Marvel Studios has always been known for its heavy use of CGI to design its battles, destruction, and heroic abilities, but in some cases, it’s even been used to create entire characters. Characters like Thanos, Hulk, and Groot have been created completely digitally with renowned talent lending vocals. Soon, the MCU will introduce the first fully CGI in She-Hulk: Lawyers at Law.
The nine-episode Disney+ legal comedy will see Tatiana Maslany build her MCU as Jennifer Walters, better known as She-Hulk, Bruce Banner’s cousin. Between Maslany’s She-Hulk and Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk, VFX-heavy characters will be an integral part of Marvel Studios’ next Disney+ series, so it’s important for them to have high standards.
Poor She-Hulk CGI Results
The first trailer for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law was met with viral controversy as many criticized how the character appeared on screen. The direct upload of the trailer to Disney+ then offered a significant improvement over the version posted to YouTube, and now, several VFX professionals have explained why that is.
The VFX artists at Corridor Crew reacted to the first trailer for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and offered an explanation for the CGI issues that have stirred controversy in recent months.
Corridor Crew first praised one incredibly realistic and believable shot at the bar, before going on to describe the trailer as “rewinding from totally convincing to Shrek.” However, the group concluded that the trailer did not feature “junk VFX”, blaming internet culture for the overreaction.
Artist Wren Weichman explained that the issue appears to stem from fan reactions to YouTube uploads of trailers that have been compressed to reduce the file size which usually results in lower quality videos.
Because of the compression they export before uploading it to YouTube, which smooths out all those details, so you get a smooth green look that’s very springy. This detail is much more visible in the Disney+ trailer upload.
Weichman goes on to explain that this same issue doesn’t bother Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk in the trailer because of the details on his face – such as the beard, crow’s feet, and forehead wrinkles – that “compression can’t be removed.” But that doesn’t mean the end result will be the same, fans will have to wait until She-Hulk: Attorney at Law premieres on Disney+ on August 17 to see how CGI changes.