"Captain America fu---" may be the final line of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law episode 1, but it won't be the last time the show makes jokes about Steve Rogers' sexual escapades, says director Kat Coiro.
In the Marvel series' premiere, which was released on August 18, Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) wastes no time quizzing her cousin Bruce (Mark Ruffalo) on Cap's romantic history when the pair get together for a family road trip. The titular lawyer spells out the Avenger was frozen in ice having, supposedly, never had a girlfriend – and argues that when he was thawed out, he was much too busy saving the world for hook ups. And if you think that sounds exactly like a debate fans have been having on social media since the release of Captain America: The First Avenger, well, it's justified.
"It's something that comes back, that's all I'll say," Coiro teases in an interview with Total Film, when asked about Jen's amusing fixation with Rogers' alleged virginity. "One thing I love about Marvel is that everyone involved really listens to the fans, and takes in their wishes and desires. I think it's what makes the MCU so strong.
"The writers definitely had their fingers on the pulse about what people were talking about online, and we were able to address all that because the show has that fourth wall-breaking element. The show is very meta and conscious of what's going out into the world regarding the MCU, so that's a direct reflection of the writers' involvement with the internet."
In the first episode's mid-credits scene, Jen pretends to get drunk with Bruce and asks about Cap's love life again. "Steve Rogers is not a virgin. He lost his virginity to a girl in 1943, on the USO tour," Bruce replies reluctantly. (And according to Marvel boss Kevin Feige, that's canon).
Billed as a legal comedy, She-Hulk also stars Ginger Gonzaga, as Jen's super stylish bestie Nikki, Josh Segarra (Jen's colleague Pug), Benedict Wong (Wong), and Tim Roth (Emil Blonsky). Charlie Cox's Daredevil is also geared up to show up at some point across its nine episodes. While Jameela Jamil's villainous Titania is set to cause trouble for Jen as the series progresses, forcing her to embrace her powers, the outing mostly centers on her efforts to try and lead a normal life as a sometime-6-foot-7-inch green superhero.
She-Hulk episode 1 is streaming on Disney Plus now. Episode 2 will be released on Thursday, August 25. While we wait, check out our breakdown of the Marvel timeline to get you up to speed on the MCU.
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I am an Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.