, it’s almost startling when you catch a peek at her.

The Marry Me director worked closely with Victoria Alonso, President of Physical, Post Production, VFX, and Animation at  Marvel Studios, during post-production to improve She-appearance: Hulk’s

She has a great eye, and I think that a lot of it is a result of her emotional gut instinct, which is backed up by years of technical expertise. Coiro continued by sharing what she had learned from working with Alonso, saying that the executive’s “real emotional reaction” to the visual effects had taught her a lot about the entire process.

She continues to exhibit a sincere emotional reaction to the visual impacts, which I find quite intriguing. I’ve learned a lot about what makes something work or not, as well as what causes it to enter the uncanny valley, through observing her work. And capturing the actor’s performance is always the key.

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Marvel’s CGI Problem and Fans’ Harsh Reactions

While there are a number of plausible explanations for the She-subpar CGI for the Hulk, Kat Coiro’s latest comments offer clarification to clear up any confusion. The VFX artists of Corridor Crew’s earlier claim that the MCU hero does not live in the “uncanny valley” is compatible with the director’s comments regarding the team’s emphasis on the titular character’s facial expressions:

For us, he does not live in the valley of the unfamiliar. He does not closely resemble a person, to start. His face is square. Up here, Chad is essentially a massive mass of muscle. Second, it no longer stimulates our senses in the same manner as She-Hulk does because we have grown acclimated to it.

Josh Brolin’s Thanos benefited from the advancements in CGI and mo-cap technology during Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame because his facial expressions and details were depicted more convincingly. Marvel Studios had to alter She-on-screen Hulk’s portrayal because of the character’s distinctiveness.

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There is still no excuse for the poor CGI, but there is a good chance that it will be improved before the Disney+ release. Given Victoria Alonso’s background and proficiency with CG work, Coiro’s claim that she and Alonso are working closely together is hopeful. Alonso is the president of physical, post-production, VFX, and animation at Marvel Studios.

The budget for the show may also have contributed to the decline in CGI costs. She-Hulk is the first MCU series to have an all-CGI lead character, thus it may have been challenging for the production team to mix the right amount of CG effects given how VFX-intensive it is. This led to a visually unimpressive outcome.

Hopefully, Marvel Studios‘ Hall H event will address the She-Hulk CGI fiasco by releasing a final trailer with updated visual effects.