Warning! The following contains spoilers for the She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Season 1 finale. Read at your own risk!
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law closed out its first season this past week with a super meta and bonkers season finale. The episode delivered a lot, including robotic Marvel Studios leader named K.E.V.I.N. (which Kevin Feige was apparently OK with) and a new member of the Hulk family. Despite all of that, some may have been wondering about whereabouts of lovable party girl Madisynn King. Well, now, showrunner Jessica Gao has provided an explanation as for why the fan-favorite character was left out of the finale.
Jessica Gao spoke to TVLine about the She-Hulk Season 1 finale and conveyed that she's more than aware that fans loved Madisynn and likely wanted more of actress Patty Guggenheim's character by the season's conclusion. But unfortunately, given the casting logistics, Guggenheim was ultimately unable to participate. Gao explained:
She was definitely a favorite character. but we wrote the whole season before casting it.
Series director Kat Coiro also revealed that the finale was actually the first episode filmed for the Disney+ series. As mentioned above, at that time, the show hadn't even cast Patty Guggenheim as Madisynn, so there wasn't even a slight chance that she could've appeared in that final installment.
Had the actress gotten the role earlier, however, it's possible that things could've played out differently. Jessica Gao went on to admit that the writers didn't imagine that the character would become so popular, and the producer also shared thoughts on how things would've played out had she and her team known just how much audiences would take to Wong's new BFF:
We all were completely delighted with the character, but never in writing her did we think that she would go that big! It wasn’t until Patty Guggenheim was cast and we saw her work that we were like, ‘Ohhh, this is going to be a breakout character — the Madisynn Supremacy.’ But if I had known it was Patty Guggenheim from the beginning, she absolutely would have been in not just the finale, but more episodes.
Jessica Gao's praise might indicate that more could lie ahead for Madisynn in the MCU, especially if the show returns for another season. While she didn't get a scene in the Season 1 finale, she did get enough character development that could solidify her foothold in a future season or even one of the upcoming Marvel movies. Her unexpected but awesome friendship with Wong could ultimately lead to a point at which she becomes a regular in the Doctor Strange franchise -- and randomly pops by Kamar-Taj to binge TV shows with her favorite Sorceror Supreme or just to throw back some vodka mixed with yak's milk.
And even if there isn't space for Madisynn in the greater MCU, she seems like a character tailor-made for future appearances in She-Hulk. And given the show's meta nature, if she shows up out of the blue again, Jen can merely look at the camera and say, "Hey, you wanted her back," before the story continues. (The show really thrived at that when explaining the situation with Hulk's human form). I'm sure the series' creative team could come up with a clever way to bring Patty Guggenheim's character back into the fold. Here's hoping she makes a return somehow -- and that the show actually gets renewed for a second season.
Anyone with a Disney+ subscription can -- and absolutely should -- stream Season 1 of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law if they haven't already. And be on the lookout for other upcoming Marvel TV shows.
