2019 was full of big releases and cinematic (and TV) events, but many of these received backlash for different reasons, and the most ridiculous one was definitely Captain Marvel’s. It was a big year for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the release of Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: Far From Home, this last one bringing closure to the Infinity Saga – but out of these, Captain Marvel was the only one surrounded by controversy.
Set in the 1990s, Captain Marvel followed the story of Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), a former U.S. Air Force fighter who after an accident that exposed her to the energy of the Tesseract, is taken by the Kree and turned into one of their warriors. Captain Marvel is the first female-led film in the MCU, which made it one of the most anticipated releases of the year, but it also earned it a lot of unnecessary controversy.
Captain Marvel’s backlash began even before it came out, when online trolls started to review bomb the film weeks before its release. The efforts to boycott the film reached such lengths that Rotten Tomatoes and YouTube had to take drastic action to stop trolls from posting offensive “reviews” and videos. But what makes Captain Marvel’s controversy so ridiculous is the reasons behind it.
Why Captain Marvel Had 2019’s Most Ridiculous Backlash
Captain Marvel’s backlash was all about Brie Larson and feminism. Those engaged in review bombing commented on Larson being a vocal feminist and how the film was pushing feminism to the forefront of the MCU, thus changing what this connected universe had been about and “ruining the franchise”. Many of them even said they wouldn’t be watching it, yet they took the time to try to boycott the film. Meanwhile, YouTube users uploaded videos complaining about Brie Larson being a man-hater, and never forget the tweets claiming Larson had been fired from Avengers: Endgame and the whole “Captain Marvel should smile more” situation. None of the backlash Captain Marvel received had to do with the narrative, the performances, or anything actually related to the film’s story other than it starring Brie Larson (who has always been very outspoken about social and cultural issues) and being the first female-led MCU film.
Of course, Captain Marvel wasn’t the only 2019 release that was involved in controversy and intense reactions from the audience. Todd Phillips’ Joker got its dose of backlash due to its levels of violence and “glorification” of the Joker’s actions. Game of Thrones season 8 was criticized for its quality and how it addressed the stories of its characters, while Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is being criticized for pretty much the same reasons. All these were directed to the product as it is rather than its star or what the film stood for (at least, according to the trolls), making the Captain Marvel backlash even more ridiculous (and, again, unnecessary). In the end, Captain Marvel became one of the highest-grossing films of 2019 and the first female-led superhero film to pass the billion-dollar mark, proving that trolls just won’t win no matter how hard they try.
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