Marvel is in a tough spot right now. After having announced their upcoming slate as a part of San Diego Comic-Con, the Hollywood giant has been rocked in the court of public opinion after reports of burnout have emerged amongst the MCU's VFX artists. Complaints of burnout and constant changes needing to be made (like the ones fans have seen in the lead-up to She-Hulk) were the primary sticking points of the accusation.
This has seemingly opened the floodgates with more members of the VFX community coming forth and voicing their opinions on working with Marvel, all singing a pretty similarly depressing tune.
With these reports being brought forward, surely, they are bound to become a talking point on the various promotion cycles Marvel either has going or is about to embark on. And that is exactly what has happened with the cast of She-Hulk.
Marvel Star Speaks Out on VFX Controversy
She-Hulk star Tatiana Maslany addressed the recent reports of burnout amongst MCU VFX artists while on a panel at the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour.
The actress acknowledged the conditions behind-the-scenes are "not always optimal:"
"We have to be conscious of how the work conditions are not always optimal."
As reported by Variety, Maslany went further into detail remarking that she feels "incredibly like deferential to how talented these artists are" and "how quickly they have to work:"
“Yeah, I mean, I feel incredibly like deferential to how talented these artists are and how quickly they have to work, obviously, like much quicker than probably should be given to them, in terms of like churning these things out.”
Writer on the upcoming Disney+ series Jessica Gao followed this up by saying everyone on the panel "stands in solidarity with workers," calling it "terrible" that "a lot of artists feel rushed" and that "the workload is too massive"
“It’s terrible that a lot of artists feel rushed and like and feel that the the workload is too massive. I mean, I think everybody on this panel stands in solidarity with all workers and it’s very pro good working conditions.”
Tatiana is Only the First
Surely, this is only just the beginning of questions like this being asked of Marvel's biggest stars. If the reports are going to continue to come out, people are going to ask the MCU's best and brightest for their thoughts on the controversy.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is mere weeks away from spinning up its marketing cycle, meaning it will not be long before the likes of Letitia Wright and Ryan Coogler are being asked these very same questions.
And it feels like everyone that will be prodded on the creative side will have very similar comments to Tatiana Maslany and Jessica Gao. As artists themselves, of course, they are going to side with their fellow artists.
They know how it would feel to have their artistic process rushed or work constantly thrown away, and can easily empathize with the VFX community. But, at this point, it is still unknown what changes (if any) Marvel Studios will take to help alleviate the pressure these effects houses are feeling.
She-Hulk debuts on Disney+ on Thursday, August 18.
