Jessica Gao, Kevin Feige Argue Over KEVIN AI Cameo – The Hollywood Reporter

[This story contains spoilers for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.]

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Lead writer and EP Jessica Gao He is grateful to the president of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige Chamber and her writers encouraged flipping the script on a typical Marvel ending. Instead of CG facing off with a baddie, Jen Walters/She-Hulk (Tatiana MaslanyI smashed the fourth wall and used the Disney+ interface to end up at Marvel Studios where I discussed the end of the show with an AI inspired by Kevin Feige named KEVIN

Gao wrote no fewer than 20 different versions of the final episode, all of which featured a traditional Marvel ending, but Feige ultimately freed her from that thinking.

It was Kevin who said, ‘There’s no reason to do a big Marvel ending. It did a completely different show than anything we’ve done before, so there’s absolutely no reason to treat it as a typical Marvel movie.” The Hollywood Reporter. “That really got the wheels going about really getting out of the box and doing something more true to this show, as opposed to what is true for a typical Marvel project.”

However, the two designers paid attention to the details about KEVIN as Gao felt the robot should wear a hat reminiscent of Feige’s trademark caps. But Fiji thought the choice didn’t make sense for the robot, prompting Gao to stick to her guns and even consider exiting the project.

“I was grumpy, and at this big meeting, in front of about 20 people, I said, ‘Kevin, if you won’t let me put a hat on this robot, I quit,’” Zhao recalls, laughing. second, and he just went, ‘Thank you very much, Jessica. You’ve done some great work for us, and we really appreciate everything.’

Fortunately, Gao and Feige can now be laughing at the dust as visual development supervisor Jackson Sze brokered an immediate compromise.

“Sweet Jackson Sze, who has always been the vis-dev team leader and moderator, very kindly suggested that they incorporate something into the robot’s design that would make it look like it was wearing a hat, and that was the perfect compromise,” says Zhao.

In a recent conversation with THRIn this article, Gao also explains the creative choices behind the Hulk’s son Skaar, as well as Blonsky’s and Wong’s latest prison arrest.

you too Tell I’ve already liked to bully Kevin Feige, and I have to imagine that the epilogue took that statement into account on some level. So how did Kevin first react to switching to artificial intelligence?

(Laugh.) He was very supportive. He was all for it, and this scene very much reflects the relationship I have with him. A lot of the conversation in this scene is from conversations I had with him, but the sticking point we had about this whole thing was whether or not the robot would wear a hat. In the first draft, the robot was described as meeting Akira with an AI robot/brain similar to the HAL 9000, and the text specifically said it was wearing a small black baseball cap on top. And the real-life Kevin said, “Well, that doesn’t make sense. Why is the robot wearing a hat?” And I said, “That’s the logical problem you have with this Kevin? Not that [She-Hulk] The final 4th wall crashes, comes to Marvel Studios, and struggles her way to meet you as a real robot, but is that a fact that a robot shouldn’t wear a hat? ‘ And he said, ‘Yes, that makes no sense. So she shouldn’t have a hat.” So I was furious, and at this big meeting, in front of nearly 20 people, I said, “Kevin, if you don’t let me put a hat on this robot, I quit.” (Laugh.) And then he paused for a split second, and just went, “Thank you very much, Jessica. You’ve done some great work for us, and we really appreciate everything.” (Laugh.)

My God.

Then the cute Jackson Sze, who was the lead developer and moderator, very kindly suggested that they incorporate something into the robot’s design that would make it look like it was wearing a hat, and that was the perfect flexibility. And Kevin was like, “Okay, that’s fine because that makes sense.” And I said, “Okay, great. As long as that makes sense.”

Breaking the fourth wall has always been built into character and show, but what is the origin story behind this degree of fourth wall breakage?

It’s been a very, very long way. We’ve been through many different versions of this ending. I probably wrote at least 20 copies. At first, I took it very wrong, thinking, “Okay, now that it’s the end, I have to make it a Marvel show. That’s the point where I have to follow the Marvel formula. We should enjoy the show. We have to do something different. But At the end of the day, there’s a certain way Marvel likes to end things, and that’s what I have to do.” So I tried several versions of it and had a big battle with the big bad, but nothing felt right. There were two-digit versions, but nothing went right.

Then it was Kevin who said, “There’s no reason to do a big Marvel ending. This isn’t a Marvel movie. I did a completely different show than anything we’ve done before, so there’s absolutely no reason to treat it as a typical Marvel movie.” Do the thing that this always will be.” It was very liberating and inspiring. That’s really what got the wheels about really getting out of the box and doing something more true to this show, as opposed to what’s true for a typical Marvel project.

It’s commendable that Marvel had a sense of humor about making Jen go through a list of criticisms and frequently asked questions about the MCU. Were you surprised that you got away with certain things?

Absolutely. I’m surprised I got away with most of that conversation, but that’s the great thing about Kevin. He loves to have fun, and has a sense of humor, both about himself and about Marvel. And just in general.

Since I last spoke to you, Kevin has hired someone else Ricky and Morty clerk [Jeff Loveness for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty]. I think Jeff is number three with you and Michael Waldron. Have you asked Kevin about his preoccupation with you and your peers?

(Laugh.) It’s a joke that this is where they go for my book, but it works for them. If it isn’t broken, why is it fixed?

In the eighth episode, she played the role of reckless I’ve recreated some of Daredevil’s old moves, and I’ve also honored his fight sequences in the lobby. Is it the same as Murdock died?Charlie Cox), only in a new path?

We have never, categorically, been asked to deal with it one way or the other. The approach with Marvel has always been that they don’t really set restrictions before we start working on something. They just let us show what we want to do, and say yes or no. So basically all of this is just a result of getting carte blanche to show us what we want, and then they’ll just say yes.

I set up leads with Hulk and Skaar, as well as Blonsky and Wong. How much has Marvel told you where these characters are headed?

Well, with Blonsky and the Wongers, it was because it wasn’t right for Blonsky to be in jail. He took personal responsibility, and ultimately ended up being mostly good. But no matter how good or bad he did on the show, his friendship with Jen was real. His relationship with Jane was real, and when he was helping her during the retreat, it was also real. So because they have this relationship and this intimacy through therapy, we didn’t want to see him locked up forever. So this was really just to give Blonsky a happy ending.

And with Skaar, we’ve talked a lot about a big, fun cameo that we could drop as a tag at the end, or do something Marvel and tease a new character. This would have been awesome too. But in the end, it was Kevin who decided he wanted to introduce Scar. So you have to ask Kevin himself about his plans for it.

Well, congratulations on a great series, and I hope you bully Kevin on Green Light season two.

(Laugh.) Thank you so much.

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She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Available now on Disney+. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.