While no confirmation either way has been given from Disney, star Tatiana Maslany recently provided a She-Hulk season 2 MCU update. This update seemingly confirmed that She-Hulk would not return for season 2, at least in the eyes of Maslany. The reasoning provided by Maslany for the lack of hope in She-Hulk season 2 being greenlit may be disappointing, though it could prove that Marvel is learning a lesson that is plaguing wider Hollywood of late.

She-Hulk Not Returning For Season 2 Is Part Of A Wider MCU & Hollywood Budget Issue

When asked about a continuation of the show, Maslany stated that Disney will likely not be keen on the project due to the high budget Marvel spent on She-Hulk season 1. Each episode of She-Hulk reportedly cost $25 million, proving the show to be an incredibly expensive venture for Marvel Studios and its parent company. The soaring budget of She-Hulk season 1, and the possibility that the show is not returning for season 2 because of this, is part of a wider budgetary issue that is affecting the MCU and other Hollywood projects.

Overall, 2023 was an immensely disappointing year for big budget filmmaking. As per a report by Indiewire concerning 2023 releases, only one movie of the 14 that cost more than $200 million to produce turned a profit: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Other movies from the MCU like The Marvels and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania failed to break even, as did other costly projects from wider Hollywood such as Fast X, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, The Flash, and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.

Concerning the MCU specifically, this box office failure is worse when taking into account the cost of the franchise’s TV productions in recent years. The show in question, She-Hulk, cost over $200 million to produce as did 2023’s Secret Invasion. All of this proves that Hollywood has a budgetary issue of late with projects like Oppenheimer, Barbie, and Godzilla: Minus One proving that a return to smaller-budgeted filmmaking is necessary.

She-Hulk’s Season 2 Update May Prove The MCU Is Learning A Valuable Lesson

In light of Hollywood’s budgetary problems, She-Hulk season 2’s update may prove that the executives at Marvel Studios are learning a lesson they need to. Rather than greenlighting $200+ million TV shows, the MCU may begin producing series’ on smaller budgets. This would certainly align with the recent TV overhaul that Marvel Studios has committed to of late. While the show had promise, the update regarding She-Hulk season 2 may prove that the MCU will stop throwing huge budgets at projects that are not cost-effective, thus returning to box office dominance.