"Is This Not Real Magic?" is the fourth episode of the American television series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, based on Marvel Comics featuring the character She-Hulk. It follows lawyer Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk as she tries to begin dating. The episode is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. It was written by Melissa Hunter and directed by Kat Coiro.
Tatiana Maslany stars as Walters, alongside Jameela Jamil, Ginger Gonzaga, Jon Bass, Mark Linn-Baker, Rhys Coiro, and Benedict Wong. Kat Coiro joined the series by September 2020 to direct the majority of the series' episodes.
"Is This Not Real Magic? was released on Disney+ on September 8, 2022. It received mostly positive reviews, with critics praising Wong's character, particularly his relationship with Madisynn, the episode's writing, characterization, and its action sequences. Patty Guggenheim's performance as Madisynn made her the breakout character of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
Plot
Donny Blaze, a magician who was expelled from Kamar-Taj for unethical use of the Mystic Arts and now works as an entertainer at the Mystic Castle, sends an audience member named Madisynn King to another dimension during one of his shows; unaware of what's happening, Madisynn is compelled to make a deal with a demon before being transported back to her own dimension, arriving in Wong's home in Kamar-Taj. Wong then contacts Jennifer Walters and explains that he wishes to file suit, recognizing that Blaze has violated a core tenet of his training: never use the Mystic Arts for personal gain or without proper safeguards.
Realizing that she has an opportunity to help set a new legal precedent, Walters takes the case against Blaze and Mystic Castle's curator Cornelius P. Willow and persuades a judge to declare that Blaze cannot practice the Mystic Arts without permission from the Sorcerer Supreme. Meanwhile, Walters creates a profile on a dating app in the hopes of expanding her social life but soon finds that she can only get men to pay attention to her profile when she presents herself as She-Hulk. Blaze accidentally unleashes a swarm of demons at one of his shows, but Wong and Walters are able to deal with the creatures, and Walters threatens Blaze and Willow into complying with a cease-and-desist order. The next day, Walters learns that Titania, having just been released from jail, is filing a lawsuit claiming that Walters' use of the name "She-Hulk" is trademark infringement.
Production
Development
In August 2019, Marvel Studios announced that She-Hulk: Attorney at Law was being developed for the streaming service Disney+. In September 2020, Kat Coiro was hired to direct six episodes, including the fourth, and to executive produce the series. When the series was originally being developed in the writers' room, the plot revolving around Jennifer Walters' origin was intended for the fourth episode, before ultimately appearing in the first episode of the series. Executive producers include Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Victoria Alonso, and Brad Winderbaum, in addition to Coiro and head writer Jessica Gao. The fourth episode, titled "Is This Not Real Magic?", was written by Melissa Hunter, and was released on Disney+ on September 8, 2022.
Writing
Gao wanted the show to be sex-positive, and wanted to explore Walters' dating life following her transformation into She-Hulk, noting that both Walters and She-Hulk would be attracted to different types of men and that they would be treated differently as a result. She felt that "having the rug pulled out from under" Walters after spending the night with a date as She-Hulk and having him not be interested in Walters the next morning "would just be so devastating". The audience spends the episode believing he is the "perfect date" along with Walters that when "the cold hard truth of reality hits and it's so terrible for her that your heart really breaks for her". Gao felt Maslany's performance in the scene was nuanced and helped improve the quality of the scene.