'Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.': Eliza Dushku on voicing She-Hulk

Disney XD’s “Marvel Universe” television block is expanding. New animated series Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. joins the Sunday morning superhero lineup on Aug. 11 and brings together five larger-than-life Marvel characters.

The show features the voice talent of Fred Tatasciore (longtime voice of the animated iterations of the biggest and greenest Avenger), Clancy Brown (SpongeBob SquarePants) as Red Hulk, Ben Diskin (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) as Skaar, and two Buffy the Vampire Slayer alums — Seth Green as A-Bomb and Eliza Dushku as She-Hulk.

Agents of S.M.A.S.H. is an opportunity for Disney and Marvel to introduce these characters to a new generation, while also showing a new side of these characters for fans already familiar with the most smash-prone Marvel heroes.

For Hulk, it’s his chance to finally be a leader. “He’s definitely a father figure who’s aware of trying not to be a monster” on the new show, Tatasciore told EW.

Hulk’s cousin Jennifer Walters, a.k.a. She-Hulk, is the most human-like of the show’s heroes who have found their bodies transformed by gamma radiation and other encounters or experiments gone wrong. So, Dushku says, She-Hulk “brings a lot of the humanity and empathy to this unconventional family unit, yet she can also be pretty fearless. She’s still a fighter.”

Below, check out an EW exclusive clip of She-Hulk’s crash-landing entrance into Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., then read on for more from Dushku about her work on the new series:

Duskhu, on where She-Hulk is at the beginning of Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.: “When we meet She-Hulk in our show, she has been doing work in the stunt business in Hollywood. She’s a little frustrated because they can just use her as green screen, and she doesn’t get the appreciation that feels she deserves or desires. So when Hulk comes and encourages her to join him and the other Hulks, she’s pretty ready to literally jump ship and join the family.”

On a challenge of voice acting that isn’t an issue with live action work: “If it were live action, [performances for different scenes] would be broken up into pieces more. This is all condensed and really concentrated and packed into one [recording session]. We’re going so many places within a few hours. We’re starting the beginning of an adventure, and we’re jumping into action sequences, and we’re flying through space, and we’re fighting all these bad guys, and we’re having all these all these family dynamics and then hilarious moments. It’s sort of an emotional ride through the whole solar system of places.”

On learning from her co-stars at recording sessions: “They’re geniuses the way they switch characters on a dime and passion and the way they’ll use their bodies. Everyone has their own style they bring to it. I’m constantly in there trying to be another action hero, trying to absorb everything that they’re doing.”

On Fred Tatasciore, who has been voicing Hulk in various projects since 2005: “He’s the nicest guy. He has the most positive energy. I hate to say, ‘Oh, he’s just a big kid’ — he is, but he’s so much more than that. He’s so generous. He’s putting so much into every line of dialogue as Hulk. I can’t even describe what a team leader and what a great presence the guy is.”

On her four-year-old nephew’s response to learning she’d voice She-Hulk: “He’s such a boy. He loves Spider-Man and SpongeBob. But his comment when he heard about this was, ‘Aunt Eliza, I’m so glad you’re on a team with Hulk because there’s so many things girls can do that boys can’t.’ He’s such a boy, but he’s already a feminist too.”

On why she’s looking forward to a new generation becoming introduced to Marvel characters with shows like Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.: “It’s a part of our culture. Superheroes can help kids deal with being different, show that they don’t have to be ashamed of themselves, how they can fight through adversity and find humanity. They’re a part of our culture for so many good reasons.”

Oh, and you may be wondering what S.M.A.S.H. stands for. The new agency’s supposed acronym of a name actually doesn’t stand for anything in particular — it means whatever the Hulks want it to mean.

The one-hour premiere episode of Marvel’s Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. airs on Disney XD this Sunday, Aug. 11 at 11 a.m. ET/PT. The first half hour of the premiere, called “Doorway to Destruction, Part 1,” is now available on WATCHDisneyXD.com and on the WATCH Disney XD app for verified users.