Eliza Dushku’s She-Hulk Was a Low-Key Perfect Marvel Casting Choice
When you think of Eliza Dushku, a few iconic characters probably jump to mind. Faith from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Echo from Dollhouse. Maybe even Tru from Tru Calling or Missy from Bring It On.
Dushku built a career playing fierce, complicated women who carried emotional weight and could throw a solid punch.
But here’s a fun Marvel deep cut that deserves more love. Her one and only Marvel character, Jennifer Walters, aka She-Hulk, was actually spot-on casting.
Dushku voiced She-Hulk in Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. and in an episode of Ultimate Spider-Man during their Disney XD runs from 2013 to 2015 and 2012 to 2017. It may not have been a live-action role, but I think a lot of fans appreciated what she brought to the role.
Jennifer Walters in those animated series was composed, sharp, and effortlessly cool in the chaos swirling around her. While the Hulks smashed their way through alien invasions and world-ending threats, She-Hulk often balanced the team’s energy.
She could step into a fight and then casually lighten the mood, even in situations as ridiculous as helping save Earth with roller skating skills. That mix of strength and charm is exactly the lane Dushku had mastered long before she entered the Marvel universe.
Look at Faith. She started as the punk rock contrast to Buffy, then evolved into a grounded, self-aware hero. Echo in Dollhouse carried the weight of identity and autonomy while navigating a deeply unsettling premise.
Even Tru Davies had to reconcile her dark past while using her powers to help others. Dushku always played characters who contained layers. Jennifer Walters, a lawyer who transforms into a Hulk yet keeps her sense of self intact, fits that pattern perfectly.
When previously talking about playing the character, she said: “Honestly, animated or not, if someone says they want me to play She-Hulk, I’m like, ‘Hell, yes!’ I wouldn’t flinch.
“I’ve always been a crazy fan and I feel like we’re kindred spirits in a way. She’s got the tomboy thing, she’s crazy competitive, she’s one of my favourites, so it was no question.
“I was a pretty ballsy little kid who grew up with the boys, streets of Boston, was competitive and wanted to do everything they did. Her role is so familiar to me, growing up in this family of Hulks.”
She-Hulk felt like a natural extension of the types of roles Dushku gravitated toward. Strong but approachable. Tough but emotionally intelligent. A character who contained multitudes. She left her mark on genre television and film in a big way.
In 2025, Dushku opened up to The Hollywood Reporter about stepping away from acting and choosing a different path.
After publicly sharing allegations that she had been molested as a child while working on the 1994 blockbuster True Lies and suing CBS for firing her from the series Bull when she informed the show's creatives about the alleged sexual harassment she had endured on set, she made a major life pivot. She entered therapy in 2018 and began building something new for herself.
That journey led to graduating from Lesley University with a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling, focusing on addiction, recovery, and trauma. Along the way, she got married, started a family, and maintained her sobriety.
As she explained: "I love watching movies and shows now. I just love being an observer. My husband and I spent so much of the pandemic and my pregnancies watching shows and just connecting to whatever we can.
“It is such a beautiful way to connect with humanity; those cords that are touched when a show is well done. But I don't watch and go, 'I wish I could play that role.' I'm glad it was someone else doing a night shoot and not me."
There’s something fitting about the actor who once voiced a Marvel hero known for strength, balance, and resilience choosing a path centered on helping others heal. Dushku may have only stepped into the Marvel universe once, but she nailed it.
I’ve always liked Dushku and it’s great that she doing so well and that she’s happy. Even though it probably won’t happen, it would be cool to see her make a comeback as an actress because she is so talented.